Pregnant With Your Second or Third? How To Prepare

pregnant with your second or third

Congratulations on your growing family!

Being pregnant with your second or third child is very exciting and wonderful on so many levels. It can also leave you wondering, how will I plan for more than one? A mom, with any amount of children, has a big job, for sure. So many moms I speak to, that have one, often say “I just don’t know how you do it with two little ones!” and I myself often say to moms of multiples, “I just don’t know how you do it with three!”

We often get a bit of anxiety or uncertainty of how we could handle that new bundle of joy, on top of taking care of our existing children and, well, life. The truth is, everyone eventually figures it out.

But just to calm any nerves, questions, or nesting stage anxieties (because trust me, we have all been there), here are some tips on how to prepare for your second or third child.

pregnant with your second or third child tips

Purge

This is the time to do a refresh and get rid of items you no longer need or want. If you are staying in the same place, you may find yourself needing space that wasn’t allotted for baby. So, get rid of all things you just can do without (perhaps old furniture not being used, items that need to be replaced, etc.). Doing so, even a little bit, is actually soothing and makes you feel like you are prepared, feeling less cluttered leads to feeling less anxious.

Storage Furniture

Following up to purging, get some new storage furniture. Things that your older children will need such as larger toy boxes, bookcase shelves, or wardrobes. Aim to buy some items that they can utilize by putting their things away in. This will help you as the older children are more aware of where their things go during cleanup.

List New Items

Prepare by listing out the items you do need to be for the next baby. Perhaps some items can be passed down as hand-me-downs (crib, playpens, bassinets, etc) or do you need certain new items that were worn out previously? List out all: crib bedding, bottles, and nipples, soothers, blankets, sleepers, etc. Having a list of your needs will be so helpful, even if you can’t go shopping yourself, you can pass off the list to a handy helper. Which brings me to the next point.

Enlist Help

Your partner and yourself will be busy during the delivery and one can never really anticipate how it will go. So secure trusted babysitting for the other children. While doing that, also ensure you have some sitters/helpers around for the first few weeks. While you are caring for the newborn and recovering, it will be helpful to have some extra hands around the place. Trust me!

Meal Plan

Planning meals and preparing meals those first few weeks can be a challenge. Especially when you have other littles around. So look into, ahead of time, meal delivery services in the area. Sign-up for online memberships so that you can order when need be and ensure they deliver. The same can be said for groceries.

Potty Train or Sleep Train

If you have a child in diapers but on the verge of potty training, or if you have a toddler that likes to sleep in your bed – do your best to do as much training as possible before the baby arrives. You just won’t have the time (possibly even patience) to do so when you are nursing a newborn around the clock, and consistency (as we know now) is the key to any training. So do your best to get as much of that done as possible beforehand.

Talk to Your Child

Whatever age, tell your child(ren) about the new sibling on the way. Be excited for them, saying things like “you are going to be the best big sister/brother!” “I can’t wait for this baby to meet you, they are so lucky to have you!” Include them in the preparations, doing so will help the welcome the new baby, and remember to try and give them attention after as well (the best you can of course). Prepare to have a gift or item to present to them for becoming a big brother/sister as well.

 

However, at the end of the day, enjoy being pregnant with your second or third precious baby,  prepare as you can, and try not to get caught up in the what to dos. Rest assured…it will all work out and you will be a great mom no matter what!

 

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

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