Being a parent

[Dubh Aingeal]

Being a parent changes everything. But being a parent also changes with each baby. Here are some of the ways having a second and third child is different from having your first.

Your Clothes

1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your Doctor confirms your pregnancy.

2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth

1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.

3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your 8th month.

The Layette

1st baby: You pre-wash your newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the bab y's little bureau.

2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries

1st baby: At the first sign of distress-a whimper, a frown-you pick up the baby.

2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.

3rd baby: You teach your 3-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Dummy/Pacifier

1st baby: If the dummy falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.

2nd baby: When the dummy falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.

3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Nappies

1st baby: You change your baby's nappies every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby: You chan ge their nappy every 2 to 3 hours, if needed.

3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities

1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.

2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.

3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out

1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home 5 times.

2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.

3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home

1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby: You spend a bit of ev eryday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins (my favorite one)

1st child: when first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.

2nd child: when 2nd child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for coin to pass.

3rd child: when 3rd child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!!

Pass this on to everyone you know who has children...or everyone who KNOWS someone who has had children...

or anyone who has ever been a child themselves!

[JaneDead]

Your Clothes

1st baby: i actually never even had to wear maternity clothes, just bigger clothes

2nd baby: i wore maternity clothes after about my 3rd or 4th month

3rd baby: here i think i only made it to month 2 that was sad. very very sad.

Worries

i never worried with any of my kids unless they had a super high fever that wouldn't go down. i always just knew how to take care of kids so i never worried

it is funny to me when parents worry so much about everything.

Dummy/Pacifier

when the pacifer fell on the floor i put it in my mouth to clean it. my grandma once turned to me and said "melissa, you might as well stick that up your asshole to clean that. your asshole is cleaner than your mouth!"

At Home

3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

oh i try. how i try.

and my kids never swalled anything. i watch them and put away stuff they shouldn't have. prescription bottles are ok, they have the child proof lid for a reason.

[fallennon]

LOL I never wore maternity clothes either.

[Black Sunday]

ver 1.5

[JaneDead]

i never had "morning" sickness. i would have a sick feeling at times of the day, but never that sickness where you actually get sick.

[Black Sunday]

ver 1.5

[fallennon]

I only got sick when I brushed my teeth and even then it wasn't like throwing up, I just opened my mouth and out it came! I did get very needy and emotional though...

[JaneDead]

yep i had the toothpaste/toothbrushing issue too. that is when i really felt sick.

[fallennon]

Didn't it suck? Ew!

[JaneDead]

yep. that and getting fat.

but i really had to have 3 for that to happen. so you are on the right track so far fallennon.

[gothicmom]

With my second child I had to wear maternity clothes after about 2 months or so.

I was HUGE with both of my children. My whole body got big. Those women who look like they have a basket ball in the tummy are so lucky!

When I was preg with my son, there was this one grocery store that always made my stomache upset. I'm not sure why. I never really got sick, although the summer of '98 was one of the hottest in NC.

With my daughter, I was tired all the time.