Parenthood

10 things we’ll be doing differently with baby no 2


We’ve passed the halfway mark with baby No 2 and honestly, if I knew that the second pregnancy was going to go so much quicker, I would have done it first! Man, that’s such a lame joke for a Friday morning. Sorry guys, the Mr and I have been operating on low sleep because Rosie, being back at creche, has been full of  cold and cough and general yuckiness and was refusing to sleep anywhere but our bed. At first, we tried to fight the co-sleeping because I have this underlining feeling of panic that if she doesn’t get back to a routine quick, I’m going to have a bed full of kids, but really, whatever keeps her from screaming. It’s not forever…or is it…arghhh! Irrational thoughts aside and completely ignoring the fact that I almost weed on the toilet last night with the lid down (it was a very cold sensation), all is good and I am thoroughly enjoying being pregnant the second time around. Yes, there are days when I feel very unfit and I have an internal struggle with my weight but there haven’t been any signs of sciatica and hip issues, and I’m definitely in a better head space with this little bump.

Feeling less stressed, more content and not wishing any of the time away, I’ve been thinking about how much I will do differently this time around. It started with the pregnancy, the conscious effort to not overdo anything and to listen to my body and I’m almost feeling that “glowy” second trimester vibe. With baby no 2, I will be listening to what worked with Rosie, and what I missed doing, or shouldn’t have put effort into.

Here are the 10 things I will be doing differently with Baby No 2:
  1. I will be getting a feeding cover. I am so headstrong and the more my friends suggested I get a cover whilst nursing, the more I thought it was a pansy idea. Honestly, if you told me not to walk on lava, I would do it. The thing with a baby is that they like to flail their arms and legs around, they like to grab and pull a strategically placed cloth off their head and then suddenly, you’re giving those around you a free nipple show. This time round, I’m popping it on my Baby Shower list.
  2. I don’t mind baby being in the same onesie two days straight. In the first few weeks, Rosie didn’t really mess anything, but with all the lovely dresses and fiddly outfits, I tried to put her in something new each day which was unnecessary and irritated her.
  3. I might introduce a dummy if it means better sleeping. Some folks will declare dummies as life-savers and others abhor them. I fall into the category of “whatever keeps them from screaming”.
  4. I will introduce her to a bottle earlier on. Rosie was a boob girl and it was a total battle to get her to take a bottle which meant that whenever I had to go to a photoshoot, I panicked that she wouldn’t eat anything until I came home. I’ve got a brand new set of Tommee Tippee pink bottles all ready for Bumpette as she and Rosie are their SA Brand Ambassadors.
  5. We will be getting a baby monitor. I strongly believed that living in a one-story we wouldn’t need a baby monitor but it’s not the crying that worries me, it’s the first initial 3 months when you keep checking your child every 5 minutes to make sure they are still breathing. Having a monitor would prevent me from interrupting baby’s sleep (because no matter what I do, all our doors creak) and would give me peace of mind.
  6. I’ll make sure she sleeps on her back. For some reason, and against everything I have ever read and heard from midwives and doctors, I placed Rosie on her front to sleep and thus panicked for all eternity until she was old enough to roll herself over – she now sleeps in the weirdest positions imaginable.
  7. I won’t put bibs on her until shes older. I look back at pics of Rosie wearing a massive bib and realize that she hardly upchucked when she was in her first weeks and it kind of looks like she has her cape on the wrong way round. No need for such fussing.
  8. I won’t try and force a routine on our family if it drives us insane. I did try to do a sleeping and eating routine with Rosie and it was exhausting. Having to note feeding times and sleeping times was just ridiculous, caused so much tension and made me feel like a failure when she didn’t stick to our routine.
  9. I will start her on the savory food pouches before anything sweet. The variety of pureed food pouches is growing but Rosie has the most sweetest tooth (rather like her mum and dad) that she would refuse anything that didn’t have apple, banana or strawberry in. I tried my hardest to make homemade pureed food for her but unless it was sweet(ish) she would spit it out over me. This time round, I’m starting on the peas, oats and the potatoes before I even let Bumpette look at an apple.
  10. I will hurl, across the room, anyone who asks me within a year of having bumpette whether I’m going to try for a boy. STOP THINKING ABOUT MY SEX LIFE and be happy for the blessings I have.

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6 Comments

  • Reply Sigrid May 11, 2018 at 7:49 am

    Isn’t hindsight wonderful?! I’m not thinking about having another baby any time soon (still emotionally scarred from the first time round!) but I agree, there are SO MANY things I’d do differently. Some I’d do the same, but most of the things I’d do differently have to do with my need for control over the situation. Every time I’ve just relinquished control and allowed my son to show me what he wants to do, things turn out better. If I ever decide to be insane and have another child, I will try my best to remember that!

    • Reply Shante Hutton May 14, 2018 at 11:29 am

      I was very careful not to listen to too much advice because there is SO much of it and so many different methods. This time round, it’s definitely less trial and error BUT, saying that, each child is so different. The best thing we did was to choose to be parents that were more relaxed, like yourself – you’re so right about relinquishing control!

  • Reply Juli Huisamen May 11, 2018 at 7:51 am

    Congrats on baby bump 2.0! We had a bigger bed made and slept with baby 1 and baby 2 in the same bed. When baby one was more into the fact that he was still prince 1 he was fine moving back into his own room. We eventually moved both out of our room. They still got into bed when they wanted to but they loved their own beds. Mine never wanted to take a dummy and believe me I tried every type on the market! it looked so much easier with other Moms and the dummies but on the other hand most of them battled to get rid of the dummies some even had dummies at age 4/5. Good luck and you will get as much advise if not more from other people and I also had the when are you trying for ….question as I only have sons!

    • Reply Shante Hutton May 14, 2018 at 11:30 am

      Thank you so much Juli! Rosie couldn’t stand a dummy….but now, she’ll sometimes pop one in her mouth but fun. It’s never been a comfort thing for her…I am the comfort. Whilst we are pretty relaxed parents, the hardest thing is not to compare ourselves, especially myself, to other parents. Each child is so different and you can’t fit them into a box

  • Reply Melissa Javan May 11, 2018 at 3:30 pm

    All the best momma xoxo

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