The First, Second and Third Child….

Your Clothes

1st baby:
You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN 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 newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, & fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau

2nd baby:
You check to make sure that the clothes are clean & 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.

Dummies

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

2nd baby:
When the pacifier 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 diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.

2nd baby:
You change their diaper 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 everyday 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.