Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would sit down to write this post. Actually, I used to dream about it, but I let that dream go and became content with my reality — that I would only have one child. Shortly after my son turned four, I purged just about all of the baby clothes and gear.
Of course, it would happen when my house became a little less cluttered — the positive pregnancy test! I had not taken one in almost 10 years, and most certainly had never had a positive one before. And yet, here we were with an absolute miracle on our hands. I am getting a second chance at motherhood, and I want to soak up every minute. There were things that I wanted to do differently and now I actually have that opportunity.
I will not let the hospital discharge nurse scare me. Do you remember discharge day when you are so excited to take your new bundle home? We had a wonderful birthing experience, hospital stay, and great staff until discharge day. We were within minutes of rolling out the door, and in she walked, armed with all her scary scenarios. I will spare you the details, but to say I felt totally inadequate and ill-equipped to keep a human alive would be an understatement. I was a wreck! Cried ugly alligator tears the whole day, even after we made it home. Hopefully, this time around I will have a better sense of what is to come and not let one person ruin that day for me.
When my son was a newborn, I was terrified to take him places. Scared he would cry and I wouldn’t know what to do. Scared he would need to eat and I was NOT a pro at nursing. Scared someone would steal him (thank you discharge nurse). What do I wish I had known? Newborns are WAY easier to tote around than toddlers (and way less opinionated too)! Dear new bundle of joy, you will be going places!
Bottles! Bottles! Bottles! This child WILL take a bottle! Whether it is breastmilk or formula, this child will be trained to take one. Warning to all the new moms: Don’t wait until it is too late. We let all the “rules” thwart us from introducing a bottle or pacifier early, and it backfired. With my son, I never realized that I would need a break. (Ha!) Come month seven, eight, and nine, and this was one tired momma.
This time around I want to enjoy more snuggles and be less worried about the dreaded schedule. That will probably happen naturally since it will be baby #2, but I want to enjoy it! I followed the schedule religiously with my son and expected everyone else to also. Granted, he was and still is an EXCELLENT sleeper, but I was not flexible and often stressed way too much about it. Never realizing that everything is a phase and it will pass. There will still be a schedule with this one because that is just in my nature, but I want to relax a little and enjoy each phase as it comes.
If you find yourself with a second chance at motherhood, either on purpose or by pure miracle, I encourage you to remember all the things you want to keep the same and things you may want to do differently. They are only little for a short time!