The Second Baby Book Pdf

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Foryour second pregnancy, you will have less antenatal appointments with your midwife than you did first time around; that is, if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy (NHS, 2016). You will have seven appointments, which is three less than for your first pregnancy (NICE, 2017).

Just because you had a complicated first pregnancy does not mean you will necessarily have a difficult time again. Most women who have had a caesarean section can have a vaginal delivery with their next baby (NHS, 2018b). It partly depends on why you had a caesarean section and how many caesareans you've had. Your GP, midwife or obstetrician will be able to advise you.

If you had a difficult first birth, you might want to arrange a debrief of that birth with a midwife. This will give you a chance to hear the midwife go through what happened and answer any questions that you still have. Nobody knows whether there are any psychological benefits of doing this (Bastos et al, 2015). Yet you might find it helps you to understand why interventions happened and decide what you want for this birth.

Another thing that you might be pleased about is that your birth is likely to be quicker. First labours last on average for eight hours but are unlikely to last over 18 hours. Whereas second and subsequent labours last on average five hours and are unlikely to last over 12 hours (NICE, 2014).

More than two thirds of women report sleep disturbances during pregnancy and this can be even harder if you have a young child waking you too (Reichner, 2015). Feeling tired won't harm you or your baby but it might leave you feeling low (NHS, 2018a).

Try to rest when you can and remember to try to sleep on your left side and not flat on your back (NHS, 2018c). Make time to sit with your feet up during the day, and accept any offers of help from colleagues and family. If you have problems sleeping during pregnancy, your midwife should be able to give you advice about how to get into a good sleep routine. Your midwife might suggest things like relaxing and avoiding caffeine before bed time (NICE, 2018).

Young children have underdeveloped immune systems and your immune system is weakened in pregnancy. So you might find it more difficult to fight all the infections around you (British Society of Immunology, 2017).

You can be vaccinated against flu and whooping cough to help protect you and your unborn child. All pregnant women are advised to have the whooping cough vaccination ideally from 16 to 32 weeks of pregnancy (NHS, 2018d).

You may also be concerned about protecting your pregnant belly from knocks by your existing child. Remember that your baby is cushioned in fluid to help protect them in the womb but teach your child about how to treat your bump and praise them when they are gentle.

You might want to talk to your child about the new baby or read books about pregnancy and babies with them. Remind your child too that you also looked after them when they were inside by showing them pictures of you pregnant with them.

NCT also provide Refresher antenatal courses for those parents who have already had at least one baby. They offer a chance to reflect and build on past birth experiences and prepare yourself for looking after your new baby.

Bastos MH, Furuta M, Small R, McKenzie-McHarg K, Bick D. (2015) Debriefing interventions for the prevention of psychological trauma in women following childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(4):CD007194. Available from: [Accessed 1st December 2018]

All of our articles have been thoroughly researched and are based on the latest evidence from reputable and robust sources. We create our articles with NCT antenatal teachers, postnatal leaders and breastfeeding counsellors, as well as academics and representatives from relevant organisations and charities.

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Adding another baby to your family can be a wonderful gift for your first child; they get a new friend to play with when they are young and, hopefully, a lifelong companion who will be there as they grow. However, having a second child, while caring for your first toddler, requires careful planning.

Another important message to share with your older child is that, while your new baby will take a lot of your time, they are still important. You love them more than ever. And, in fact, their role in the family is getting even more important.

Ultimately, how much you explain about your pregnancy is a personal decision. But, whatever you decide to communicate, do it using simple words and one-sentence explanations that are easy to understand.

Breastfeeding a new baby, while caring for a toddler, can be a big challenge, especially if you are home by yourself. Here are a few tips to make breastfeeding easier when you are also watching a toddler.

What ideas do you have for helping an older child understand what to expect with a new baby? Please leave a comment and let us know, or join the discussion on the Medela Australia Facebook page.

Dr. Karen Gill is an ABMS board certified pediatrician whose expertise includes breastfeeding, nutrition, obesity prevention, and childhood sleep and behavior issues. She currently lives and practices in Portland, Oregon.

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Having a child upends your world in the most amazing and unexpected ways. One day, you have total autonomy and free will. The next? Your life revolves around the wants, whims, and needs of a tiny helpless human.

You have some time to prepare your firstborn for the impending arrival of their sibling. Talk about the changes that will take place in an age-appropriate way, read books that celebrate their new role as a big brother or sister, and have them practice with a doll.

As your due date approaches, it can also be helpful to have your older child pick out a gift to give to their new baby sibling. Likewise, once the baby is born, you can have a present ready for the newly minted big brother or sister to mark this momentous moving-up ceremony of sorts.

Yes, leaving home to do anything with two little ones can feel like an epic workout. There are car seat buckles to wrestle with, diaper blow-outs to tend to, and so many ridiculous essentials to pack.

Get in the habit of preparing everything you need in a diaper bag the night before any outing or appointment. Better yet, start keeping extras of everything stashed in your car and head out for anything you want to be on time for at least 15 minutes earlier.

There are, of course, some challenges and fears that come with the territory of going from one child to two. You are just one person, after all, and suddenly you have two small humans vying for your attention.

As we mentioned before, going anywhere with two little ones will make you break a sweat. And ensuring that everyone remains happy and safe is a whole other stressful experience. Gone are the days of leisurely park trips. You must now find a way to grow eyeballs in the back of your head.

During the first few months after I had my second child, I often felt like I was walking in a fog. But after I found a routine that worked for me, I started feeling less like a hot mess. In fact, it wasn't until I started getting out of the house and becoming more comfortable with being a mom to two kids that things got easier.

I made the mistake of trying to cram potty-training my toddler into the last few weeks of my second pregnancy. While it worked initially, she quickly went back to using diapers after my son was born. I chalked it up as a parenting failure, when in fact, it's quite common for children to revert to baby-like behavior when a sibling joins the family.

With my first, I made sure her precious backside spent the majority of the time in cloth diapers and that the food that she ate was organic. Fast forward to number two, and things looked a whole lot different.

I quickly discovered that my reason for cloth diapering and being so careful about what my daughter ate and was exposed to had everything to do with trying to be the "perfect" mom and less to do with what I actually felt was important.

I had every intention of finishing up book number one while pregnant with number two, and that never happened. There are pictures and mementos shoved in each book, but they are far from being done, and that's OK. Let go of the guilt and embrace the fact that parenting isn't about documenting every moment perfectly.

But I have a medical condition called insufficient growth tissue (IGT) that prevents me from making enough milk to feed my baby. Despite all of my efforts, breastfeeding did not get easier the second time around. Even though my condition is rare, many women do struggle with nursing their second children. So go easy on yourself and only do what brings you joy.

Yes, there are days when I feel like locking myself in the laundry room and never coming out, but when I do emerge from my time-out, my kids are always there to greet me with a smile and a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

For a long time, I was convinced that all of my parenting mishaps were going to lead to my kids being mad at me forever. But here's the thing about kids: They're a bit like rubber bands. When you stretch them just a little, they do snap back.

I was worried that having two kids close together in age was going to make my house a war zone. But what I discovered was the exact opposite. Even at two years old, my daughter took to her baby brother in a way that I wasn't expecting.

No one can answer that question but you, and there's a lot to consider. This decision involves a lot of thought, such as planning when to stop using birth control, determining how much time to take off work, and figuring out if you can still afford childcare.

With each new child, you have to think about how that baby will affect your lifestyle, finances, work, relationships, and, of course, your other kids. And if you listen to what other parents say, expanding your family by one could more than double your workload.

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