The second time around

Being a mom for the second time around is just so...different. I mean, I know all kiddos are not the same and I was prepared for the differences, but there were a lot of things I was not expecting...

Easier:

Breastfeeding- SO. MUCH. EASIER. Probably one reason is because I never stopped breastfeeding Ellie. I appreciated the lactation consultants coming to see me in the hospital and such, but just chatted with them. Quite the difference from counting down the minutes until one would be "on shift" when I was in the hospital with Ellie. Oh, and since I am a seasoned veteran, anyone who tried to tell me that she's not getting enough/my breastmilk has gone bad...etc. gets an earfull. I got this, folks.

Oh, and I can breastfeed anytime, anywhere. I've been feeding Scarlett WHILE walking around the kitchen getting lunch prepped for Ellie. Sure, why not? So different from starting off with Ellie where I had to be seated with my boppy.

General care- Yup, not intimidated by dressing/changing diapers/getting to sleep, etc. Again, I got this. I can take care of my little squish. Her sister have survived me for 17 months now, so we're JUST fine!

Getting out- You'd think getting out with two littles would be harder. Nope. Easier. Maybe because I'm more relaxed? Maybe because it feels the same as getting out with one? I mean, what does Scarlett need? A diaper or two. I have wipes with me. No toys/snacks yet. And I strap her into her carseat in the house, so no additional work really to get her in the car. So getting out? Really, not so bad.

Cloth diapers- S just lost her cord stump, so she's been in cloth for a couple days. I still love it. I mean, of course there is more laundry. But not THAT much. I still do laundry about every other day. I have found myself using prefolds more that pockets with Ellie, as that saves stuffing time.

Harder:

C-section recovery- One school of thought says that each c-section gets a bit harder to recover from. Another school of thought is that since there is no labor before hand with a repeat section, it is an easier recovery. I agree with both, to an extent. And I knew that throwing a toddler in there would be a challenge to recovery. But Oh. My. Goodness. I just about ripped myself in half TWICE because of toddler tantrums. Like I am not going to lunge for Ellie if she is about to slam her head to the ground? But OUCH. So healing has been harder.

Sleep- "Sleep when baby sleeps". Uh, no. Sleep when baby sleeps, only if it is during toddler's nap time. Sigh. And then there is molars. Molars are from the devil. Thank goodness Scarlett is a good sleeper!

Bedtime- I think this is the only time that I don't like tandem nursing. This is especially hard if we are out and about. Like tonight, we got home late, and S was needing to eat. E needed to go to bed. So I fed S while Ryan got E ready for bed. Then we switched and I nursed E while he kept S calm until I could get back with her. Ugh. Times like that I just want to clone myself.





I also really wasn't expecting how different the girls are already. I guess in my mind I really did expect Ellie 2.0. Maybe the hair is the reminder that S is SO different. I love that they are different, don't get me wrong. But for some funny reason, I guess I wasn't expecting it. I love that I get to learn about this new person, though. And I am so in love with her already! <3