First Kid, Second Kid, Third Kid…

Back in November, we welcomed the third (and last) of our babies into the world. Things were a lot different this time around. I don’t know if it was because I’m a little older and wiser, or if my “Give-A-Crap-Meter” is just broken. Either way, the differences in everything regarding pregnancy and babies were pretty big. And I’m pretty sure that moms with more than one kid notice that things that were once incredibly important, kind of…diminish with each kid. 

Sharing the News

With your first kid, you have a plan already in place about how you will deliver the news, long before you’ve even bought an EPT. It most likely includes making a (hopefully viral) video of your parents playing a game/opening a present while recording their over-the-top reactions. The second time around, you’re a little less ambitious so you take a photo of the older sibling wearing a “Big Brother/Big Sister” shirt. With the third child, you send a text in your group chat to your best friends: “I’m feeling a little nauseous…Please tell me this is the tummy bug.” 

Maternity Photos 

Pregnancy number one calls for a professional photographer, perfectly styled hair and makeup, matching outfits with the husband, and you look like a magical pregnancy goddess. With the second pregnancy, you’ve got a toddler to wrangle so you opt for a family friend to snap a few pics of the older sibling hugging your bump. The third time around, you’re satisfied with the Snapchat photo your kindergartner took with your phone while you were helping the toddler off the potty. 

Gender Reveal

When its time to reveal the sex of your first progeny, a friend volunteers to host a party with all of your friends and family invited and, of course, there’s an adorable theme (acceptable ideas include, but are not limited to: “Bows or Boots”,  “Pink or Blue”, “Lashes or ‘Staches”, or “Buck or Doe”). Kid number two’s gender is revealed in a video of the older child biting into a cupcake with a pink or blue center, uploaded to Facebook. The third kid’s gender is typically told in passing: “Oh yeah, I guess I should get the baby girl clothes down from the attic, huh?” 

Birth Plan

Baby number one’s pregnancy was filled with birthing classes, books, and seminars. You downloaded a birth plan from Pinterest, laminated it, and stored it in a floral binder you got at Hobby Lobby. When delivery time rolls around for the next baby, you tell the attending nurse: “I know I want an epidural, my husband in the room, and ice chips.” By the time you get to the delivery date for the third baby, you’re happy as long as you don’t give birth in the car on the way to the hospital. 

Seeing Your Baby For the First Time 

When the doctor lays your firstborn child on your chest after he or she has been born, your heart grows three sizes, just like the Grinch’s, and keeps growing and growing with each child. Because you know that your family hasn’t just gotten bigger in numbers, but in love as well. 

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jessicahuffman
Jessica is a SAH/homeschooling mom who works part-time during the school year for her church's MDO program. She's married to her preschool sweetheart (you read that right!) and has three kids, Hermione, Indiana, and Rohan. She has a BA in Journalism from UCO and worked for five years as a ghostwriter for a publishing company. In her "free time", Jessica loves to run, watch sci-fi, and pluck on her banjo!

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