I’m 6 months pregnant with our second child and I have so many mixed emotions. This pregnancy has naturally flown by compared to the first. I’m busy chasing my toddler, I feel like I somewhat know what to expect between each doctor visit, and there just haven’t been as many insecurities as there were with the first. . . until now.
To give you a little background, my entire pregnancy has consisted of starting an addition onto our home (my husband chose to be his own contractor lol—that’s a story of its own), operating a small business, and trying my best to parent a toddler. I by NO means claim to be the busiest girl in the world, but this is the most we have ever had on our plate and praise the Lord they are all wonderful, exciting things. Once the holidays approached, we were able to take a moment to pause. . . construction paused, we took time off work, and our baby was home from school. This small pause provided me with some perspective that mainly consisted of oh my heavens, I’m having a second baby sometime between now and the start of spring. What in the world have I been doing to prepare for this little guy? My brain was pulled into a thousand directions.
These directions consisted of the following: things to buy, questions to ask friends, what (if anything) I should do for my firstborn, and prayers I should be praying.
Things to buy/do
Thankfully, since this isn’t my first, all the big boxes are checked, right? Bassinet? Check. Car seat? Check. Stroller? Check. Stroller seats for two children? That’s going on the list. Nursery decor? Check. Baby clothes? Check. Everything else is relatively non-essential.
Questions to Ask Friends
I want to know the good, the bad, and the in-between. I already know I’m jumping headfirst into a whole new world, but I’m craving other moms’ experiences and expertise. Google and what the world tells us just aren’t enough. I should start saying “tell me about your transition from one to two kids” to more moms.
What (If Anything) I Should Do For My Firstborn
The only thing that truly comes to mind here is just savoring these last few months of alone time with him. After the spring, there will never be another day when he is the only child captivating my attention. I should take extra time to rock him to sleep, take him on adventures, go out to eat, and tell him how wonderful he is.
Prayers I Should Be Praying:
This one hit me the hardest. Not only is it the simplest, but it’s the one I’ve honestly been ignoring. In the hurry of all that has been going on, I’ve given into the temptation of relying on my own measly strength to get through the day. This is the opposite of what the Lord calls us to. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”- 1 Peter 5:6-7.
Goodness, how much I don’t need to miss that first part. Not only does He care for me, but He alone is mighty. Meanwhile, I will (thankfully) continue to fall short every day of how wonderful He is. But it is okay because He, and his mighty hand, cares for me. He cares that:
I want my child to be healthy
- That I have no idea what I’m doing
- That I hope this baby and his brother become great friends
- That His help is needed for us to raise two children
- That I desire his protection over my children
- That I hope for an uncomplicated delivery
- That my friends are still struggling with infertility
- That I hope my sons will know Him well
- That I need Him
I am aware these prayers aren’t small. Conversely, they are some of the more important requests I may ever pray. I also know the Lord has no obligation to make these prayers a reality, but he has clearly told us he cares.
So…
After taking time to process all of these different things during our small holiday break, I was left with this idea: So is this the point? Is the hustle and bustle over additional children all a cultural distraction? Is this how I am supposed to prepare for my second child? I prepare by simply pausing?
At this point, I think it is. So I’ll continue to try to pause, rather than “prepare”. I’ll do it because I am reminded that I cannot get this time alone with my son back, I have a lot I can learn from other moms around me, and the Lord hears my prayers and cares for them.
