By Jane Frazerhurst
My baby was 9 months old when I found out that I was pregnant with number two. After four years of trying, numerous rounds of fertility treatment and one round of IVF with baby number one, we were not expecting it to happen so quickly.
Shocked was one of the words that comes to mind and there was another one that came out of my mouth that I won’t repeat here! Not that we weren’t happy, we were just very surprised and I was definitely scared.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope with two babies – my first wasn’t even walking at this stage.
So many thoughts go through your head when you are pregnant. Throw pregnancy hormones into the mix and many of these become worries – hey let’s face it sometimes these worries aren’t even rational!
I remember looking at my “baby” and being worried about how I was going to manage to divide my time up. My precious first born was not going to get all the love and attention that she has had lavished on her so far – how would she cope?
But cope she did and so did I!
Here are my top tips for coping with a toddler and a newborn
1. BABYWEARING
A Peek-a-Baby wrap is a great way to keep your baby close to you, while dealing with the demands of a busy toddler.
2. BE PREPARED
Before bubs arrives, be as organised as you can be. Have meals in the freezer, a basket of toys to keep the toddler busy while you are feeding and do your shopping online.
I have a November baby so I made sure I had a lot of my Christmas shopping done and ordered the rest online. Shopping online is a great way to not put any extra pressure on yourself. Who wants to be carting a toddler AND a newborn around the supermarket? You also have the added bonus of not having to get out of your pajamas.
See next page for two more great tips!
