With your first kid, it sort of seems like everything takes forever, but the second go-around, you realize just how quickly time passes, for better or worse. Two kids often means twice as many hard parts, but it also means twice as many magical opportunities to watch the little people you love learn and grow.
Once the first child is born, time pressure increases for both parents. Yet this effect is substantially larger for mothers than fathers. Second children double parents' time pressure, further widening the gap between mothers and fathers.
First of all, every pregnancy, birth, and baby is different, so history doesn't necessarily repeat itself. Then, there's the fact that parenting two kids is a hell of a lot harder than parenting just one. You only have two hands, one lap, so many hours in the day, and so much energy to expel.
Others, just plain comical. Thankfully a study conducted by an MIT economist named Joseph Doyle confirms what most of us moms with multiple children expected: Second children actually are more difficult than others.
Two under two is not an easy feat, but it does come with a double dose of that amazing kid love. You can undoubtedly handle all of the crazy that is sure to come your way – just remember to soak up all the love, too. That's the best part.
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
(Learn how and when to remove this template message) Middle child syndrome is the belief that middle children are excluded, ignored or even outright neglected because of their birth order.
Sometimes your love for your firstborn child feels so all-consuming that it's hard to imagine having enough to give your second child. But love is boundless, and even if you get off to a slow start with your second, you'll soon find your heart is big enough to love all your children, no matter how many you have.
In terms of the children's relationships with their parents, sibling rivalry, and their own self-esteem, Jeannie Kidwell, a former professor of family studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, says the best time to have another baby is either when your first is younger than 1 or older than 4.
Having two children reduces mortality risk. Three different studies looked at thousands of older adults and found the same thing: two kids was the sweet spot for health. The risk of an early death increases by 18% for parents of an only child. Also, the risk is higher for parents of three or more kids.
A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three. Scary Mommy blogger Jill Smokler told Today that she wholeheartedly agrees.
Is labour likely to be faster second time around? Yes, labour is likely to be shorter with a second or subsequent birth (NICE, 2014). It is especially likely that the early part will become stronger more quickly, so you might need to consider getting to the place where you will give birth earlier than last time.
According to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Western University in Canada, having a third baby won't make you any happier. While parents' happiness increases in the year before and after the first and second children, the birth of third children doesn't see the same increased happiness.
In terms of happiness, a compelling argument for having an only child comes from science that strongly indicates that mothers with one child are happiest.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
Only around 10 percent said they were happier after having a second kid, compared with more than 30 percent of women.
Some couples find it easier to get pregnant the second time around (maybe because they are already familiar with their unique ovulation patterns), but for many couples, it takes longer to get pregnant the second time. In fact, secondary infertility is more common than primary infertility.
It's true that you'll have less time and attention to devote to every milestone and first. But you'll also have more perspective, more self-assurance, and more experience with all things parenting. While your second child won't have you to themselves, they'll have the benefit of growing up with a sibling.
Second pregnancies can feel different from the first. You may find you have different symptoms after becoming pregnant with a second child. Women have told us that they have noticed the following differences: The bump gets bigger sooner, probably because your stomach muscles have already been stretched out once before.
Second born children tend to “bounce off” the firstborn – or the child immediately ahead of them – often developing opposite traits of the firstborn. Because they look to their peers for acceptance, middle children tend to be sociable, friendly and peacemakers.
Children who have older brothers become more aggressive over time, on average, than those who have older sisters. Older siblings with younger sisters become less aggressive.
Based on the study findings, they suggest the optimal time between giving birth and getting pregnant again is 18 months, with a range of 12 to 24 months.
And you can blame your parents for this. Research published in the Journal of Human Resources found that firstborn children outperform their younger siblings on cognitive tests starting from infancy — they are better set up for academic and intellectual success thanks to the type of parenting they experience.