subsequent babies

The game telephone may have been popular back in grammar school, but grown women get all kinds of information passed to them via email or word of mouth. Some forwards ring more true than others. If you want to share those sentiments or any of your own realizations about motherhood, join The Mommy Club over in our LilSugar community. User Bluesuze posted this one about subsequent kids that is sure to tickle your funny bone!

First baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN
confirms your pregnancy.
Second baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
Third baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing For the Birth:
First baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
Second baby: You don't bother practicing because you remember breathing
didn't do a thing.
Third baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

To see the rest, just read more

A baby shower is for more than showering a mama-to-be with excitement about her impending arrival and gifting big ticket items; the celebration preps parents well in advance. It seems that it takes a village to plan for a first baby — the nursery is ready, the layette is washed, and the rattles have been rinsed months prior to the infant's debut — but waiting for a subsequent baby is much more lax. While expecting my son, I headed to Right Start on my due date with my daughter in tow to stock up on all the items I needed for her brother-to-be. One trip and I was ready. This time around, I am really pushing the limit.

Though my doctor told me the babe was birth-ready and in place a week ago, I still haven't purchased as much as a pack of newborn diapers, despite the constant jerking of my big belly. As the mom of two, I've been so preoccupied with work and my other kiddos going back to school that nine months has felt a bit more like nine minutes. That, and there are advantages to having been been a mother for nearly six years now . . . I know Diapers.com has overnight delivery. Were you more relaxed while prepping for your subsequent children?

Source: Flickr User daquellamanera

One is not necessarily the loneliest number. Some say there are tremendous perks to having a single child — parents can focus all their attention on that offspring and it's the economical, even green approach to building a family.

According to the US Census Bureau, women approaching the end of their childbearing years in 2004 had an average of 1.9 children, compared with 3.1 twenty years earlier. While the number of children a family decides to have is often made for them due to health issues, others make the choice based on financial factors like ability to provide the best education, world travel and overall experience for their kids.

Women who are not “going for two," often find themselves having to defend their decision to well-meaning friends and family who inquire about sibling expansion. If you are set with a single child, how have you handled the pressure? Or if you never dreamed of having just one kiddo, tell us your reasoning.