Reassurance needed - newborn & preschooler

[milkyman]

I am due in the spring - there will be 3.5 years between them. My ds is in nursery 1 full day and two 8-1pm days. Please reassure me it will be ok as beginning to wonder why we have chosen to disrupt our reletively peaceful life (we get our evenings child free)! I found the first time round really tough, particularly as i had a wonter baby. I will also have a csection.

[milkyman]

winter baby

[waterrat]

I can reassure you - I had a smaller gap, only two years - I think 3.5 years is a brilliant gap as I have seen with friends that it is better the more the older one can talk/ understand/ have a routine of nursery etc.

the second time is MUCH MUCH easier. I cannot stress that enough. the second time you wonder what on earth was so complicated or hard about it first time round - really I wished I could go back in time and look at myself and see what was so difficult.

babies sleep so much - you forget how much they sleep, especially in the first six weeks - you definitely get a lovely adjustment period - of course not all that sleep is in the day - but they do big long sleeps even in the day of hours on end, which means life with the older one is much easier to handle that I expected

and the evening disruption is not for long! you forget how short it is - just a few months and baby is likely to be sleeping from bedtime.

remember the newborn bit is so short! six months in and they are not really babies, they are in the highchair eating a banana!

and the relationship between the two kids is so so lovely. worth it all!

[milkyman]

Wonderful response - thank you!