What's it like going from 2 to 3 children?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I've just found out I am pregnant with our 3rd baby! S/he is very much planned for and is the result of a frozen embryo transfer with an embryo from an IVF cycle 4 years ago :)

However, the reality is now sinking in and I am a bit worried about what it's going to be like! We currently have DS1 age 4 next week and DS2 age 2.3 years.

How did you find going from 2 to 3? Any advice? Thanks!

I hope you don't mind if I lurk on your thread ilike as this may be me fairly soon.

Congrats on dc3!!

Congratulations!

The hardest jump is from 1 to 2 IMO, it's full on though and I am knackered (DC3 is only a couple of months old though). By the time you get to baby number 3 you feel like a dab hand and you can sit and enjoy more without stressing about what you 'should' be doing. Some things still take you by surprise though.

One advantage that someone told me about before DC3 was born was that while you are tending to one child the other 2 will play together...touch wood, it seems to be working that way here.

The last bit of the pregnancy was bloomimg hard though, take all the help you can get and if grandparents or other relatives offer sleep-overs grab the offer with both hands!

There was a thread on larger families on 'best tips for big families' or similar, there was some good stuff, I started doing some of them when we were still just a family of 4, the idea being that we were in the habit of doing them by the time DC3 came along. It seemed to help.

Good luck!

Much, much, much easier that 1 to 2.

Mostly because you have at least one child of a 'useful' age, and also because you have learned to say "yes" whenever anyone offers any help whatsoever.

School gives a real rhythm to the day and I found no.3 slotted in pretty comfortably to existing routines, after the tiny baby weeks.

You've already learned that you can't always give everyone the attention they deserve (similtaneously)so you won't have the 'bad mother' guilt trip you gave yourself last time.

Congratilations on your pregnancy x

Much easier than 1 to 2. They just fit in-they have to and it is much better for them IMO.