What did you learn from your 1st pregnancy / child...

[DetentionGrrrl]

...that was helpful for any others you had?

I definately learned that exercise is ok...i was so afraid of harming my DS while i was pregnant i stopped going to the gym totally straight away. I was very fit, and could have done some moderate exercise for a few months at least. Will next time.

Also learned that i will encourage 2nd child to learn to fall asleep themselves earlier. Learned this one hard!

That you should hire a cleaner for the first few months, stock up freezer with lots of yummy food, bring your own food to the hospital, yes, agree with encouraging the 2nd one to sleep earlier, ignore anyone that says their child slept from the 1st week, and defo make more time for my neglected DH by having a date out every week or so. It's too easy to take them for granted and that's not nice. And if you feel like screaming or crying with exhaustion, do.
Am working on the second one now, but I'm sure there are lots of other things I should have learnt by now..

That not everything will go as you plan - it's better to be flexible with birth plans etc so you're not disappointed if things don't go the way you hope.

That I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much tougher than I (or DP) ever suspected!

Seriously, looking back I can't believe I (or indeed any new mother) survives the pregnancy, the labour, the birth, the pain, the sleepless nights, the bitten nipples, the boredom, the hard work... all of it. But we do. And we go back for more. Aren't we amazing?

Steer clear of ANY book (not singling anyone out, promise ) that claims your baby will only sleep/eat properly etc if you follow a fixed routine. You can learn what is right for your baby by observing them and following their signals.

That nothing lasts forever and even the worst sleeper will get there in the end ...

And to cherish the baby months, even though they are bl*y hard work, because they are gone so fast.

And not to worry about late speech development because by the time they are 4, you won't get a word in edgeways