What I've learnt from having two children...

Having Thomas has been a bit like deyjavu! Sometimes I look at him and I am just transported back to when Alice was his age. They have their differences, but a lot of the baby stage is just a repeat of what I went through with Alice. The crying, the teething, the night feeding... it all just feels so familiar. Except this time round, I am prepared! I don't think you can ever be truly prepared for your first child, it's just such a shock to the system. but the second is a different matter altogether. I feel so much more confident with Thomas. These are some of the things I have learnt from having a second child, things that I almost wish I knew when I had Alice!

1. Night feeds suck. Big time! I sometimes read posts or see people writing about how "magical" their time with their baby is at night. They usually go something like... "I love the night feeds when it's just baby and me, and everyone else is asleep...". If babies woke, fed and then went straight back to sleep, then great! But that's not always the case, and being up at 3, 4, 5, and then 6am every night is just not fun. But it does end. Eventually...

2. They grow so fast. OH GOD THEY GROW SO FAST! It's just crazy how much Thomas is changing. He's grabbing his toes, rolling over, cooing... I can't believe he has a tooth! This time I am really embracing each day because it does go so very fast.

3. It's ok to laugh. When I had Alice, I was sort of terrified of going out in public with her. I was scared people would think I was a terrible mum, or I was doing it wrong, or she would scream and I wouldn't know what to do. But sometimes, when you get out and your baby does a poo so big it seeps into the buggy lining, or you feed him in starbucks only to have it all thrown back up over your shoulder... it's ok to laugh! Relax! It's what babies do, and yes. It's funny!

4. Forget the rules. Not all of them, obviously... but well, most of them. Everyone will tell you what to do. Mum, nan, the health visitor, the doctor, the midwife. At the end of the day, it's your baby. You make the decisions. You decide if he gets a dummy or not. You decide whether to bottle feed or breast feed, or both! You are the mum. Ignore everyone else.

5. Bad times come and go. But they definitely go. Thomas is a cat napper... I remember this with Alice. He's also up at 5 am every single morning. But this time, I'm no stressing. Why? Because it passes! It definitely, one hundred per cent passes. The first year is the hardest, it really is. They are still growing and developing so much it's impossible to predict each night. But it gets better. It does.