Who knew womanhood would come with so many rules? It’s a wonder we remember to feed and clothe ourselves, what with all these female-centric edicts we have to follow. They start early (no spaghetti tops, so commands my kids’ elementary school, for nothing obstructs learning than a 7-year-old wearing climate-appropriate attire in a non-air conditioned classroom) and continue through adulthood. There are entire instruction manuals on relationships, childbirth, and getting kids to sleep. So, let me add to the pile with some rules every mom should follow during her second pregnancy.
OK, maybe these aren’t rules inasmuch as they are reality checks. I mean, do we always need to look outside ourselves for the answer? I think about all the time I’ve spent, from childhood on, comparing myself to others, and I’ve continued this self-defeating practice into motherhood. It took me getting shingles a couple of years ago to realize that I couldn’t continue to be a good parent, or even a fully functioning adult, if my happiness was dependent on how I measured up to others. I literally made myself sick from stressing about my abilities and how they were stacking up when compared to someone else's. I needed to own my sh*t and stop feeling apologetic for forging my own path through parenthood (as long as that path worked for my family and me).
So here are some rules you can consider (or ignore, of course) about what to do during your second pregnancy. To a degree, this is what worked for me. All women, and all pregnancies, are unique, mind you, so please feel free to do you. (That’s not a rule.)