My husband and I have been talking recently about having a second baby. My son will be 4 next month and starting preschool and, by the time the baby comes along, he will be starting kindergarten. So it feels like the right time; although I do have a lot of anxiety about how my son will handle not being our only child. And I have a ton of anxiety about all of the work and stress that goes along with raising a baby.
But all of this baby talk has me thinking about how I will do things differently this time around. Last time, I was clueless and just getting into the whole green mindset. So I ate fast food (not a lot but some) when I was pregnant. I had the big baby shower where I received a ton of stuff (most of which I rarely used). The crib, swing, jumper, pack-and-play, carrier, baby bottles and just about everything else were filled with who knows how many toxic chemicals.
Of course, my son is healthy and happy – seemingly unaffected by all of the poisons floating around him and in him. It helped that, shortly after he was born, I became more passionate about choosing safe and natural products for my family. His bottles now are stainless steel. His sheets are organic cotton. And everything we eat is natural and un-processed (for the most part).
But what about baby #2?
Buying Stuff for Baby
The first decision I need to make is how much baby stuff I should reuse and how much I should donate and buy new. I saved all of the baby stuff, from the toxin-stained crib to the plastic changing pad. It is definitely better for the environment and my wallet to reuse rather than use more resources and buy new. But I admit that my primary concern is with the health of my baby. I’m not so sure that I want to use all of that stuff again. Then again, it was good enough for my first child . . .
Green Baby Showers
The second thing I need to think about is the baby shower. My first shower was held at a nice hotel with beautiful decorations, but they were all disposable decorations and a lot of waste was created. I definitely want something more low-key this time around with reusable dishes and decorations and organic, homemade snacks. Keep an eye out for a blog about how the shower went.
Morning Sickness
Third, how should I handle the morning sickness now that I have another child to worry about? I was so so so so sick when I was pregnant with my son. The nausea was there 24/7 for 4 months. The natural tips for dealing with morning sickness did help, but I just don’t know if it will be enough when I have to run around after a preschooler. You can check out my shopping guide for nausea and morning sickness aids.
Natural Childbirth?
Finally, how should I deal with the birth? I planned to have a natural childbirth in the hospital with my son. But, of course, things didn’t work out as planned. The hospital and my doctor were not very accommodating when it came to forgoing things like pain medication and constant monitoring. And I ended up getting the epidural and having a very long, difficult and painful birth experience as a result. I would like to try the natural approach again and possibly at a birth center or at home, but I am scared! I’m definitely going to have to think some more about that.
Keep checking back for more blogs about whether I actually decide to have a second child and how I end up dealing with each of the above concerns.