IMG_5720I’m a new mom all over again.

On January 31st, my family welcomed a daughter, who was an answered prayer and an angel rolled into one cute and cuddly package. We had waited 4 years before deciding to get pregnant again, and so her coming was planned, stemming from a decision my husband and I made that, yes, we wanted to have another baby.

At the time when I learned I was pregnant, a slew of emotions came over me: joy, anticipation, excitement, and all the good fuzzy feelings that come with the thought of having a child you’ve been waiting for. But the strongest feeling that came over me wasn’t all fuzzy-wuzzy and free. I felt a type of uncertainty, honestly.

Could my heart really love another little human being as much as I loved my firstborn?

Well, this last month — the first month of my daughter’s life — I found out that when God decides to give you more kids, your heart grows as well. I feel so much love for both my children.

When I saw my daughter seconds after she came out of me, I felt instantly transported back in time to the birth of my son five years ago, when I felt a surge of energetic, powerful love for my child. I felt the same this time with our daughter, and yet totally different, too. When we went home from the hospital, realizing that there would forever be four of us in the family was also both delightful and daunting.

It’s not been easy. The other day I mused on Instagram about how happy yet extremely hard it is to grow the space in my mommy heart, how difficult it has been especially for my eldest child to adjust with the new person in our home, and how physically tired I feel from the past weeks of newborn care. It’s not that I feel torn between my children — not at all. However, I feel the growing pains, the sweetness and pain. Being a mom of two doesn’t split my heart in two. I know love my both my kids equally, but it is with a love that both enlarges my heart yet feels like it tears it, too.

Does that make sense? I don’t know. All I know is that I’m learning a new way of loving, and that my heart is expanding to accommodate two loves of my life right now. (Well, three, of course, including my husband!)

I’m at the start of a new leg of the journey now. I am excited yet uncertain, but I know for sure that I am full of love and expectancy. I don’t want to rush through any of it! I don’t want to miss out anything my children need me for, whether it be the little one who needs milk, cuddles and carrying, or the “bigger little one” who needs extra understanding, hugs and exclusive mommy time. These tender days of “mommy heart growth” will pass as quickly as my kids shoot up in height! I have got to slow down to savor the accelerated pace of their childhood.

Moms, how did you feel when you had your second child? Can you relate with me?

This is an original post by Martine De Luna for World Moms Blog. Martine is the resident “blissmaker” on her lifestyle inspiration blog, Make it Blissful.

The image used in this post is credited to the author.

Martine de Luna (Philippines)

Martine is a work-at-home Mom and passionate blogger. A former expat kid, she has a soft spot for international efforts, like WMB. While she's not blogging, she's busy making words awesome for her clients, who avail of her marketing writing, website writing, and blog consulting services. Martine now resides in busy, sunny Manila, the Philippines, with her husband, Ton, and toddler son, Vito Sebastian. You can find her blogging at DaintyMom.com.

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