To the mom who is about to welcome her second child

 To the mom who is about to welcome her second child,

You are standing on the edge of something familiar and completely new all at once.

You already know what labor feels like.
You already know the weight of a newborn in your arms.
You already know the love that cracks you open.

And still, this feels different. Because this time, you are not becoming a mother. You already are one.

You might be wondering how your heart will stretch again.
If there is enough of you to go around.
If your first will feel replaced.
If you will miss the way things were.

Here is the truth they do not say loud enough.

Your love does not divide. It multiplies.
Your heart does not shrink to make room. It grows new space.
Your first does not lose you. They gain a front row seat to watching you love even bigger.

You are about to watch your oldest become something new too. A sibling. A teacher. A protector. A soft place to land for someone smaller.

There will be moments that feel loud and messy and stretched thin.
There will also be moments that stop you in your tracks.
Two heads leaned together.
A tiny hand reaching for the one who was once the baby.

You are not ruining anything.
You are expanding it.

And one day, not far from now, you will look at them together and wonder how your family ever felt complete without this exact child.

You are ready. Even on the days you feel unsure.
Especially on those days.

You were made for this chapter.