Customer Reviews

Twice Blessed: Everything You Need To Know About Having A Second Child-- Preparing Yourself, Your Marriage, And Your Firstborn For A New Family Of Four

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Reading other reviews of this book, I had considered not purchasing this book. But I decided to go ahead and take a chance since many reviews did say that she was brutally honest.

I am glad I did.

From the first few pages I realized that this was a good book. It was easy to read, the author had a great voice and I loved the tips throughout the book.

The book offers unvarnished advice on what will happen, what could happen and what might happen when a second child is introduced into the mix. Some things I knew intuitively. Some things I never considered.

For example, Ms. Leonard suggests making any changes to the first child's routine long before the second child comes into the picture to minimize the stess on the first child. As it a time up upheaval for the entire family, as much stability as you can give will help the first child adjust.

She tells us that jealousy is a normal reaction for the first born. To help relieve some of the jealousy, make sure that you allocate some time each day to give the child uninterupted, unorganized time with the first born.

I will say that I always read three books on any subject to give me multiple points of view and found this book to be good, but not the best I read on having a second child. That distinction is given to Judy Dunn's From One Child to Two. In comparison, this book offered sound advice often through personal interviews that really drove home the author's points. But in comparison, Ms. Leonard's book included less information than Ms. Dunn's book. Thus if I was only going to read one book on the subject, I would suggest From One Child to Two. It is a denser book that takes more effort to read, but gives you much more to think about.

Twice Blessed is a great read! I couldn't put down this informative, FUNNY, comforting and chock-full-of-life stories book. Joan Leonard writes from the heart and offers her first-hand experiences with joy and tears. The questions I had about my second pregnancy, preparing my first child for a new brother or sister, life with two children were all answered here. You'll be much wiser (and feel a lot less alone!), as you read about the true happiness of a new life with baby number two. A must read!

We are expecting our second child in three months. When I found this book on our coffee table(the place where my wife leaves "hint" reading for me) I expected a rehash of old Spock. Instead I found an enjoyable, readable book which addresses many of my concerns. Leonard spices the important questions and answers with a lively and often humorous narrative. My wife and I enjoy reading excerpts from this book to each other. A wonderful read and resource!

I found this book to be very depressing. I got it when I just found that I was pregnant with my second and I wanted some advice and support - and it doesn't give you any. Most of information is a common knowlege, some is controversial, and what was probably intended to prepare you to all upcoming difficulties makes you think "What the hell I was thinking that night...".

If you read something in your first pregnancy and if you have What to Expect the First year and Toddler Years (that have chapters about siblings), you already know more than this book can offer.

Traditionally it's thought that the second baby presents the most trouble to the first one. Joan Leonard adjusts that picture. Now we can see how it affects each member of a family when a family expands. Leonard's writing on the subject of family has always been as humorous as it is perceptive. She gives the lowdown while remaining upbeat. And while many parenting books can't avoid talking down to the reader, Joan Leonard always talks to the adult in you.

I got this book shortly after having my first child. We were planning on a second as soon as it seemed a good time. To me, the author only wrote this book to let the world know how horrible it was for her growing up. She tells you how spoiled she is, and how she couldn't stand having a sibling. From some of the things she writes in this book, she makes you feel horrible for even wanting to have another child, like you are selfish.
I will, of course, say that I did like some of the quotes from other parents, they were helpful. All in all though, it isn't worth to waste the money to listen to a women blather about how she felt as the older sibling. It goes on to show you also, the statistics of how horrible your marriage will be, how likely you are to fail, and how much you will hate it.
All in all, if everything that she says in this book is even REMOTELY true, all the statistics and what not, then there wouldn't be so many people with more than one child, living a full and loving marriage and having a good time. Yes, it is hard work, but it seems this author doesn't even want you to try. Thumbs down.

I found this book to be extremely depressing! It appears that Joan Leonard may have still been in the throes of post-partum depression while writing this book. Although I never expected that having two children would be completely idyllic, the picture painted in this book is one of pure torture, fatigue, and unrest. I recently miscarried during my third pregnancy and have been considering trying again so that my daughter has a sibling, but after reading this book - so much anger & resentment seething from the pages - that I'm seriously considering permanent birth control options. From Introduction to Epilogue, Joan Leonard tells the tale of frustrated women, sex-deprived husbands, & jealous siblings. Read this book if you're unsure of a second child, and leaning towards having an only child.

This book only gets 2 stars from me because it had a few interesting points and a few good parent-told stories, but overall was a wasted read and I can only hope is bested by other books out there. No hard feelings to the author, but I just didn't get anything new out of reading it. Maybe my biases played a role, so judge for yourself:

1. I am a father of two (23 months and 6 months)
2. My wife and I, and our children, have experienced some of what is described, but not all of it (some obviously is not relevant to us yet or naturally won't ever be)
3. I read this book hoping to learn something about how to be a better parent now that we have two (I never considered reading this book in an effort to decide about having a second child)
4. I am annoyed easily at very "traditional" stances about fathers' roles in parenting (this book wasn't the worst offender ever, but certainly the book is dated by both the examples of fatherhood and the overall old-school slant the author has on the role of dads)

So maybe the book just doesn't hit the mark for dad's, or for "already have a family of four" families, or for more "new-school" division of parenting roles, or for those who have been blessed with fewer, rather than more, hardships/challenges/craziness in the months following the birth of their second.

I decided to read this book while waiting to be a mother for the second time. This book is realistic, straighforward and honest, almost to a fault. While some of it did not pertain to me as my first child is adopted, I still found myself identifying with what to expect when a second child enters the family. I found this book to be enlightening, informative and at times humorous! I would highly recommend it for both second time mothers AND fathers!

I bought this book in eager (happy!) anticipation of my second child. However, after only reading the first 7 pages of the book, I stopped. The Author seemed to hyper-focus on all of the negative aspects of being pregnant and took the attitude "why would anyone ever do this again!" I find that pretty silly and immature. You're a Mom. Being a Mom is tough. Get over it, honey.

I wanted a book that talked about some serious differences between my first and second pregnancy - not a book that talked me INTO having the second one. I'm already pregnant... and HAPPY about it!

If you were one of those women who complained about every aspect of being pregnant and then complained about every aspect of being a new Mom, this book is for you! You will be in good company. If you are a strong woman who is confident in your mothering skills and family planning choices, you will find this book negative, trite and immature.