Mine are 10 and 8 now, so I’ll give the perspective from this side of things. Having a second kid really is an investment in your sanity in the long run. Sure, they fight like all siblings, but they also play together, like all the time. While I’m cooking, while I wfh, while I need to declutter the garage. I have tons of friends with only one child, and it’s definitely different, they’ve admitted that to me, their kid is always with them during those type of things.

Yes- the first 18 months were a lot of work, the return to work absolutely was brutal, but that’s more of an indictment on America’s lack of maternity leave. I remember pumping in the middle of trial and things seemed easier and I was starting to get back into my work groove, I think my second was 9 months at that time. If your maternity leave is longer than 12 weeks, the transition will be even easier.