Preparing an elder child for a new baby is quite a challenge. Though your older son or daughter may be fascinated by the changes in your body during pregnancy, he or she may be less than thrilled when a real live baby shows up and demands Mommy's attention 24/7.

There are a few things you can do to make her feel better about the whole thing. Give your older child the role of "big sister" or "big brother" as soon as possible, so they start to think of the baby as theirs rather than as an interloper. If she's old enough to do it discreetly, tell her first and give her the opportunity to tell the rest of the family.

Reassure her constantly that her place in the family is special, both before and after the baby is born. I tell my kids that there's no one who can replace my firstborn in my heart, and no one who can replace my baby in my heart. (I only have 2 kids, so if you have more you might want to just call them by name...no one can replace my 2nd and 3rd kids just doesn't have the same ring to it!)

When you bring the baby home from the hospital, it's helpful to have the dad bring her in so the mom can give some extra attention to the elder child. I told my older daughter (completely truthfully) that I missed her terribly the two nights I was away from her in the hospital and it made her feel much better.

Above all, don't get upset if your normally sweet-natured, older child throws tantrums or starts regressing. A new sibling is a big adjustment and this behavior is normal.

I breastfed my younger daughter for exactly one week due to the fact that my older daughter would run in the room and bounce on the bed every time I tried it, which caused me intense pain. In retrospect, I might have solved this problem if I'd thought of a way to include her in the procedure.