4 months on and what have been happening

Before Jethro was born, I was always a little proud when I had to say that this was my second pregnancy, especially to those first-time mothers-to-be. Yes, I already have a child and been through all that. This is just a repeat of first performance. I could be prepared for what would lie ahead as no first-time mothers could.
How wrong.
The experience with Jethro was nothing like I had with Ethan. Well, almost.
Of course there was the usual short sleep hours, but in fact, that was what I found most difficult to adjust to. It doesn't help to have a very wakeful three-year old around either.
The crying and the cuddling, yes, the usual.
But Jethro was a sleepy baby for quite some time, unlike Ethan who never seemed to have that sleepy phase at all. He also tended to suck weakly at breasts, and so all those problems with breastfeeding that I had with Ethan, that I told myself I was going to avoid this time round with Jethro, did not prepare me for what would happen the second time. I had to deal with new problems with breastfeeding and the realisation of truth about my milk supply. Anyway, all these were too much to talk about.
Then, Jethro had bleeding at his navel - whatever was that! We surfed the internet and decided that it was probably something not serious and indeed, after a few days of worrying bleeding, it stopped.
Of course, there were the weight loss and dehydration at the early weeks. After that, although he started to gain weight again, I had to accept that he is not to reach the percentile his birth weight promised.
Then there was the spewing out of milk - Ethan never had such problem with swallowing milk.
Then Jethro had his flu and fever and diarrhoea all in the fourth month and had little appetite for milk for some days. Exasperating to say the least, when all he could drink was milk and he refused it. So all we could do was to wait out the worst.
Is it because we are alone here in UK that every single problem seems amplified and harder to deal with? Everything calls for patience and flexibility in managing the situations and I just can't help but break down at times: when full breastfeeding was declared a lost battle; when he had to have his tiny hands pierced to draw blood to check for dehydration and other infections; when he wouldn't even finish 60ml of milk, when all he would do was make short cries like he was in a great deal of discomfort (and I didn't know how to make him feel better); when he vomited out all the milk that I syringe-fed him with; when Ethan, for the umpteenth times, ignored my telling him to stop doing this or that, and I had to scold him, bear him down, be a tyrant over him.
No, never kid yourself that although babies are unique, you can afford to take things easier for the second baby onwards. No, it is just not so.