In the Baby Zone with Melissa Joan Hart

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She was Clarissa, then Sabrina. But now, the role Melissa Joan Hart treasures most is mom to Mason, born in 2006, and Braydon, born in 2008—with baby number three on the way! Hart shares the stories of their births in the More Business of Being Born DVD series, where her refreshingly frank accounts give moms-to-be a sense of just how unique each birth can be. "Especially with first births," says Hart, "you don't always get to choose how it goes."

Here, she shares what life is like after the business of giving birth.

What's your golden rule of parenting?

I try as hard as I can to have patience. But the real rule is that you never know, before you have the child, what kind of parent you're going to be or what kind of child you're going to have. There are surprises at every turn.

Describe the best moment of parenting so far.

It's the moment you realize they've figured out right from wrong. With my son, who's now 6, we had a parent-teacher conference in preschool and the teacher said he was the most empathetic children she's ever met. If someone got hurt or was left behind, he was the first to go help. She said, "That's something you can't teach." As a mom, you can't ask for anything more than that.

And the worst?

Every morning, just trying to get to school. [laughs]

Best advice you ever got?

Bill Murray is a friend of ours. He's had a lot of kids—six of them—and he's one of nine. He was one of the first people I told I was pregnant and he said something very interesting. He said, "Tell everyone you're due a month after you are, it will save you a lot of headache."

What's the one thing you can't live without?

The iPad! At 1 and 2, they were whipping that thing around. It's for the airplane, in the car, at a restaurant. They're outdoor kids, and I'm proud of that, but I love that my older son will play math games. The little one likes to listen to music.

Finish this sentence: You know you're in the Baby Zone when...

… you have three bodily fluids on your outfit at any one time: breast milk, spit up, puke, snot, drool... .