The second pregnancy is entirely different from the first in so many ways. I am currently in my 36th week of my second pregnancy and can’t believe how quickly it has flown by. Wow, what a difference one child makes. I remember my first pregnancy being so blissful and being treated like a Princess, sort of like Sleeping Beauty that needs all the rest she can get. Well, a lot changed this time around and now that I’m nearing the end, I will walk you through the top 10 ways both pregnancies are vastly different.
1. Sharing the News
For my first pregnancy, I had a huge gender reveal party with a beautiful cake, blue and pink decorations all over the house and of course every dessert you can imagine. All just to find out the sex of the baby. It was nice sharing the moment with all our closest friends and family. The second time around however… I literally just sent a picture text of the sonogram and a pink bow (showing it’s a girl)!
2. Research
For my first pregnancy, I did tons and tons of research on what to expect. I read books, downloaded apps to track the baby’s development, logged everything I was feeling and looked up every symptom or pain I felt. For the second pregnancy you just sort of wing it. After all, you are a pro now, right!
3. Forgetting I’m Pregnant
For my first born, I literally knew by week what comparable size fruit he was. As I mentioned I read all about what to expect week to week and even attended birthing classes. This time around I barely remember what week I’m in and sometimes even forget I’m even pregnant. Until of course the end of the day when my feet are burning, and my sciatica is killing me.
4. Fashion
Without having to balance a toddler on my hip and a huge belly in the front, it was a lot easier to wear fashionable heels and cute dresses the first time around. This time however, I consider myself put together if I have my hair down and am wearing something other than leggings.
5. Emotions
Let’s just say for both times this is just one big rollercoaster. I find myself stomach laughing and hysterical crying in the same moment and craziest part, not know why. But one thing is surely different for me with pregnancy #2; there is this constant battle in my head of both excitement and nervousness. I’m excited seeing how Danny is already in love with his baby sister. He constantly hugs & kisses my belly and even spoon feeds my belly when ‘baby is hungry’. We are obviously all eager to meet her and have her in our arms but I’m also sad knowing my solo time with Danny is going to start being sparse. I will have to divide my Mommy attention amongst both kids and I’m not sure why, but it makes me nervous.
6. Bump Pics
For my first pregnancy, I remember taking weekly pictures of the bump, having my Husband pose with me and downloading an app to label the images with the week and fun facts about the baby. I don’t think I’ve taken more than 5 pictures this entire pregnancy. Being so preoccupied with my first born, I barely remember to take pictures of my growing belly.
7. Preparation
First time around, I had everything ready to go super early. Clothes were cleaned, bottles washed, nursery was complete and hospital bag was packed. With that being said, anxiety is now in full effect and I will be running to go pack my hospital bag once I’m done with this blog post!
8. Doctor Visits
My appointments are so quick and easy the second time around. I remember the first pregnancy, I would have a whole list of questions with me stored in the notes section of my phone. All day, while I thought of random things I needed to ask the doctor, I would jot them down and bring them up at our visits. Well I’m lucky if I make it to the appointment on time now-a-days let alone do any prep work.
9. Baby Moon
I am fortunate to say that both times I was pregnant, my Husband took us on vacation. For both trips we went to Marco Island, which is gorgeous and zyka safe. The first time was extremely relaxing being that I was able to contain Daniel in my belly. The second time was a lot more fun but let’s just say I couldn’t lay out all day and soak up the rays. Rather, I was building sand castles and chasing sea gulls.
10. Working Out
This was one thing I thought for sure I would hold my ground on and not let this pregnancy effect my work outs. Unfortunately, that didn’t really happen. For my first pregnancy I worked out up until the end. I had a lot more time to relax so I wasn’t as tired and achy to work out. For my second pregnancy I had to stop at 6months. I have a lot of back pain this time and working out made it worse for me. Although I am not riding my Peloton, I am however still running after a toddler, going for long walks and playing at the park, which I still like to consider a form of cardio. Oh… and some extra curricular activities with the Hubby! They say it helps with delivery so can’t give that up! 😉
I’m so eager to know what the major differences will be between my baby boy and soon to be baby girl. I still remember calling the pediatrician’s emergency line at 3am the first night our little one came home and wouldn’t stop crying. The Doctor on call said to me… “Everything is ok, welcome to motherhood”. And that was when I started crying (haha). Will I call them all over again over something so minor? Now that I know the differences between pregnancies, I guess I will have to wait and see what the actual baby differences have in store for me. Stay tuned & wish me luck!
