Pregnancy :: How Things Change the Second Time Around

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I’m that person you probably hate. I love being pregnant! I feel better in my clothes (for the most part), and I have really easy pregnancies – no morning sickness, no major problems, etc. But, regardless of how much I may enjoy being pregnant, there’s no denying that there are some major differences this time around:

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Family Maternity Pic

1. The first pregnancy I knew exactly what fruit I was. I knew down to the week, day, and maybe hour as to how far along I was. This time, I almost always need to be reminded at my doctor appointments.

2. Waking up in the middle of the night to pee was no surprise the first time. I still do that a lot this time around, but peeing on myself is a new one. Any cough, sneeze, laugh, or, heck, any movement, I pee myself. It’s lovely.

3. With my first, I was reading every baby book. Googling everything. I mean EVERYTHING. I was very interested in what was going on with my growing body. This time I barely even notice the little guy move because I’m so distracted. And as far as books? I learned with older brother that they don’t do what these books say they’ll do when they say they’ll do them. It’s all just a bunch of trial and error. You truly can’t prepare yourself for the crazy thing called motherhood until you’re living it.

4. It’s harder on your body the second time around. I go to bed so sore and I wake up sore. Chasing a toddler all day while pregnant is no joke. Around 17 weeks, I decided I was going to start walking on the treadmill at the gym. That lasted about 20 minutes. I was dead tired! Now a workout is just living day to day with a two-year-old, carrying a watermelon around in my stomach. I haven’t been back to the gym. And as far as the naps I had the privilege of taking the first time around? Pffft, there’s no chance of that happening now.

5. With my first, every time I went to the doctor I was all shaved up nicely. Legs freshly shaven, bikini line cleaned up. It was important! Because, I mean, how embarrassing if the doctor saw me like that? This time, I am a full on wooly mammoth. I could care less about what’s going on down there. I can’t see it, I don’t care, and who has time for that? While I have attempted it on a more motivated day, I ended up with what my husband said looked like a soul patch or maybe a fu-man-chu on my lady parts. I laughed it off and told him it was the latest trend and then I gave up.
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6. The second time around, I’ve got a little helper. Or so he tries to be. Cash, my two year old, loves helping me rub lotion on my belly (or as he calls it “his baby”)! He’s also very honest. One night he asked if the line on my belly was a choo-choo track. Sure, why not.

7. The first time I was pregnant I decided to take three weeks off before my due date to RELAX. I didn’t really have a birth plan put together yet, but I thought I had time to figure it all out. Well, Cash came 3 weeks early and then the plan became to just get him out and get him out safely, which they were able to do. This time around, I think I’ll go with the same plan. GET BABY OUT. No soft music, no water birth, no special breathing classes. NOPE! Just me, my epidural (hoping that goes as planned) and husband and doctor by my side. Oh, and as for taking time off? I’ll be working up until I go into labor.

8. I will not mistake my water leaking for peeing my pants this time. With Cash, after two days of leaking, I finally went to the doctor. Nope, not pee. My water! As for those contractions I wasn’t sure were real or not? I’ll know the difference now.

9. Nesting. Oh, the nesting. Before Cash’s arrival I was crazy! I cleaned like a mad woman. I was on my hands and knees scrubbing floors and baseboards. Because you know, the baby would notice that. This time, we don’t even currently have our own nest and waiting patiently to close on our new house prevents me from any crazy cleaning. With my firstborn, I found he didn’t even (and still doesn’t) sleep in his room I stressed about so much anyway.

10. The baby equipment. The first time around, I was baby equipment obsessed. If it was available, I had it! So we don’t have much to get this time around. Plus, we found that we didn’t use a lot of what we got anyway.

11. Maternity clothes. I imagined reusing most of what I already had. Well, with my first pregnancy I was big in the winter. This pregnancy, I’m ending in the summer. So, many clothes from the first weren’t usable this time. It got bad enough that my stomach was hanging out of my shirts. At that point, I had to get some new items, including tank tops and the shorts revealing my swollen legs that have now become one unit.

These have been the joys of my second pregnancy so far. I’m sure as I enter the last couple of weeks I’ll find even more differences between the two experiences. But, no matter what, it’s all worth it and we can’t wait to meet our new little guy! And I’m sure when the third pregnancy comes around (sorry Chris) I’ll have an entirely new list to make.

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Ashleigh
Ashleigh was born in Houston, TX and raised in Plainfield, IN, where she now resides with a family of her own. Ashleigh and her husband met at their best friends' wedding and soon after welcomed their son, Cash, who is now two. This summer they will add another little boy to their family. Following high school, Ashleigh attended IUPUI for Interior Design before deciding to pursue her dream career as a hairstylist. After working for eight years in downtown Indy at MDG Salon Studios she decided to move her business part-time locally in Plainfield at Honeycomb Studios so she can spend more time with her children. Ashleigh specializes in wedding and special events hair styling and creative color and cuts. Her passion for crafting and obsession with toddler fashion lead her to open Dearest and Dashing a children's fashion accessories shop on Etsy where she is the owner and designer.