10 Things that My Second Pregnancy Has Taught Me So Far

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Photo obtained from freestock.org and edited

 

I am only 17 weeks along with my second baby, and here’s what I’ve learned from this pregnancy so far.

Second Pregnancy Epiphanies

  1. Morning sickness is not always mild. With my first, I had about 14 weeks of morning sickness. I would either throw up and it was gone or I would feel a little nauseous and, with the help of crackers, it was gone. This one has given me all-day sickness. The kind that doesn’t cause me to be physically sick, just feel terrible all day long.
  2. I don’t think about pregnancy all of the time, like I did with the first. With my first, I was still working full-time, but the baby was always on my mind. With this one, even though I don’t feel great 75% of the time, I am so busy with my toddler, I tend not to think about being pregnant most of the time.
  3. Toddlers NEED to nap at least until they are 4. Or maybe forever. I will never understand the resistance to naps. I, myself, enjoy a nap any chance I get. My toddler feels like she has the freedom to skip naps at will. Nope, the girl needs to nap because Mommy is growing a human and needs some rest time.
  4. You feel just as helpless as the first time around. A friend of mine told me that she never felt as helpless as she did when she was pregnant. You are growing a human and the only things you can do are listen to your doctor, take your vitamins, and eat and drink responsibly. You just have to helplessly wait for this baby to grow until you deliver. You can’t help it grow, you just have to wait. 
  5. Being a big sister is only cool for five minutes, at any given time. My daughter is 2.5; she’ll be 3 by the time the baby is here. She doesn’t always remember that she is going to be a big sister. Often times, she flat out denies it. Being a big sister is an idea of convenience for her. She will soon learn that being a big sister means many things, including the fact that she will always a big sister. No denying it.
  6. Drinking a ton of water is not as easy with a toddler around. You know why I don’t drink as much water as I should? My red-handed water thief of a toddler. Many times throughout the day, I go to take a sip of cool water and— bam!— empty. Dehydration by toddler is real.
  7. Maternity pants make their appearance much earlier this time around. First of all, why wouldn’t they? Once one knows the joy of maternity pants, why would anyone put off wearing them? Part of the joy in getting a positive pregnancy test is knowing that maternity pants are in my future. Quite possibly, only 5 minutes in my future. Maternity pants are God’s gift to women. You can wear stretchy pants ALL THE TIME. Secondly, you usually start showing sooner with the second child, so wearing them earlier is not only preferred, but necessary. 
  8. You don’t worry more, you just worry differently. I spent a lot of time worrying about how to push a human out of my body the first time around. That doesn’t really worry me much this time around. However, if you are someone who had a rough first delivery you might be more worried this time around. What I worry about is how this baby is going to affect my first child. Will she take well to the baby? Will she feel like Mommy and Daddy are abandoning her? How will the second baby ever have as much attention as the first did? Much of this is simply nerves, but worry happens nonetheless.
  9. Pregnancy can be hard. I had a little bit of morning sickness with my first, as noted above. Other than that, I had a beautiful pregnancy. I didn’t even have terrible mood swings . My husband even said, “[I] should be pregnant all the time.” That clearly isn’t going to happen, but it was a very nice time. This time around, I had all-day sickness, terrible indigestion, dealing with a very strong-willed toddler all of the time, and even the slightest bit of hunger throws me into a moody and terribly uncomfortable state. For all of the ladies out there having a rough pregnancy, props to you. Growing a human is hard.
  10. Being pregnant is always a gift. There is nothing like seeing a positive pregnancy test. It shoots joy and fear through you all at once. Imagining your family growing and the idea of watching a little human that is a mixture of you and the man you love is inexplicably incredible. The thought of your other child(ren) loving the miracle in your belly is heartwarming. Pregnancy is always a gift. And, regardless of the number of previous pregnancies or children, it is always the best gift.

 

 

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