Comparing my first pregnancy to my second #realtalk

I have been thinking about how my first pregnancy compared to my second as I chatted with the VERY few people that knew before we announced and I wanted to share some takeaways for mama’s that are pregnant with their second baby, trying, or for other mamas that might have experienced something similar during any pregnancy other than their first.

Pregnancy is a serious trip, and I feel like regardless of how many times you are pregnant, it feels SO much more real when you can actually start to feel your baby, which I now can!!

HERE’S WHAT I’VE FOUND DIFFERS WHEN I COMPARE MY FIRST PREGNANCY TO MY SECOND

+ It’s going by MUCH faster

There is no other way to put it. I’m halfway through already and I feel like I blinked, but I also feel like it’s been a long time. Your first time around, you have no other children, so your spare time is spent thinking, day dreaming, and researching for how to best prepare for the bundle you’ll soon have in your arms. THIS time around, with a toddler, a puppy, an incredibly busy work/life schedule and little time for anything else (or the fact that we’re still experiencing COVID without many places to go or see) means that the days totally blur together. I can’t believe I’m already at the halfway mark.

+ I am/have been just as sick with baby boy as I was with baby girl, if not more so

With my daughter, I threw up ALL the time in the first trimester, lost weight, and ended up on medication for nausea through my second trimester. THAT has all remained the SAME this time around. I’m just now starting to feel less nauseous throughout the day, though still experience morning sickness at random times. I lost about 8 pounds my first trimester this time around, and have yet to gain it back, though I’m already considered obese for my height so there’s that #yayme

+ I haven’t been paying as close of attention to each new week’s milestone – not because I don’t care, but because I’m so much busier this time around

This is NOT because I care less for this baby than I did my first. This is wholly a result of COVID and being busy. Working from home, spending all day with our toddler, cleaning, cooking, trying to find me time, putting the girl down for naps, for bedtime, etc., just doesn’t allow me the leisure to enjoy or spend as much time looking into what each week entailed as I did the first time around. Every Wednesday though, I get thoroughly excited at that week’s milestone (my first pregnancy was every Tuesday) but this time, I know what to expect a lot more!

+ I am a lot less anxious about “what’s coming” than I was the first time around

This time around, I just want my baby here already! I loved being pregnant the first time around even though I had a ton of mood swings (looking back), was uncomfortable the last trimester, and was miserable in the first. I spent so much time researching for delivery, trying to set expectations for a birth plan, and planning for the unknown that I over whelmed myself with information. I read nearly every baby book that people recommended and bought my husband books for him to read as well. I still recommend you read them if you’re interested, but parenthood is really a “learn on the job” type of role, that you simply cannot prepare for despite what you read.

+ I am able to work out a lot more than I did the first time around

With Kinsley, I was so sick I barely worked out at all, like my entire pregnancy lol. I think I was also afraid of hurting the baby, doing any sort of ab work, or feeling uncomfortable. It’s undoubtedly uncomfortable to do certain exercises when you legit have a beach ball in your way, but this time around I’ve pushed through bouts of morning sickness, puked and rallied to get through a 15-30 minute workout on our Peloton, and generally just tried to be more active thus far. I find that when I’m able to get some activity in, it’s a huge boost for my mental and emotional health.

+ I’m more body conscious this time around

I think because I was never able or fully committed to losing all of the baby weight I gained from my first pregnancy, I’m more aware of the fact that I need to be gaining less this pregnancy. With Kinsley, I was the happiest and freest I’d ever felt in my pregnant body. I wore what I want, I felt confident, I loved my new curves, and I was so appreciative of the body I had for baking my beauty to full term and for protecting her as long as I did and for keeping me healthy and safe throughout delivery. This time, I feel a lot more self conscious about my body. I see SO many fewer people this time around as well, meaning I am not talking about my pregnancy as much or having people comment positively on my growing bump, leaving me to do a lot of the talking internally when I look in the mirror. With COVID, I’m also getting ready much less, not wearing actual clothes, and just generally focusing less on my appearance, which likely has contributed to these feelings of more body shame this time around.

Each pregnancy is bound to be so different, and I am so thankful and blessed (truly, i feel this way) to have had an uncomplicated pregnancy thus far and to have had few issues conceiving in the first place. I have become more aware of the struggles women face simply trying to get pregnant now that I have a daughter, and want to send all my mama’s out there who’ve been through any fertility issues or are still struggling to bring a baby into their lives lots of love and support. I find now that my mama community is strong, we are tight knit, and there is more respect and support for each other than there might have been before baby/babies.

Holding a baby for 10 months is not easy whether it’s mental or physical. The postpartum time period is also not easy, and it has to be talked about more! I’m going to do a whole other post on postpartum and my experience from my first pregnancy as well so that other mamas have something to relate to!

Thanks for sharing in my journey so far!

xoxo

Kylie