You would think that being pregnant again would be just like getting on a bike again. It should be relatively the same experience, right? Nope. I don't know if it's because I was 3 years older, pregnant with the opposite sex, or what, but my second pregnancy was much suckier.
1. Right off the bat, I finally got to experience "morning sickness" this time around. It wasn't extreme, but it was not enjoyable. Even with my mild case of it, I can now understand how having it can give you a sense of despair and loneliness. Not to be overly dramatic, but food is such a social activity that brings happiness and people together. Without it, a lot of happiness was sucked out of my life.
2. I also didn't wear the same maternity clothes as last time. There were three dresses that I wore in my last pregnancy that I wore on repeat, but even though I was experiencing the same seasons in this pregnancy, I just wanted to wear different clothes. Perhaps it's also because the weather in TX is very different from CA. I discovered pink blush maternity at the end of my last pregnancy, so I couldn't wait to try out some of their dresses this time around. Yea, maternity clothes are so temporary, but sometimes, it gets really old wearing the same clothes over and over. My capsule wardrobe just expanded to a maternity capsule wardrobe.
3. My stomach grew much faster during my second pregnancy. I guess it's because my body was already used to being stretched, so it allowed my uterus to grow larger, faster. When I was half-way through my pregnancy, I looked like I did at the end of my first pregnancy. Thus, I also grew way more stretch marks this time around.
4. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this time around. Luckily, they don't test you for this until you're in the third trimester, so I only had to suffer for a few months. Yes, I learned a great deal about how carbs can affect your blood sugar levels, and I even lost so much weight that I was down below my pre-pregnancy weight. But again, food is such a source of enjoyment in life, so it was difficult to abstain. Another benefit of this though is that I got to be induced a few days early because the doctor didn't want the baby to get too large (which could further complicate the delivery). Having a planned birthdate was much less stressful than trying to frantically get ourselves to the hospital through contractions.
5. The actual birthing process was a lot smoother, so my recovery was a lot easier. However, there were those after birth pains to account for. I didn't remember any pains in my uterus after giving birth to Ethan; Just pain in my back because I had back labor. But this time, I had a lot more uterus pain this time around along with some back pain from where my 2 epidural shots were (the first epidural attempt was ineffectual).
6. Breastfeeding is painful. I forgot how painful the beginning stages of breastfeeding are - and that it can hurt for an entire month before things start getting better. Things are better now, but Leila still has a really crappy latch. An unintended side effect of having to pump and feed Leila via bottle for most of the beginning part of her life is that she's really packed on the weight. This is great when visiting the doctor and hearing she's in the 90 some percentile for weight and height, but it makes carrying her all day really tiring. At less than two months of life, she's already weighing around 13lbs. What a beast!
Overall, I'm obviously elated to have Leila in our lives, but I'm still struggling to adapt to being a family that has a newborn again. Survival is the name of the game. Could I endure this whole process again to have a third child? Right now, my answer is absolutely not. But, maybe ask me in two years when I start having consistent full nights of sleep again, and maybe - a big maybe - my answer might be different.
1. Right off the bat, I finally got to experience "morning sickness" this time around. It wasn't extreme, but it was not enjoyable. Even with my mild case of it, I can now understand how having it can give you a sense of despair and loneliness. Not to be overly dramatic, but food is such a social activity that brings happiness and people together. Without it, a lot of happiness was sucked out of my life.
2. I also didn't wear the same maternity clothes as last time. There were three dresses that I wore in my last pregnancy that I wore on repeat, but even though I was experiencing the same seasons in this pregnancy, I just wanted to wear different clothes. Perhaps it's also because the weather in TX is very different from CA. I discovered pink blush maternity at the end of my last pregnancy, so I couldn't wait to try out some of their dresses this time around. Yea, maternity clothes are so temporary, but sometimes, it gets really old wearing the same clothes over and over. My capsule wardrobe just expanded to a maternity capsule wardrobe.
3. My stomach grew much faster during my second pregnancy. I guess it's because my body was already used to being stretched, so it allowed my uterus to grow larger, faster. When I was half-way through my pregnancy, I looked like I did at the end of my first pregnancy. Thus, I also grew way more stretch marks this time around.
4. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes this time around. Luckily, they don't test you for this until you're in the third trimester, so I only had to suffer for a few months. Yes, I learned a great deal about how carbs can affect your blood sugar levels, and I even lost so much weight that I was down below my pre-pregnancy weight. But again, food is such a source of enjoyment in life, so it was difficult to abstain. Another benefit of this though is that I got to be induced a few days early because the doctor didn't want the baby to get too large (which could further complicate the delivery). Having a planned birthdate was much less stressful than trying to frantically get ourselves to the hospital through contractions.
5. The actual birthing process was a lot smoother, so my recovery was a lot easier. However, there were those after birth pains to account for. I didn't remember any pains in my uterus after giving birth to Ethan; Just pain in my back because I had back labor. But this time, I had a lot more uterus pain this time around along with some back pain from where my 2 epidural shots were (the first epidural attempt was ineffectual).
6. Breastfeeding is painful. I forgot how painful the beginning stages of breastfeeding are - and that it can hurt for an entire month before things start getting better. Things are better now, but Leila still has a really crappy latch. An unintended side effect of having to pump and feed Leila via bottle for most of the beginning part of her life is that she's really packed on the weight. This is great when visiting the doctor and hearing she's in the 90 some percentile for weight and height, but it makes carrying her all day really tiring. At less than two months of life, she's already weighing around 13lbs. What a beast!
Overall, I'm obviously elated to have Leila in our lives, but I'm still struggling to adapt to being a family that has a newborn again. Survival is the name of the game. Could I endure this whole process again to have a third child? Right now, my answer is absolutely not. But, maybe ask me in two years when I start having consistent full nights of sleep again, and maybe - a big maybe - my answer might be different.
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