Differences between the First and Second Pregnancies

The first time I was pregnant I was just so enamored with the whole process. Everything was new and shiny and so interesting. Needless to say, the second time around, while still magical, has not been nearly so shiny per say. I have the vaguest recollection of things that I’m supposed to be doing and watching for but I’m just so nonplussed compared to being pregnant with Lucan.

1. I have yet to read any pregnancy or newborn books. I’m fairly certain that we still have the two we purchased when I was pregnant the first time but I have no idea where they are. I have fairly low intentions of actually finding and reading them.
2. First pregnancy: I made elaborate pastel sugar cookies to tell all my coworkers the good news. This time? I bought a couple of cupcakes and said “oh and by the way, I’m pregnant.”
3. I think I broke out the maternity pants the second after I saw two pink lines. There’s no point in suffering people – embrace the elastic!
4. No foods are off limits. Cold turkey lunchmeat sandwiches, sure! A California sushi roll, well that sounds tasty! Nor have I limited or altered my caffeine intake – an afternoon soda to get me through the 2pm slump, dear God – YES.
5. My bladder is doing things now that I only encountered post-delivery with Lucan. I’m not sure why but this is NOT OKAY.
6. We’re not doing any pregnancy classes. Not a one. I did sign Lucan up for a big brother’s class, so at least I feel like I’ll get a partial credit.  (On the flip side, we are taking Working Through Behavior Challenges: God’s Way class at a local church)
7. 90% of the things little sister will own, her brother will have owned first. I’m buying a few nursery and bedding things, but we really don’t need much (besides clothes). I hope she likes tractors and construction equipment.
8. We had a huge gender reveal brunch with all of our families with baby #1. This time we had a nice little family dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and had them write the gender of the baby on our cheesecake plates. And then we texted our families. Real special.
9. There is a very likely chance I’m not going to have maternity pictures taken. While I absolutely loved the ones I had taken with Lucan, I know that we need to save our money and apply it elsewhere.
10. I am so much more tired this time around. It’s probably a combination of being older, not having a nap room at work and trying to keep up with a 3 year-old. The first time around my energy levels bounced back after the first trimester but this time around I was well into the second trimester before I felt like I didn’t need my 5:30 pm nap every day.
11. I’m in the third trimester and I cannot, for the life of me, decide which hospital to have little girl. I know. It’s ridiculous. JUST DECIDE KARA!
12. I knew how to pass my blood glucose screen this time around, meaning not eating THREE bags of fruit snacks an hour before my blood draw. Results? Passed with flying colors – bam! Experience wins again!
13. If my iphone didn’t have an app stating which week of my pregnancy I was in, I wouldn’t have a clue. The math is too hard for me to calculate.
14. It’s probably safe to say that I’m not going to write out an elaborate, single spaced birth plan this time around. My birth plan consists of 1) No C-section 2) Okay with drugs and vacuums. This also assumes that I’ve made up my mind as to what hospital to deliver at.
15. With Lucan, I walked twice a day during my breaks and did consistent yoga twice a week. Baby girl, gets sporadic exercise and a few hot yoga sessions. Speaking of which, I need to stop trying to stand on my head. Lance and Erika made me promise.
16. We had a scare with Fifths Disease early on with this baby (thank you toddler germs) and I heavily protested having to get a blood draw as Lu never actually came down with it. Then at my third appointment when they wanted to do another blood draw, I put my foot down. I wasn’t paying the lab fees for a disease that never reared its head. If this had been baby #1 I probably would have elected for extra testing. Ain't no one got the time or patience for that.

While I promise that baby girl will be adored and fawned over in her own right, I like to think that I’m not nearly as crazy this time around compared with my first pregnancy. This is our own sweet special girlie that was knit together and brought into the world to become part of our family.