No two pregnancies are alike.
I’m no stranger to that phrase. I’ve heard it a lot over the years, since having my first daughter. To me it always sounded like some kind of a warning. Maybe it wasn’t intended that way, but now, close to the end of my second pregnancy, I can see how it could be. I have definitely had two very different experiences. Even as I write this, I’m one day away from my due date. That in and of itself is quite different, but we’ll come back to all that. For now, let’s start at the beginning.
{Morning Sickness/All Day Death Sickness}
First Pregnancy:
With my first pregnancy I remember waves of nausea that could easily be calmed with a few saltine crackers. If only someone had told me that just a mere three years later I would be lying on the couch looking like death warmed over! I probably wouldn’t have believed them anyway!
Second Pregnancy:
The differences with this pregnancy began almost immediately. A week before Thanksgiving I began to have waves of nausea throughout the day. Just an overall yucky feeling! My husband thought I might be pregnant even at that point, but it was far too early to take a test. So, we waited. The following week was full of Thanksgiving celebrations. Which also meant a lot of food. By that point it all looked disgusting! Of course I had to keep up appearances and stuff down those potatoes as if they didn’t taste like battery acid! (Sorry Mom!)
The Sunday following Thanksgiving I took a test that did, in fact, confirm we were expecting baby #2. While we were overjoyed, my morning sickness only seemed to get worse. Why do they even call it morning sickness? They should call it all day and all night sickness. I could barely get off the couch and my husband began taking over dinner! He would make these absolutely wonderful meals, that just smelled awful. This lasted from the week before Thanksgiving until after Christmas.
{Cravings}
First Pregnancy:
I am a meat eater! Meat is my go-to for every meal. I grew up with bacon, ground beef, and steaks! So imagine my surprise when six weeks into my first pregnancy I find I can no longer eat meat. The sight of any meat at all looks disgusting! What was I going to eat the remainder of my pregnancy? Trying to create meatless dishes for dinner was definitely a challenge for both my husband and myself. The one thing I did crave constantly was breaded shrimp and mashed potatoes with cheese and chives from TGI Friday’s. McDonald’s chocolate shakes were a close second!
Second Pregnancy:
Meat, you are indeed my best friend! At least I haven’t lost you this time! Of course when I say meat, chicken doesn’t usually make the cut. Personally I have never been a huge fan of chicken. Although I do prefer a good breaded chicken to skinless, it still doesn’t usually make the cut for dinner. Seriously, unless it’s KFC, you can’t find it in my house! At least, that was the case, until about nine months ago.
Now we pretty much have chicken coming out of our ears! When my husband and I sit down to make out the grocery list every week, it usually consists of nothing but chicken dishes for dinner. Everything from breaded to skinless! For Christmas dinner this past year my husband made chicken Parmesan at my request! My husband is in heaven with all of these chicken dishes that his stomach has not received much of in our six years of marriage!
Aside from chicken, I’m all about the cheese! I want everything from grilled cheese sandwiches, to mozzarella sticks, cheeseballs, chili cheese con queso poured over baked potatoes, and my personal favorite cheese fries! Of course the cheese can’t be hard, it has to be that melty, runny sort of cheese. Even as we speak, I can smell the aroma of a chili cheese con queso dip currently drifting from our crockpot!
{Acid Reflux & Sleep}
First Pregnancy:
For the last two months of my pregnancy I had severe bouts of heartburn and acid reflux. So much so, that I was only sleeping a maximum of three hours a night. I ended up sitting up in bed most of the time. By this point I was working full-time as a teacher and part-time at a retail store. I was inundated with parent emails and text messages regarding homework assignments and a multitude of other things. All while planning lessons and grading homework. I was utterly exhausted by the end of the day, yet I still managed to function enough to complete every task.
Second Pregnancy:
Life’s a trade off–that’s what I’ve learned. At least in pregnancy. Luckily, my acid reflux and sleepless nights have been very minimal compared to my first pregnancy. They really didn’t start until a month before my due date, and it’s not nearly as bad it was the first time. I can sleep 6 to 7 hours, five nights out of the week. So, one might assume I feel more well-rested. Wrong! I am constantly falling sleep! The second I pull out my laptop to return a few messages, I begin falling asleep within minutes. Even now, in order to write this piece, I am using the microphone feature on my iPhone.
{Aches And Pains}
First Pregnancy:
With my first pregnancy I visited the chiropractor on a regular basis. Over all, my aches and pains were pretty minimal.
Second Pregnancy:
The chiropractor has become my lifesaver! With this pregnancy my lower back pain is much more consistent and my hips are constantly moving out of place. The chiropractor is probably my favorite person at this point! She’s like the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, and Santa Claus all rolled into one!
{Water Retention}
This is definitely not an enjoyable part of pregnancy, and I’ve had it for both. No matter how much water I drink and no matter how much I prop my legs up, they are gigantic bags of water! Yes, I know what you’re about to say – what about those compression socks? Well, it was the middle of summer in about 1,000,000° heat. (Enough said)
{Weather}
First Pregnancy:
Our first daughter was a spring baby. I remember a warm 70 degree day as I headed into the hospital for delivery and a cold, rainy afternoon as we headed home a few days later.
Second Pregnancy:
While at the Children’s Museum recently a fellow mother said to me, “I don’t envy you in this summer heat.” Nailed it! My husband came home one day and proclaimed, “It’s freezing in here!” To which I replied, “Buck up honey–it’s going to be a long summer!” Do you remember the scene from Father of the Bride 2, where Steve Martin is wearing a parka in the house as his wife and daughter yell at him to turn up the air conditioner? Well that’s how my husband currently feels.
{Contractions/Due Date}
First Pregnancy:
I never experienced any contractions until I went into labor with our daughter, who decided to make her debut into the world 11 days early.
Second Pregnancy:
Approximately two months before my due date, Braxton Hicks Contractions began, leading me to believe this baby would be early as well. Instead, my due date has come and gone. I have a few other appointments scheduled within the coming weeks, but if she doesn’t arrive on her own, I do have an induction date.
While no two pregnancies are alike, the end result is a beautiful one. A baby. A beautiful piece of you, ready and waiting to become part of your family. So regardless of our pregnancy journeys, it’s all worth it in the end!