I'm going to give you fair warning before reading the post: it may come off as a whiny, hormonally-driven pregnancy post. In some ways, it probably is, but it's reality and it's kind of refreshing to write about what life is like for us, bad or good.
I haven't blogged a lot about this pregnancy, but it's time that I do. When I found out that I was pregnant, I was really excited. It was something Noa and I had talked about and we were hoping to get pregnant before moving overseas. It was fun to experience this excitement this time around since I was more shocked/surprised/nervous when I found out I was pregnant with Ruby. This should have been my first red flag: this time around would be different. Vastly different.
Early ultrasound pic of baby Hammer, number two!
First, there was the morning sickness. I definitely had morning sickness with Ruby, but it wasn't consistent. I had good days and bad days. I was pretty active then, running and exercising (ironically, I remember that I didn't want to get fat while Noa was deployed so I tried to stay very active), but the morning sickness often put a kink in my workout plans since I would get sick mid-workout. This time morning sickness looked completely different. I felt sick EVERY EVENING for weeks. It was kind of annoying because I could function pretty well during the day, but as soon as it was evening, I was basically a worthless heap on the couch. It was frustrating for me because I was not being my usual productive self.
Thankfully this only lasted for just over a month. I still got nauseated here and there, but overall I was able to begin to function in the evenings. But, then the next new phase began…the dreaded pregnancy pudge. Many of my second-time-around mommy friends told me to expect to show early on with any subsequent pregnancies, but I think I secretly expected to be the exception to the rule. With Ruby, it took forever to "pop" so I figured that with me being a smaller person, the same would be true again. Those thoughts went out the window when I started wearing maternity clothes right as I entered my second trimester. Those elastic waist pants were a godsend! The evenings started to get difficult again, not because of morning sickness, but because it seemed like I was so bloated and huge. My yoga pants also became a solid staple. And then, the belly became pretty evident and I had to wear looser clothing since I hadn't made the official pregnancy announcement. This pregnancy is definitely playing out differently - look at how my 30 week belly pics compare!
Photo on the left: 30 weeks pregnant with Ruby (such a little bump!), photo on the right: 30 weeks pregnant with baby number two (whoa there, major bump alert!)
I'm within the normal range for weight gain, although I really feel BIG. It's definitely harder for me to get around as the extra weight/belly seems to make things harder and slightly more painful. Plus, this time around I'm chasing a toddler, who enjoys climbing all over me, requests that I sit on the floor with her, and insists on me carrying her whenever possible. So - I've been dealing with pregnancy pains that I just didn't have before, like a sore back, hurting neck, legs falling asleep, etc. Some days I feel like I'm 80 years old.
Preparations for baby number two have been easier, since we have a lot of things saved from Ruby. The bonus to having another girl is that I can reuse many of the clothes that Ruby wore (minus the stuff that has mystery stains that never came out or out of season things). This baby will only be living in Washington for a few months, so we aren't even setting up a nursery in this house for her. She'll sleep in a Pack N'Play in our room and I've purchased some cheap Ikea furniture to hold her clothes and other necessities until we move and give her a proper room. It's a little sad, since I really enjoyed putting Ruby's room together, but it just doesn't make sense for our situation. So, I am mentally making plans for a future nursery and scanning Pinterest for ideas. I'm hoping for a basic (maybe even white) room in our future home in Spain for this one so that I can do a "white with brights" style nursery. I guess we'll wait and see.
And then there's other preparations: explaining this to our firstborn. Obviously, she doesn't quite understand all that involved with gaining a sibling, but we try to talk about it a lot. Ruby has baby dolls that she loves, so I use that as a way to talk about the soon-to-be baby sister. Since she also loves books, I found one that she seems to understand. It's quickly become a favorite in our house. We read this at least three times a day, so I pretty much have it memorized by now. I hope to get her some more big sister books that are age-appropriate in the very near future.
A positive side to this whole second pregnancy is being more relaxed in general. I pretty much know what to expect, although I still ask Noa (and Google) questions to make sure I'm not too relaxed ("hey, it's cool if I eat this, right? Wait, what am I allowed to take for a headache again?"). I'm not as nervous about the doctor's appointments and I've decided to undergo a repeat c-section, so at least I know what's involved this time (plus I won't be as exhausted from labor this time around!). For a planning girl like me, a scheduled c-section is huge blessing. Now, I know how long I have to complete my to-do list, pending this little one doesn't decide to make a showing on her own time. Yikes - that would throw me for a loop!
This third trimester has probably been the most challenging. Beside the adjustment of working outside the home to working as a stay-at-home mom, it's been a physical struggle of sorts. There are the new aches and pains as mentioned earlier from toddler wrangling, but worse is the overall loss of energy. I'll admit that I've always been a sleeper, but these past few weeks (especially with the holidays) have sapped my energy levels dry. I nap every day because I. have. to. Seriously, I cannot keep my eyes open. I wish I could use that time to accomplish things, especially since Ruby is sleeping. It would be the perfect time to check off some house projects/to-dos or practice Spanish or sort baby clothes, but no, instead I'm snoozing away trying to ready myself for round two of the day. This little baby is very active - kicking, dancing, swimming throughout the day - so I'm pretty sure that's why I'm so tired. If it's any indicator what her temperament will be like, I guess I should stock up on sleep now.
Oh, and don't get me started on third trimester nausea. That was a total surprise. Definitely not cool.
Basically this pregnancy has totally thrown me for a loop. It's not at all what I expected or how I expected my body to adjust. I'm told (again, by my wise mom friends) that it's normal to have vastly different pregnancies, which means I'm not a total weirdo. I am trying to adjust my expectations and enjoy the moments that are fleeting. Even now as I type this up, I'm feeling lots of kicks. I know those won't last much longer, so I'll just take a moment to enjoy them….even if that means I need to sleep in a few more minutes in the morning. Ruby won't mind waiting, right?
