• Your 2nd Pregnancy Is Different!

    First of all, there’s no Hyperemesis to deal with this time. I’ve still got morning sickness and nausea, but not like I did the first time. Most days it’s totally manageable. That’s a huge game changer for me. With my first baby, I spent time in the hospital getting IV medicine and fluids, I was on prescription anti-nausea medication, and I was still very sick for the first half of my pregnancy. This time around, I’m actually eating and gaining weight! Sure I have good and bad days, but far more good than bad this time. I’m really thankful for that.

    I’m not so thankful for some of the other differences… like the bloating.  I’m still in my first trimester but I look like I did in my second some days. A quick check on the scale lets me know that I didn’t over-do it with the ice cream. It’s just bloating.  I didn’t realize it could be like that. It’s definitely different from my first pregnancy!

    Despite looking farther along some days, I actually feel so much better this time around. It’s not just the absence of nausea either. I feel healthier. Does that sound crazy? I know it doesn’t really make sense because I’m actually exercising less at this point in my life. (Unless you count chasing a toddler – which should count but doesn’t) Maybe it is because I’m not as sick. I’m able to eat much healthier foods. Amazing the impact food has on our health isn’t it?

    Perhaps the biggest difference that absolutely nobody mentioned is the lack of rest.  I’m not talking about sleep. Everyone, even strangers, tell you that from the time you have your first kid you don’t get any sleep. Truthfully, your body adjusts and you get sleep. You learn to live with less than you did before and you don’t feel it after a while. 

    Rest is different than sleep. I’m not really resting. There is so much to do! I have way more to do than I did when I was pregnant with my first. When you’re pregnant with your first, you don’t have any kids at home pouncing on you at 4:00 am, demanding to watch Frozen for the millionth time. When you’re pregnant with your first, you don’t spend hours chasing a half-naked toddler around the house trying to convince him that he must wear pants. When you’re pregnant with your first, you don’t lie awake at night wondering if you are having kids too close together and if your toddler will adjust well to being a big brother. You worry about things like nursery colors and whether you should get a walker or an exersaucer or both.

    So yes, being pregnant with your second child is very different from being pregnant with your first child, but not in the ways that you might think. At least, that’s been my experience. I’d love to hear about yours. How is/was it different for you the second time around? 

    Written by: Sara Parise



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