Baby #2

28 weeks (taken 2 weeks ago)

As you already know, we are expecting baby boy #2 in late November. Of course this pregnancy has not had my full attention as my pregnancy with Blake did. Since its the second go around, there are not as many "firsts" in the experience of the process and I'm not just sitting around the house with only a dog to keep me company. But there are definitely some differences between this pregnancy and Blake's.

First off, this one has been completely drama free, which I am so thankful for. With Blake's pregnancy, we had been trying for several months to get pregnant and then suffered two miscarriages in a row before immediately going into a third pregnancy (Blake). So stress was at an all time high. A close eye was kept on me during the beginning of the pregnancy and I was put on progesterone for the first trimester. I was constantly sick and had a couple of trips to the ER because of heavy bleeding and clotting at the 10th week and 12th week. So it was definitely a rough go at the start. This was a baby that was wanted for a couple of years and having a bad track record and a horribly stressful start was just awful to deal with.

To contrast Blake with this pregnancy is like night and day. We had just gotten past Blake's 1st birthday and I was in no hurry to start on a second one. No years of waiting for this kid, or even months, or even days! It wasn't really what I had in mind. I was content with enjoying Blake at the age he was in and I also knew my sister was getting married in the summer and I certainly didn't want to be dealing with nausea or not being able to fit in my bridesmaid dress if I was pregnant before her wedding came about. I was prepared to start thinking of adding a second one after the wedding but probably not until Blake was at least 18 months. Plus I really didn't want to go through the first trimester so soon. The thought of being sick all the time and having no energy while still caring for my first baby (he just turned one!) was so not in my plan. God surely must've laughed down at me. :) Because it was just the next month after my baby's 1st birthday that I was pregnant. What happened to after the wedding?? or until Blake was 18 months old??? I already had my bridesmaid dress IN MY HOUSE which means I had already purchased it and wasn't planning on any alterations besides just the hem. I was getting into a new exercise routine by enjoying Zumba and wanted to lose the last 5 lbs. Obviously my plan is NOT the Lord's plan.

But like I said, drama free. Besides having the normal low energy and nausea there was no stress to this pregnancy. No extra doctor visits, no ER runs, no multiple ultrasounds, no progesterone. Baby was doing fine, even my nausea was much better. No puking! I still lost weight in the first trimester because of the constant nausea and lack of appetite and I took two naps a day (or whenever Blake slept) but it was so different from Blake's pregnancy! So it was manageable. Thank the Lord!

Second, with Blake I craved salty things. This baby has me eating sweets. A LOT of sweets. I have even broken down and bought horribly-high-sugared-bad-for-you-junk snacks. Multiple times. Little Debbie brownies? Yes, please! Chocolate stashed in the house? Yes, please! Homemade cookies, boxed cake brownies, or muffins? Yes, please! Gooey cinnamon rolls or sticky (fake high fructose corn syrup) maple-y smothered pancakes? Yes, please! Ice cream or some type of dessert every night before bed? Yes, please! Arrrrrgh! This is not me! I buy cookies like once every 3 months. Sugary processed junk usually doesn't make it into my house. Little Debbie? I haven't seen her in YEARS, people! But now, I cannot resist. Usually if I have a sweet craving, it can be satisfied by chocolate milk or organic vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit or a piece of chocolate here and there but it was controllable. I chose not to have sweet junk in my house because if it wasn't there then I wouldn't be tempted and I could make healthier choices and get my sweet tooth satisfied in a way that I preferred. I grew up with junk in the house and decided that I didn't want that for my own household. But now, the overwhelming desire has overpowered me. And it doesn't just stop at one or two cookies. No, it looks for satisfaction ALL DAY LONG. This baby is killing me with its sweet tooth. Hopefully it means it'll be that much sweeter when it enters the world. :)

Also another difference is that I am planning on having a natural delivery with #2 and am more prepared this time around. With Blake, I couldn't even muster up the courage to read any birthing books until I was into my 3rd trimester. With Blake I said that I wanted to try to do it naturally but I honestly wasn't prepared enough mentally for it. I was TERRIFIED of the whole labor and delivery process. And fear can be powerful, people. Sure I eventually read a couple of books but I wasn't thrilled with the idea. What's so bad about drugs anyway? I want a calm and relaxed birth experience and want to be able to enjoy it and if drugs will help me get that then by golly that's what I'll do.

Well, after having had the medicated birth and now being a bit more mature mentally and emotionally, I decided to revisit the idea of doing a natural birth this time around. Honestly I think its just how I have developed as a mother. When you are in charge of what goes into your child's body and you realize the ramifications of either good and bad of those decisions, it just makes you think. For me, at least. When Blake started on solid foods, it made me more aware of what I was eating and what I wanted him to eat. Did I want french fries to be the number one veggie he ate on a daily basis like 50% of American children do? No! I started veering towards whole foods- natural, good for you, less processed- things to eat. Fast foods happen on very rare occasions for us this year, when it probably had been a once a week or at least twice a month occurance for me in the past. Doing more reading, becoming more aware, and being the caretaker of not just my own body but of my child's made me more open to other things as well.

Plus looking back on Blake's birth I realize that I wanted to try things a bit differently this time. So I did more reading this time and wasn't scared of what I was finding. I started reading books in the first trimester and did more research on what I wanted. And the conclusion was that I wanted to still deliver in a hospital, I wanted to do it drug-free as much as possible, I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible, and I wanted professional support to help me through it. So we hired a doula, or a labor-support person. I found her online through different positive reviews, checked out her website and made a consult appointment with her at the beginning of July. I had read midwifery books, natural delivery books, and watched the "Business of Being Born" which is a documentary that Ricki Lake made (yes, the former talk show host). So I was much more informed and prepared for what I wanted.

Now, my husband is great. He gives me wonderful support in everything I do but he knows and I know that he would not have the professional know-how of all the ins and outs, procedures, and options that one has during labor and delivery. Once I explained to him what I wanted and what a doula was, he was all for it. We had a great first meeting with her and decided to hire her. She has 3 girls of her own and is expecting a 4th early next year. She is super knowledgeable and loves L&D and her work as a doula. She is calm and sweet and really fits with our personalities. I am actually excited for this L&D! We have our second meeting planned for next week where we discuss our birth plan. I didn't have a birth plan for Blake, there were some very specific things that I wanted/didn't want done for his L&D but didn't really know how to go about voicing that. Thankfully the Lord had everything go exactly how I wanted it to, so it turned out to be a great experience but this time I want to go in prepared.

Those are the few difference that I am experiencing this time around. Only 3 more months left and we'll be able to meet our new member of the family! Even though the timeline hasn't gone how I originally wanted, I am super excited to have another little guy to love in this family of mine. I feel amazingly blessed to not only have the opportunity to be a mother to Blake but to add this one in as well. I'm looking forward to getting to know this new covenant creation. As he kicks around in my belly, I'm anxious to meet him. We love him already! Thank you God, for Your perfect timing!