We’re so thrilled about baby #2 and are so thankful for all the love & kind words we’ve received from you guys! Here’s a little recap of this pregnancy so far, and some big topics people always seem to ask about.
When We Found Out
We found out about a week after moving into our new house. I had been feeling bloated and a little off, I had started to feel really tired from unpacking which is usually not like me. I felt like I knew before I even peed on a stick. It was still so so early, I hadn’t even missed my period yet, but the pregnancy tests showed two bright pink lines and “Pregnant” very clearly.
To give you a little back story, I hadn’t been feeling ready to try for number two for a while. Wyatt didn’t sleep for the first 6 months and then at 18 months we moved in with my parents while we house hunted. As we started getting closer to move in day and Wyatt turning 2, I started to feel more than ready and started planning out when we should start trying again. I got my IUD out at the beginning of August, started taking. I wanted to be able to take them for 3 months before we started trying again, and I wanted my IUD out so I could start tracking my cycle. I never got a period when I had my IUD so I didn’t know my timing at all. I wanted to collect a few months of data so we would be ready to hit the ground running when we were ready to try.
However, there were some other plans in the cards. I got one period and that was my last one. I had been tracking my ovulation with these EVERYDAY because I didn’t know where in my cycle I was when my IUD came out. I never got through a whole cycle, and now it’s clear that I ovulated earlier in my cycle than I thought I did. We were being “careful” but because it took us 3 months of ACTUALLY TRYING with Wyatt, we assumed it wouldn’t really happen if we weren’t really trying and that it would probably take a few months again. (Obviously we needed a refresher from high school sex ed, because it just takes one time and it doesn’t matter if you’re trying or not.)
In retrospect we are so thankful it happened this way. It took us 3 months with Wyatt which is NOT a long time, and my heart breaks for couples that try for much longer, need help, or can’t conceive. Every month that goes by with a negative pregnancy test feels like a lifetime for any of us when all you want is a positive. Tim travels for work a lot so I had already started stressing out about lining up ovulation timing with travel schedules, so it happening just on it’s own, even if it was a little earlier than we thought, was a huge blessing.
How The First Trimester Went
Not great. This pregnancy has been much different than my first one. starting almost right away after I found out, through to this week I have been feeling nauseous, have on and off headaches, and my back has been hurting. I’ve been WAY more exhausted this pregnancy than I was with Wyatt and I’ve been trying to nap when he does as much as possible. When I was pregnant with Wyatt I was a little nauseous for a few weeks, but it seemed to be controllable as long as I ate (carbs) every few hours. This round, things like crackers did seem to help, but not all the time. I feel like I had no control of anything this first trimester, my emotions, my nausea, and my appetite. I definitely felt sluggish and unlike myself for three months. When I get pregnant I notice right away all over, I feel bloated and swollen & gain weight right off the bat. Now that I’m in the second trimester, I’ve noticed I’m starting to get my energy back & every day is a little better physically. Hopefully, I can start to feel more in control and start enjoying this pregnancy a little more!
Having a very active toddler while pregnant and not feeling great is no easy task. If I’m being real, I’d like to thank the TV for getting us through this time. I can count more than a few times when Wyatt and I laid in bed and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when mom couldn’t deal. Having scheduled classes and playdates definitely helped, even if I didn’t feel great, getting out of the house and DOING stuff made us both feel better everyday.
The Bump
I have definitely already started showing. Like I said, before I even missed my period I was bloated and stayed bloated for weeks. I went through a few weeks of just looking “thick” in my midsection and still do unless I’m wearing a bump accentuating outfit. I am showing SO MUCH sooner this round than last, which they say happens, but I basically look the same now at 14 weeks that I did at 22 weeks, which is slightly alarming to me- although it did take me forever to get a bump round one. At 14 weeks with Wyatt I was in a bikini in Bali and not showing, and right now I wouldn’t be caught dead in a swimsuit. My winter bod is in full swing.
I have yet to give into maternity clothes, I did this last time too, for some reason I refused to wear them until absolutely necessary and then once I did, I was like, “wtf was I doing?!” They are so much more comfortable, and I think I’m about to start wearing them any day now. I tired on some of my old mat clothes and the pants just look frumpy right now. I also was pregnant in the summer with Wyatt when I was really showing so I wore a lot of maxis and less pants. It’s my mission this time to find maternity jeans that actually look good- so let me know if you have any suggestions!
Due Date
We’re due May 26th- Memorial Day Weekend! Just in time for rose season, jk jk 😉 Wyatt was due September 25th and came on the 24th on his own so I would really appreciate it if this baby followed suit and I don’t go over! I’m excited to have a spring baby, not only am I myself a May baby, but I love springtime for how the world seems to come back alive- a reBIRTH if you will. In New England, we have many months of snow & cold, and by the time (late) spring rolls around, everyone is more than ready to be outside, have drinks on the patio, dine al fresco, and soak up the sun! The seasons are one thing I missed about living in San Francisco. As much I am sick of the snow by February, I do like seeing the passage of time through the change in seasons, it makes me feel reenergized throughout the year. So needless to say, I’m excited to have this little babe when everyone’s HAPPY again and excited for the summer! We can be outside, (will be necessary with Wyatt’s energy levels) go for walks, to the park, and have outdoor playdates.
Gender
We do not know the gender yet. With Wyatt we found at at our 20 week anatomy scan, and I really liked how it broke up the pregnancy and gave us something to look forward to…and there was no way I could wait till birth day to find out- I had too much to plan! Getting the blood gender test at 10 weeks just felt too early this round, so we’re following suit and finding out at our 18 week anatomy scan. Except this time, we’re not going to have the doc tell us, we’ll have her write it down & we’re planning on doing a gender reveal party a few weeks later. I will definitely have to triple seal the envelope and lock it up somewhere so I don’t peek!
Of course I just want a HEALTHY baby, and the gender honestly doesn’t matter, but everyone asks you what you want. So here’s my spiel: I’d love for Wyatt to have a brother next, but I would like to have A girl at some point, if that’s in the cards for us. Right now, we think we want 3 kids in total, so if we get any mix, great! I also could totally wrap my head around being a #boymom for life and be the queen of my castle with my boys.
I haven’t had any strong feelings either way if there’s a girl or a boy in there, and I didn’t before we found out with Wyatt either. This pregnancy is different than Wyatt’s which makes me think girl, but then I talk to other double boy moms and they all say their second pregnancy was totally different. At our last ultrasound, the baby was crossing it’s legs at the ankles like Wyatt likes to do, which immediately made me think it’s a boy. If I had to go with my gut, I would say this one is a boy, but I also can’t tell if that’s because I had a boy and I just kind of assume it’s another!
How We Told Our Families
As soon as we found out I wanted to tell people, it’s such exciting news & as much as I love a surprise, keeping that secret from family was too hard this time. When we lived in San Francisco and got pregnant with Wyatt, it was much easier to keep a secret from people that you don’t see once or twice a week. Also, with my first pregnancy I didn’t quite know what to expect so I tried to follow the “rule” of keeping it a secret until our first ultrasound. However, having gone through one pregnancy, I believe that if I did have an early miscarriage in those first few months that you “shouldn’t tell people”, there are certain people I would have liked to know that I had been pregnant in the first place. This decision is different for each person, and there’s no right or wrong if you wait to share news, or tell people as soon as you pee on a stick.
We told our families about a week after we found out. We decided to wait until they were all together at Wyatt’s 2nd birthday party (and those who weren’t, we Facetimed after). His birthday was small this year, just family…we had just moved in and found out we were pregnant and a big party wasn’t happening. Everyone was gathered around for his piles of presents, and we saved one present for the end… this shirt that says, “Big Brother.” The crowd went wild! I also had been sipping on Fre (alcohol removed wine) all evening, so I really had them fooled.
Finding a Doctor & Practice That Fits
I have already switched practices and doctors with this pregnancy. My first appointment at 8 weeks was with a practice that I ended up not feeling comfortable at. There were a few things that happened that didn’t make me feel totally taken care of. At my first appointment at 8 weeks I didn’t get an ultrasound or even get to listen to the heartbeat, I was just told that my uterus “feels like an 8 week uterus.” By the end of the appointment I had expressed my concern enough that I wasn’t getting to see the baby or know if it was even alive with a viability check that they begrudgingly scheduled me for an ultrasound the next day. They also informed me that they wouldn’t be taking urine samples at every appointment (as if I should be happy about that), which was also concerning to me because at my practice that I had Wyatt with I peed every. single. appointment. Perhaps, if I was a first time mom, I wouldn’t be as concerned because I wouldn’t have been used to different care, and I’m not a SUPER worried prego, but I like to know that everything is being done to make sure my baby & body are healthy and safe because there is so much unknown in pregnancy, I’d like anything that give me peace of mind.
Needless to say, after that first appointment, I searched around, talked to people that had their babies in my area, and found a new practice that I feel MUCH better at. I love my new doctor, and feel like she is actually taking care of me. SO much of parenting is about going with your gut, and it starts from day 1…make sure you find a doctor you trust.
We are so excited for this next chapter & to share this journey with you! xo
What do you think?