Posts Tagged ‘second pregnancy’

Pregnancy Week 17: First Pregnancy vs. Second

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014

Your first pregnancy, you feel like a princess. Your family and friends lavish you with attention, and you dream of having the sweetest, cutest baby. Now, you’re pregnant with baby number two, but this time it is a lot different. You’re chasing a toddler. You struggle to fix your hair, let alone glow. They say each pregnancy is different, and this week I have been thinking about ways that my second pregnancy has compared to my first so far.

Body and Belly

With my first pregnancy, my bump was basketball shaped, and I had the glow. Many women spend time pampering themselves during their first pregnancy: massages, naps, pedicures. This time around, I can’t seem to get a long shower or get extra sleep. I’ve also noticed more breakouts on my face. The once beautiful glow has been replaced with teenage acne.

I’ve seen so many cute ideas on how to capture weekly belly photos, but after your first pregnancy, you might be lucky to remember to even wear cute enough clothes to get your picture taken. So far, no stretch marks. If I do get some, I plan on trying Mango Mama Bump Butter. A plus to having a second pregnancy is that you usually feel the baby move sooner or show earlier.

Worries, Fears, and What ifs

With a first pregnancy, you tend to worry about everything–Autism, developmental and genetic disorders. You are bombarded. Every little cramp or even a lack of movement can cause a first-time mom to go into a panic. What about all of those things you’re not supposed to do or not supposed to eat while pregnant? The first time around, you follow that list strictly. I remember worrying once because I ate some yummy queso blanco at a Mexican restaurant. My baby came out perfectly healthy. I’ve noticed the second time around that I still am cautious with being healthy for my baby, but I’m not as concerned with worry. My worries this time around are more about where baby will sleep in my tiny house, or if my toddler will still be in diapers at baby’s birth.

Your Focus

During your first pregnancy, you are focused on baby. You get the cute emails weekly. You sing songs to your growing belly, and remember to send all of your family your latest sonogram photo. I’ve noticed that being pregnant while taking care of a toddler changes your focus some. While I am still focused on my growing baby, I sometimes have to remind myself that I am in fact pregnant. I’ve just started having my toddler pat my belly and say, “Hi, baby.” While I am not getting the weekly emails, I am reading a weekly book about baby and mom’s development.

So, mommas, how did your first pregnancy compare with the second, third, fourth, or even fifth? How do we still be mom to our children who need us so much, and still focus on the growing miracle we have been blessed with? This is something I don’t have the answer to, but I am learning every day. You’re a mom once you’re pregnant. I may just have one child to chase right now, but I have enough love to give to both. That’s enough for me this week.

Karyn Meyerhoff is a stay at home mom in Northeast Indiana who loves to read, write, and nap. She loves being pregnant and loves being a mom. It’s definitely the hardest job, but she wouldn’t change a thing.

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Posted in Birth, Karyn Meyerhoff, Parenting | 1 Comment »

When your family grows…

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

There has been a steady stream of new babies in my life the past few months. I have truly loved the opportunity to hold all these squishy, sweet-smelling newborns. Talk about baby fever!! Watching friends’ families grow has made me reflect back on my own transition from one to two to three kids. Each transition came with its own set of joys and challenges.

I know I was especially nervous near the end of my second pregnancy about caring for the needs of three small children. As excited as I was to be welcoming a new family member, I was also worried about how it would feel to be outnumbered all day, every day. I expressed this concern to a friend who had recently welcome baby #3 into her life. Her reply (as usual) was spot-on.

She didn’t say impractical things like “rest when the baby rests” (which is not really an option when you have other young children) or generic affirmations sch as “you’ll be just fine”.  Without hesitation she said “Food is a big deal”.  At first I thought she meant for myself…making sure I was well fed since breastfeeding makes me crazy hungry. However she was actually referring to food for my kids. She suggested to make preparations for my other two boys (ages 2 and 4 when baby #3 arrived) to be able to access snacks on their own throughout the day. This was a very concrete suggestion that seemed easy enough to execute.

Trusting her wisdom, I went to Costco and dropped a large amount of moolah on bulk-sized quantities of some of our favorite snacks as well as a large box of snack-sized plastic baggies. Normally I am not a fan of plastic baggies (I have several Planet-Wise snack bags that get lots of lovin’) but decided to make an exception during this transitional time. I also made a large batch of trail mix and popcorn.

Near the end of my pregnancy I spent a good chunk of an afternoon scooping snack sized portions of the various snacks into baggies. I tend to save the 1lb plastic spinach containers from Costco and these were the perfect storage containers for all the snack baggies. I put three of them full of snacks on a low shelf in the pantry and viola! My kids could easily grab a snack from the pantry for themselves throughout the day.

This turned out to be one of the best postpartum preparations for us. My boys loved getting their own snacks and more importantly it freed me up to focus on nursing baby during those early weeks when breastfeeding is established. I am forever thankful for my friend’s suggestion as it helped make that special time go relatively smoothly for our family. 🙂

What helped you transition into your growing family? Would love to hear tips from readers like YOU!

-Sarah

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Posted in Birth, New Mothers, Sarah | Comments Off on When your family grows…

Creative Pregnancy Announcements!

Monday, April 30th, 2012

Announcing a pregnancy can be a really exciting time for a couple. Often couples want to share their exciting baby news in a fun and special way. Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing regarding unique ways to publicly announce your pregnancy.

Bun in the Oven – This is how I told my hubby we were pregnant with baby #3. I put the positive pregnancy test inside a hot dog bun and placed it in the oven. I asked him to check the oven for me and when he did he found a “bun in the oven” with the pregnancy test inside.

Photo Announcement – There are many adorable photo announcements floating around on Facebook. Pictures of positive pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, or growing bellies are common ways to say “baby on the way”. You might remember Jessica Simpson’s Halloween announcement where she dressed like a mummy with the caption “It’s true! I’m going to be a mummy!” while holding her adorable little baby bump. Another fun photo idea might be to depict a symptom associated with pregnancy such as unusual cravings. For example posting a picture of pickles and ice cream with a caption such as “here’s what I’m eating for breakfast for the next nine months” may be a clever way to tell others your are preggers.  Or a spin-off of the “bun in the oven” is to post a picture of actual buns in the oven to your facebook page and see if people get the message.

Gift Announcements – Any type of gift that indicates a new baby is on the way can be a fun surprise for others to open. For example when pregnant with my first son I gave my father a birthday gift that included a onesie that said “World’s Best Grandpa” on it. Since none of my other siblings had children at the time, he had never been called Grandpa before and immediately knew the significance of the gift. With my second pregnancy I gave my parents a frame that held two photos. On one side I put a photo of my first son and on the other side I put a note that said “insert picture of baby #2 coming Dec. 2010”.

Big Brother/Big Sister Shirts – A fun way to involve an older child in a pregnancy announcement is to have them wear a “Big Brother/Sister” shirt to a family gathering. There are several cute ones available from Cafepress.

Family Gatherings – Family gatherings can be an opportune time to share to a large group of family members all at once that you are expecting. It can be done in the traditional way such as a toast before dinner or in a fun way such as playing a game. Maybe a game of charades where you where you act out being pregnant or a game pictionary where you draw a picture of pregnant woman. Or wheel of fortune with the phrase “we’re pregnant”.

There are many different, clever fun ways to share pregnancy news with others. I would love to hear ideas from readers. How did you publicly announce your pregnancy to friends and family?

-Sarah

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Posted in Parenting, Sarah | 3 Comments »