Our Big Announcement!

I am so excited to finally announce on my blog our family’s big news …

We are adding to our family, and it’s another baby boy!

Baby #2 will be joining us somewhere around the first week of September. I’m not getting too stuck on his due date, though, since his brother was two weeks late! 🙂

As with the first one, the first trimester + a few weeks was pretty rough. (Does anyone ever like that first trimester??) It’s been noted by countless women before me, but whoever coined the term “morning sickness” was either very lucky or a man. No, round-the-clock sickness is more like it. I am glad to be past that stage, and so very, very thankful that I am not one of the poor souls who never gets a break from it until delivery day!

The second time around does feel different from the first. I’m much more relaxed and confident, for one thing. I’m also not as consumed by the pregnancy as with the first. It’s not my every thought or topic of conversation this time. I worried I would be less excited about this one since it’s not my first, but I don’t think that’s true. It’s just a different kind of excitement. It’s not the thrill of novelty, but rather an eager anticipation for all the wonderful experiences we know are to come.

Since it’s not my first, there are a few lessons from my first pregnancy that I am keeping in mind:

A Letter From First-Time Pregnant Me to Second-Time Pregnant Me

1. Relish every single day of pregnancy (even when you’re two weeks overdue)!
   This is easier said than done for some pregnancies, I know that. I’m already more uncomfortable with this baby than I was at this time with Aidan, so I’m taking my own advice with a grain of salt. That being said, I still think that even with discomfort, pregnancy is such an amazing experience. I especially love the kicks and turns. It is such an incredible experience to be able to feel that baby growing and moving inside of you. You have decades to be with your child outside of your womb and only 9-10 months at most of being able to carry him/her. Make the most of it!
2. Stay active and make strength training a priority.
   I worked out consistently through the first two trimesters of my first pregnancy, but then took it a bit easier than I should have through the final few months. And I could tell! This time I want to keep my workouts a little more challenging (within safe limits, of course) and more frequent throughout all three trimesters.
   I also learned that I need to keep up the strength training. I had a lot of hip pain with my first pregnancy, so this time I’m paying more attention to strengthening the muscles in my legs, hips, and back. This will also help protect my back, which is especially important since I have a toddler to take care of! I’m also focusing on upper body exercises to protect and strengthen my shoulders and upper back.
3. Remain diligent about healthy diet and exercise.
   I did fairly well at this last time and gained a normal amount of weight, but I know I can do better. Knowing how much discomfort that extra weight adds and how hard it was to shed afterwards is motivating me to be even more diligent about diet and exercise this time. Rest assured, having to think about the development of Baby is keeping me from any kind of unhealthy dieting measures. Rather, I’m focusing on clean eating (such a buzz phrase right now, I know. Sorry!), and being very intentional about a good balance of food groups and nutrition, especially protein and good fats.
4. Appreciate your sleep!
   Oh my goodness, I SO took sleep for granted before Aidan was born! I know now to get as much sleep as I can before the baby comes, because it won’t be happening for a long time after he gets here! Entering newborn phase already sleep-deprived and exhausted is a recipe for disaster, so I’m resisting the urge to burn the candle at both ends and giving myself guiltless permission to rest up!
5. Stock the freezer.
   Again, I did not do enough of this before the first baby! Even though I read it time and time again, I was silly and did not take people’s advice. I completely overestimated how much energy and ability I would have and was shockingly unprepared for how much time is consumed by nursing! This time I am going to be more prepared with freezer meals and other easy-to-throw-together foods.
6. Get your house in order.
   The last thing I’m going to want to face when I come home from the hospital is a messy house and an empty fridge and pantry. As my due date approaches, I’m going to make sure that my house is ready for whenever the baby decides to come. This also includes taking care of financial matters, such as making sure all the bills are scheduled for the month.
7. Practice those breathing techniques!
   Oh gracious, the things I was clueless about before I had my first baby. Levon and I went to one birthing class, learned a few breathing techniques, and read some tips in my books. I didn’t practice very much and neither did he because I thought, “How hard could this be to remember?” I even brought my book with me so I could refer to it during labor! Seriously, I did that! I did not realize that labor includes a fun stage where the pain literally makes you unable to think straight. I couldn’t have looked something up in my book if I tried! And I hadn’t made Levon learn the breathing, so he couldn’t help me. This time I will know to practice those breaths, silly as I might feel, so much that it might actually come to me during the mind-numbing pain. Or at least teach Levon so one of us knows what we’re doing!
8. **Bonus** (This isn’t from my experience, but comes from listening to other moms of multiple children)
   Make the most of this one-on-one time with Aidan.
   I’m very aware that things are about to change not only for my husband and me, but for Aidan as well. He is used to getting my full attention, and his little world is about to be rocked. I am trying to spend as much one-on-one time with him as I can, not only for his sake, but also for mine, as I know I won’t be able to devote as much time to him once the baby comes. I am soaking up every little minute with him while I can!

I would love to hear from you and get some advice from moms who have been there, done that!
What advice do you have for healthy pregnancies? What advice do you have for preparing kids for new siblings? What is the one thing you wish you could go back and tell the first-time-pregnant you?