3 Differences Between My First and Second Pregnancies ... so far
- Erica McIlquham
- Feb 1, 2018
- 3 min read
Hello friends!
I’m at the halfway point in this pregnancy. Part of me feels like it’s been slower solely because with Sweet Pea I didn’t find out I was pregnant until about 11 weeks in (long story), but the other part of me feels like one week just tends to blend into the next and it’s not necessarily about time going by but about the fact that I don’t think about being pregnant as much as I did the first time around. Beyond the time factor, so far I do notice some differences between this pregnancy and my last and since I love reading lists like this myself I thought I would share my thoughts, so far, on how I feel this pregnancy is different than my last.
1. Fear of unknown. With your first pregnancy you typically read a lot AND much of what you read tends to make you feel fear. Or at least this is what I found. There is a lot of talk of what can go wrong, how to do to deal with pain, fear of eating certain foods, fear of too much exercise and fear of not enough. The truth of the matter is, and typically you fully realize this after having your first baby, that every experience is different. Every person is different and no one really knows how your body will react to carrying a child. With your first baby it’s easy to buy into the fear, to let it get inside your head and to let others do the same. There is comfort in information and the truth of the matter is pregnancy is unique and the fact that it is unique makes it even scarier- not knowing what to expect. With my pregnancy carrying Sweet Pea I definitely feared the unknown - this time, although different, I have less of that fear in at least knowing somewhat what to expect through the journey. I also think about it a lot less this time around.
2. Energy. When I carried Sweet Pea I felt I was in a constant state of exhaustion. Everyone told me the second trimester would bring energy - it didn’t. I was tired constantly, maybe not sleeping well which was making it worse. I could fall asleep mid-day (which I normally cannot do), would need 12 hours of sleep at night and will still feel myself dreaming of extra coffee at all hours and my duvet by ten in the morning. With this pregnancy I feel that second trimester energy boost. Although I still need a solid nights sleep, the tiredness isn’t all consuming and as long as I remember to take care of myself - the exhaustion doesn’t overwhelm me in the same way. I am grateful for that - especially when you have a toddler to keep up with.
3. Growth. This time around I was searching for my maternity pants by 10 weeks and my belly was noticeable to others by 12 weeks. I cannot believe how quickly I have grown and how fast I am gaining weight. I’ve heard this from others too - that this may be common, but I also have friends who popped early even with their first babes. Again, every experience is different. I looked back to my Instagram posts and last time I remember posting a semi-noticeable baby belly around 22 weeks. Will my belly growth level off at some point this time around?! If not this could get interesting.. haha
Photo on the left is me at 20 weeks with Nora (2016) and photo on the right is 20 weeks currently (2018). Same pants - different year.
So all in all, every pregnancy experience is unique - I can attest to that now. I can't say I am someone who loves being pregnant but this time around I have a new appreciation for it - maybe knowing it might be my last. I'm trying to enjoy watching my body change, appreciate the little things during pregnancy and dream about how exciting and overwhelming becoming a family of four + Utah will be .... AH!
What differences did you find between your pregnancies (if you have multiple) ?
Xo, Erica
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