Grace and Josie | A Blog for Moms

Rhode Island based Mom blogger sharing fashion, shopping, and lifestyle tips.

The Second Time Around

As this pregnancy winds down, I want to take a minute to look back at how different my experience with Baby #2 has been.


Let's start with #1. "It Gets Easier" is the paradigm we often apply to things we've experienced before. Afterall, we've done it all, heard it all, are older and wiser, more seasoned.... Except for when it comes to pregnancy; there are several factors working against second + time moms here... your body is older (oww), those pesky other children prohibiting you from the unlimited couch time you had before, the paranoia that every twinge you feel is sending you straight into pre-term labor. I could go on, but I won't.

I'm hopeful that my 3 years Mom Experience will be helpful once the baby gets here. I feel like that's really where you cash in as a second time mom. Not that I expect it to be easy of course. But my body knows the sacrifice of getting up multiple times per night now and I think like a Mom and act like a Mom. Now I'll just need some time to hone in on my "Mom of Two" skills like next-level multitasking and arbitration.

Anyway, back to this pregnancy.

What Ails Me

From the beginning I felt just as bad in the first trimester as last time. This time however, I had the added joy of morning sickness and fatigue that kicked off during the Holidays and lasted right through until the end of February. If you're a New Englander, you know how mentally draining this winter was... it was hell for me. In a good winter I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder so this winter was particularly depressing for me. In short. I felt terrible for months. Constant sea sickness with a side of concrete running through my veins from the SAD. Did I mention we were also going through a second floor renovation so every morning at 7 am we had contractors ringing the doorbell?

Once I got through the first trimester I felt great! Just like the first time, I didn't start to show until much later so I was comfortable. Once the third trimester rolled around in May I also felt great from my belly button up and my knees down. No major swelling, migraines have disappeared, and I can actually breathe this time. However. The whole territory from my belly button to my knees has been a hot mess. The issue originates in my hips, affects my pelvis, then circulation to my thighs. My hips pop (cringe) every time I stand up and it's hard to walk any distance. Forget the stairs. 1 flight of stairs and I almost have to sit down my thighs are so tired. I suffered with this for a few weeks before mentioning it to my OB. She ended up writing me a prescription for Physical Therapy to deal with Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction and Sciatica. After "graduating" 5 weeks of PT, I'm so glad that I went. I still had plenty of pain, limited energy in my legs, and soreness, but I was far less miserable than I would have been. If nothing else, it gave me the empowerment that at least I was doing something and I could stop obsessing over Googling the symptoms.


What I'm Craving

So much Vitamin C! Last time I didn't have a single craving. In fact, I lost my appetite for all three trimesters. It was no fun. This time, my appetite has been much more steady and normal, but the things I've been craving are mostly fruit and vegetables. Luckily it's summer and I can take advantage of that!
  • Lemon water. Hot or cold, just as long as it has a lemon. (see also Del's)
  • Baby Carrots
  • Watermelon (or even Waterlemon water in my Savvy Infuser water bottle)
  • Popsicles, especially sugar free fudgesicles or anything made in my new Zoku Quick Pop Maker
Other Things I'm Not Loving (and I will leave you at this.)

CONTRACTIONS for DAYS. Literally. Last time my water broke so I had a 19 hour delivery. While not optimal, but still overall a good experience, I didn't even realize the alternative was the state I'm currently in and must leave you at because they're getting intense.

See you on the other side!

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