He could be here any day now...that's an extremely sobering thought. And my opinion about that changes almost hourly. One hour I'll be all nostalgic and all like, "Oh man, just stay in there a bit longer. I just want more time to relax, I just want to have Dylan around being my only buddy, I love sleeping all through the night (besides the 12 times I wakeup from needing to shift my entire body just so I can lay on my other side), I love not having my vag feel like it's ripped to shreds, I love feeling Baby move all the time and seeing my stomach move too, I love not having to wear breast pads, I love being able to leave in a timely manner and go places and not worry about two children etc. etc."
And then the next hour I'm all like "Oh please come, I just love you and want to smooch this little Baby and hold him and be able to lay on my stomach again and not have to waddle like a duck and not have my back/ribs hurting 24/7 and not have lightning crotch and I just want you to come out already etc. etc."
Can you tell it's a pregnant woman talking? I can't make up my mind to save my life.
But he's coming, whether we are ready or not (I think we are...it's all we talk about in our house) but the question is...when? Well, for those of you who are wanting to know, or care, I went to the doc yesterday for my 38 week checkup/check of the cervix situation...and I am officially dilated to exactly 1cm and 60% effaced. If you think I write that in happiness, you are wrong. I have been "almost" a 1 for the last 3 appointments, and I have been 60% effaced the last 3 appointments as well, so...let's just say I left the appointment pretty discouraged. I shouldn't complain or be sad, because with Dylan I was never dilated or effaced even though I went a week over our due date and had to be induced. And I know I should be happy I'm even progressing at all...I just want more progression! I want to avoid being induced at all costs this time unless it's absolutely necessary for me or the baby, so I could potentially have another 3-4 weeks (doc said I could go to 42 weeks without induction as long as everything looks good) to go if this babe decides he doesn't want to leave my obviously comfortable and spacious womb. I can't say I blame him too much...I have made him quite the warm paradise in there.
Ok, but in all seriousness, this post was/is supposed to be about my two pregnancies and how they compare. Well, let's first just take a look at the photographic evidence, shall we? Because we all know that photo's say 1000 words.
Pregnancy #1, approximately 5 years ago:
I post these in utter embarrassment, but for the sake of the post, I'm still posting. Top one is 37 weeks on the dot, and bottom is where I am today...approximately 38-39 weeks.
Here's the comparison...
Pregnancy #2, Present Day:
Top is 37 weeks on the dot, and bottom is 38 weeks.
I thought about doing a billion photos showing the progression of each pregnancy, but A) I couldn't find a ton of photos from my first pregnancy except a few (and trust me, they are borderline blackmail worthy) and B) I didn't want to take up a ton of space with just photos.
If you can't see the difference in these photos...get your eyes checked. Not only do I have eyebrows in the present day photos, but my bump/entire body looks completely different. Part of this is because I started out at a much smaller pre-pregnancy weight with pregnancy #2, but also, I have been working out my entire pregnancy this time around.
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO PREGNANCIES:
I know I have stressed this in a few of my Instagram posts, but working out has (obviously) made a HUGE difference. It didn't help in pregnancy #1 that I didn't workout before I got pregnant and definitely didn't during. But it was already such a habit before I got pregnant the second time, that I knew I wanted to incorporate it into my pregnancy. And I am so glad I have! It's not only made a world of difference in how much I have gained and how my body has looked with being pregnant, but it's helped me have TONS of energy, kept my lower back from getting thrown out of place (it did with pregnancy #1) made it so I have hardly swelled at all (which mostly comes and goes at night), and made me consistently want to eat well (but yes I give into small cravings on a constant every-other-day basis). And doing it consistently has been key! I think there has only been 3 weeks total this pregnancy I didn't workout, and that was because I was either sick, or we were out of town. And honestly, most of the time I have not had this massive urge to workout...I usually sit on the couch for a half hour talking myself into it, but I know how terrible I feel if I don't do it and how great I feel when I do, so that has been the biggest motivator.
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| Before my workout earlier this week |
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| from yesterday's workout |
Food:
Ok enough about working out. Some other differences have been that with Dylan's pregnancy, I constantly wanted Steak. That was all I ever craved...that and fruit smoothies. This time around I have been craving ice cold Crystal Light...and I normally can't stand ice cold water because my teeth are super sensitive. But this time around, I have to have a cold water bottle in the mornings...it's seriously heaven. I've also eaten an entire tub of hummus from Costco all on my own so apparently I've been craving that as well, and pizza has been on and off for a craving. Other than that I just want regular food...anything but steak! Exact opposite of my first pregnancy lol.
School & Dylan:
I also just got done doing school this semester (and got straight A's I might add) and that has definitely made this pregnancy different, as well as being a mom. With my first I just had my job to worry about...this time I've had so much more depending on me and I think that's helped keep me on my toes as well. And it's been so fun seeing how sweet Dylan is to my bump. For the longest time he acted like he had a baby in his tummy too, and would feel it and rub it and tell me his baby's name. I think he understands now that there's not a baby in there...he hasn't done it for a few weeks. But he sure is excited to be a big brother! He is constantly touching and hugging my tummy, and loves to sing to it and talk to it. Cutest.Thing.Ever.
Random Differences:
-I love that I can still wear my wedding ring! I couldn't wear it passed 25 weeks with Dylan.
-And I also love that I can still wear all my shoes. I swelled so badly with Dylan that by week 32 I was literally wearing slippers to work because that's all that would fit on my balloon feet.
-We are also planning on doing Hypnobirthing this pregnancy (as long as I don't induce...we will still try it then but since I know the pain of that I don't think we can avoid an epicural with that one). I am super excited to do the hypnobirthing though! It's a way of training your mind to think of birth in a completely different way, and to get yourself to relax during your birthing waves (contractions). It maybe sounds cooky, but we love the idea of it and the concepts we have learned from the classes we have taken.
-I didn't have any sort of pain with Dylan (that I can remember) except that after I had him my lower back got thrown out pretty badly. With this pregnancy, I have had some of the worst back pain I have ever felt, but in my middle-back. This baby seriously is out to dislocate one of my ribs I swear. He gets himself so squished up there that it causes my entire rib on my left side to hurt from front, side and back. It's torture at times, and the only relief is to lay down. No joke. It's made me emotional at times at how painful it is. For that reason I am very happy that my due date is fast approaching.
-I have had about 5 zits this entire pregnancy. Seriously. It's weird. With my first pregnancy I had THE worst skin ever and was constantly breaking out. And bad! This time? Complete opposite. For this reason I could stay pregnant forever. My skin is better right now than it is when I'm without child.
-I had to pee a lot in the night with Dylan...haven't really had that problem this pregnancy except for a few weeks in the middle of my pregnancy.
-I have had zero stretch marks this pregnancy (knocking on wood extra hard right about now). With pregnancy #1 I got a few stretch marks around my hips and a tiny few under my belly button but nothing that was terrible. Praying this time I get none.
-I am more myself this pregnancy than I was with pregnancy #1 (or so Brett tells me). I am much less hormonal this time around he says, and I am pretty good about managing my hormonal emotions most of the time.
-I have to sleep with my shaper pillow (it's a giant body pillow that literally encircles you except for an opening at the feet...sounds weird but man is it dreamy). I don't know how I survived my first pregnancy without that thing. It has saved me.
-I had some morning sickness with this one. It wasn't always necessarily in the morning, but I would get nauseous quite a bit in the first trimester. I never had one bit of nausea with Dylan. That's why we thought this one was a girl up until he wasn't :)
-I had an aversion to Diet Coke my first trimester...shocking I know! That stuff is like my water. It was so weird to see a can and have absolute disgust towards it. I had to force myself to go off soda for my first pregnancy and it was super hard. Yeah that hasn't happened this time around. I think the longest I've gone without a diet coke (not counting my first trimester) has been 2 weeks...and that was on purpose and somewhat painful.
-I was a lot more organized with Dylan's pregnancy. By this point I had his nursery up and set, as well as a hospital bag packed and his stroller ready and his carseat in the car. Yeah...none of that has happened this time around. Still buying stuff and we have a massive pile in our living room that is waiting to be opened and put together.
-With my first pregnancy we had Dylan's name picked out pretty much off the bat. It was always Dylan...we never had a hard time choosing his name and we both loved it. This time...this baby has been nameless up until a couple days ago. We could not for the life of us either agree on one or find one that we both felt right about. We finally nailed one down for the little munchkin. I can't believe how long it took for us...I never thought the guy would care. Oh, he cares.
Okay I think that's all...I know you wanted this post to be longer but sorry to disappoint you with only an encyclopedia's worth of info :) Lots has been different this pregnancy, and it's been so fun to see the difference between the two. And we are just so excited and scared for this new chapter to begin in our lives. It's so surreal...the waiting game. But we can't wait to meet this little boyfriend and have a baby to snuggle :)
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