PREGNANCY UPDATE

I started working on this post back around the 2.5-3 month mark, and since had to revise it a few times. My hope was to get it out much sooner, but let’s be honest, it’s been a chaotic and eventful few months.

To start off, I can’t express how excited and blessed we feel to welcome baby #2 into our little crew. Growing up with two sisters I always knew I wanted to have a family of multiples and I think the most exciting part about this is giving Q the gift of a sibling. He’s been such a sweetheart through the process so far, asking lots of questions, doing lots of belly kisses, and reminding me to take my prenatals, haha! Let’s be real though, I’m preparing myself for all the ups and downs that will come once the baby is physically here.

In terms of how the pregnancy has gone for the last 4 months, well, it’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride. I’ve gotten a lot of questions since we announced and I thought I’d package it all together nicely in a blog post. First off, I want to praise, bow down, and hail all you mamas out there with multiples. The role as a mother of one is already a challenging one. Add in some pregnancy hormones, a ton of nausea, a handful of morning sickness and exhaustion like you’ve never felt before, all while working full time and caring for a toddler, and sums up my first trimester.

A question I get from pretty much everyone I talk to is, “Do you feel different this time around than with Q?” The answer is yes and no. I know for sure that my first trimester with baby #2 compared to my time with Q was way, way more challenging and harder on me mentally and physically. However, I also know there are women that experience it MUCH worse than I have. In terms of how it’s been different…with Q, I never had any morning sickness or mood swings or exhaustion, the only thing I felt was some nausea and that was it. Of course, last time was different as well cause I didn’t have a toddler to look after, so in terms of exhaustion and mood swings I’m sure that plays a role. These past few months I had days where I would literally go to sleep at 8pm and not wake up till 8am, and still wake up feeling like I could sleep for another 10 hours.

One of the most challenging symptoms for me has been the mood swings. When I got pregnant with Q, my husband told me how he was ready for the worst, in terms of the ups and downs in my emotions and the demands. Though it turned out I pleasantly surprised him. This time around it’s been a lot more challenging in terms of managing my moods and emotions. I feel like at the spur of the moment I can burst out into tears or get upset over the smallest things. I am learning every day to manage this and not take on too much , say no to things and take help when it’s offered.

Something else I get asked a lot is, “Do you want another boy or do you want a girl?” In all honesty, I’m pretty indifferent and the reason I know that to be true is because we actually have the envelope with our gender results. We’ve had it since 10 weeks and have not opened it. Don’t get me wrong, in the beginning it was driving me crazy, but as time has gone by, it actually hasn’t been on my mind too much, which makes me realize that boy or girl, I just want this little bug to be healthy and happy. On one side it would be amazing to give Q a brother. I grew up with two sisters and my husband has two brothers, so having same sex siblings would be pretty darn awesome. However, what mama doesn’t want a little girl? It would be just as awesome to see Q with a little sister to watch over. In any case, I feel truly lucky…boy or girl! :)

One last piece I wanted to share is how my body has transformed so much more quickly this time around. I mean that bump showed up pretty darn fast, I’m talking 13-14 weeks, whereas with Q I don’t think I started officially showing till close to 19-20 weeks. My Midwives and OB have been told me that you can show a lot earlier the second time around. Needless to say, those jeans of mine have been collecting dust for a few weeks now and I’ve had to change my wardrobe quite quickly. Some of the items that I’ve had on repeat, Lululemon Align Pant , Urban Outfitters Out from Under Shirt, Dwell + Slumber Cacoon Caftan Dress and Smash + Tess Romper. Now I’m on the hunt for some good maternity jeans, please send your recommendations! :)

All in all, the journey so far as been one of gratitude and truly a wonderful gift for our family that we are ever so thankful for. I know having a baby doesn’t come easily to everyone, so I really wanted to end off by saying, to anyone out there who is trying for a baby, my hopes and prayers are with you. I’m sending all of our baby fairy dust your way!

xx

Natassia