Second Pregnancy

I once wrote how I didn't really enjoy being pregnant, to be precise, I didn't like it at all. However, it was clear to me that I would do it again if only we were so lucky, it's not like anyone else has shown interest in the job 😅. I've noticed that there are some distinct differences in these two pregnancies though, so here are at least some of them.

There are some things I like about being pregnant. Such as the knowledge that you carry a little person inside, our future family member. This is one thing I appreciate even more now. Now that I know what an amazing person we're able to create, the idea is much more concrete. With the first baby, it felt a bit like some baby was about to be born and our whole lives would change. Now I know that life with a baby is amazing and there is someone amazing in the there. I also know that I will love taking care of a little newborn so I can look forward to that.

Time seems to be going faster. I'm also not as tired as I was in my first pregnancy, although I sleep about half as much as I did then. I put both of these down to the fact that I now have an active toddler who keeps me active too. I must have better hemoglobin or something too because the difference is so significant.

I have given up caffeine almost completely. In my first pregnancy, I felt that although a certain amount of caffeine was allowed, it really shouldn't be consumed at all. However, there was so much that had to be given up and that changed and I was so insanely tired that I drank as much caffeine as the recommendation allowed anyways. I have understood that the recommendation may soon change to no longer recommend caffeine at all, and because of that, because of the nausea, and because I myself doubt caffeine safety while pregnant, I have left it almost entirely. Sometimes rarely I eat a little chocolate and maybe once a week I have a drink with caffeine.

I don't want a sex reveal party. I already had mixed feelings about it when I was pregnant the first time. It seems like a funny topic for a party: yay, our child has a (presumed) sex! 😄 On the other hand, it's fun to surprise everyone and above all as I always say, almost any reason to party sounds good to me. This time, however, I immediately knew that I'm not going to organize such an event. I would like getting the sex on a piece of paper and then we could open it together when it's just the two of us, maybe come up with some little celebration thing to go along with it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to see the sex myself when the child is examined in the ultrasound. So I'm not against gender reveal parties, it's just not something that's important to me. It's super cool to find out the sex, but this time I'll reveal it without a party.

I stay home. In my first pregnancy I was constantly going to places and keeping busy. Now, if the event starts after 5 pm I basically say no to it. I've already missed a lot of nice events, but my bedtime is 9-10 pm anyways, and pregnancy doesn't really give me more energy in the evenings, so I rather sleep than be active. Of course, there are some exceptions, but that's the main rule. I remember when I realized in the last months of my first pregnancy that what I really wanted to do was lie on the couch in my sweatpants. I couldn't help thinking why I hadn't been doing that throughout the pregnancy instead of running around and exhausting myself. Now I've been doing exactly that whenever I feel like it and who knows, maybe that's the reason why I'm not so tired this time.

I'm a big fan of Neuvola, we have a really great nurse, we've had the same person since I started expecting Jordan. It's been fun to notice how in less than two years there are new things at Neuvola too. It makes me feel even more confident that neuvola is up to speed with what the latest research supports and their process is modified accordingly. For example, nowadays the risk for preeclampsia is tested early in pregnancy and a calcium supplement is recommended with a low threshold, both good improvements I'm sure.

It's also different to give birth a second time, and the expectations are therefore also different. The good thing is that the first birth was a really bad experience, so I have a good feeling about the next one, it's hard to believe that it could be equally bad 😄. I didn't get any pain relief either so I know I can get by without it, but I'll probably get it this time so that alone should make the experience more pleasant. Since I had to have an emergency c-section, I can get a regular c-section basically just by asking, so it's nice to have that as an option too. I don't think I'll choose a C-section, but it's good to know I can. I think I may have lost my faith in the delivery staff though as last time I was in Neuvola I asked the nurse that if they have to make an emergency C-section again, where will they cut this time... It's unfortunate that in my first birth the baby couldn't get out the regular way so that final pushing the baby out part is still new to me and that's the one I've always been the most uncomfortable about. Also due to that, the second birth won't necessarily be any easier for me than the first. I have also thought about giving birth somewhere other than Naistenklinikka. It's not that I think that just because I had a bad experience, it means they don't have great professionals there too. I just thought it would be nice to start with a clean slate, without any unnecessary reminders of the previous time.