Differences Between the Two Pregnancies

Saturday, March 15, 2008 at 8:00 AM

In some ways pregnancy is easier the second time because one knows what to expect, but I’ve heard people say that no two pregnancies are exactly alike. There have certainly been differences between this pregnancy and the last.

With Aidan, I suspected and found out I was pregnant early in the pregnancy. This time around I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was almost through the first trimester (I was still nursing at night with Aidan at the time and hadn’t had a period since before he was born. As pregnancy is usually dated by the first date of last monthly period I joked with the doctor about being two-and-a-half years pregnant ;) ). I had not been feeling well for several weeks, but thought I had been fighting off a flu. Jeremy asked jokingly a few times if it was morning sickness, I didn’t think so until it had gone on long enough that I thought I actually might be pregnant and should probably get a pregnancy test.

I had trouble with pregnancy tests both times. Last time when I was pregnant I got an e.p.t. test that is supposed to show + = pregnant or a – = not pregnant, but the test showed a vertical line. So we bought a different brand of test with one or two lines. So this time I skipped the +/- style test and immediately bought the two line version. However the results were very unclear. It looked like only one line, but if you held the stick at a certain angle it looked like maybe there was an extremely faint line, or is it just an evaporation line? Again the solution was to buy another brand of test – forget messing with reading lines, let’s just do a digital test that clearly states “pregnant” or “not pregnant”.

The last pregnancy was planned for the most part. (We weren’t exactly trying to conceive, but we weren’t trying not to conceive). This time was a bit more of a surprise. I had wanted to have another baby eventually. I wasn’t planning on quite so soon, but after the initial shock we’re very happy and excited to welcome the new addition to our family. Although we didn’t find out that I was pregnant until much later in the pregnancy than the last time around we had our first ultrasound much earlier in the pregnancy at 10 weeks, in order to determine how far along I was. (I didn’t have my first ultrasound last time until 18 weeks.)

I had quite a bit of morning sickness with both pregnancies, enough that I actually lost weight in the first trimester both times. I will say with this pregnancy that it is not pleasant to change a toddler’s dirty diapers while suffering from morning sickness! Thankfully I am past the point of morning sickness, but morning sickness lasted longer into the second trimester than it did with the last pregnancy. When I was pregnant with Aidan my sense of taste changed. I found foods with too much fat, salt, or sugar to be unappealing throughout the whole pregnancy (too bad that didn’t last). I haven’t had that happen this time around.

I was able to feel the baby moving earlier in the pregnancy than the last pregnancy. However Aidan was much more active in general than this baby. I think Aidan must have been doing Jazzercise or something for most of the pregnancy! This baby seems much more mellow. Aidan would get very active if I hadn’t eaten in a while. It doesn’t seem to affect this baby’s movement patterns as much.

The last pregnancy was anything but routine. We had a lot more ultrasounds last time than this time. Thankfully this pregnancy is going much more smoothly than the last time around. One of Jeremy’s coworkers (who is due around the same time as I am) was complaining how pregnancy seems so much more boring the second time around. Jeremy and I both feel like “Hey, boring is good”. So far there have only been a couple of quirks. We had a scare early in the pregnancy when the doppler didn’t pick up the baby’s heartbeat (which turned out okay). The other concern is apparently I’m quite anemic. Two appointments ago my iron tested low, so the doctor prescribed an iron supplement. At the appointment before this one my iron had dropped even lower despite taking the supplement so she prescribed a stronger prescription. This time my iron was still lower yet so she wants me to take the stronger iron pill twice a day in addition to my prenatal vitamins. (Too much more iron and I think I’m going to be pooping magnets – if I can still poop at all.)

Aidan was not shy for ultrasounds. It was almost as if he was posing for the camera “look at me- I’m a boy!”. This time around the baby baby modestly kept his/her legs crossed and wrapped him/herself around the umbilical cord like a koala, so the ultrasound tech couldn’t get a sneak peek. It looks like we will have to wait for the surprise when the baby is born.

I was in much better physical shape with the last pregnancy. Before the pregnancy and even during the first half of the pregnancy I was still doing Dance Dance Revolution and exercising regularly. This time I didn’t enter in quite as good shape as I almost never seem to have the time or energy to exercise like I probably should (although chasing after a toddler has to count for some exercise, right?) Last time I still had a graduate assistantship. I was climbing up on ladders and setting up shows, hauling dress forms and mannequins on flat bed carts, walking all over campus – no problem. This time around doing the dishes, picking up Aidan’s toys, or vacuuming the floor has me panting like a puppy dog. – Sad and pathetic!!

I have been carrying the pregnancy weight differently this time around too. Last time I had a “cute” belly bump that was very round and high. I was able to wear normal clothes for most of the pregnancy. I wore low-rise jeans which dipped below my belly. My belly stuck out in front of me enough that my black winter coat barely fit (I had to repair the seams that had ripped out from the stress). This time I’m carrying much lower and wider. Regular jeans, even low-rise, are unfortunately not and option this time. My clothing options are much more limited. I have to wear maternity jeans or maternity slacks. My black coat doesn’t seemed quite as tight and stretched as the last time around though.

I have had a lot more general aches and pains with this pregnancy than when I was pregnant with Aidan. However the pain with Aidan was often more sharp, and I have had less leg cramps than with the last pregnancy. Last time I didn’t have any Braxton-Hicks contractions (at least that I noticed). There have been a couple of times with this pregnancy that I have had contraction-like tightening that is consistent with descriptions I have read about Braxton-Hicks contractions.

I was able to go through labor and delivery without an epidural or pain medication last time. I plan to try and do the same again, but I’m keeping my mind and options open. I would say I’m less afraid of labor than the last time around because I know what to expect this time – at least I think I do ;).