Pregnancy the Second Time Around

Wow, do I feel lucky to be writing this.

For those of you who know our story, it took us a long time to get pregnant with our daughter (which was all made possible thanks to the doctors at Columbia Fertility who helped us with IVF). It was a long and emotional journey. Because of that, It’s not lost on me that I’m extremely blessed and over the moon grateful to be pregnant with our second child, a little boy. And for those of you still waiting for your first baby, your miracle baby or rainbow baby, please know I’m holding space for you and I think of you every day.

This pregnancy has felt very different from the very beginning. I’m not scared this time around. I waited almost 20 weeks to workout when I was pregnant with Daphne (even though I typically workout everyday), because I was scared something would happen. I was nervous before every single doctors appointment thinking my miracle could be taken away from me. I was a ball of nerves because I still wasn’t sure if it was real.

This time around I feel so much more confident in myself and my body. We’ve been here before, we CAN do this again. Of course I know that things can always go wrong, but I’m not allowing myself to think that way this time. I’m just allowing myself to enjoy the process that is carrying this baby boy.

I’ve also been extremely busy. Daphne is a full blown toddler (19 months!), and keeps me on my toes. We moved into a new house (more on that here), and I started a new job all within a month of getting pregnant. So truthfully. I’ve just been busier and don’t have as much time to think and dwell on it! Thankfully my little boy is an active one and I feel him move most of the day, so I have a beautiful constant reminder of him.

We have about 5-7 weeks to go (I’m 33 weeks now) and my doctor is predicting I’ll deliver between 38-39 weeks like I did with Daphne. While I’m so excited to meet him, I could use the extra weeks to finalize some projects on the house and savor the last moments with my girl being my baby.

This time around, I’m not nervous to bring home a newborn, I’m nervous for how Daphne is going to react. I know a sibling is going to be the best thing for her, and just thinking about him makes our family feel more complete, but it’s a huge change and transition for our family. I have to remember that kids are resilient and handle transitions so much better than we think they will. The first night in our new house Daphne slept almost 15 hours and acted like we’ve been here all along!

Here are some resources I’ve found helpful for the transition from 1 to 2.

7 Lessons I’ve Learned Transitioning From 1 to 2 Kids

Tips to Transition From One Child to Two

How to Prep Your Toddler for a New Baby Sibling

And if any mom’s out there have tips for bringing home your second, please send them my way! At this point, I’m just winging it (but I guess that’s what most of parenthood is about!)