Baby #2 Q+A

Good morning! Today I thought I would round up all the questions I’ve been asked by friends, family, on IG, and right here about baby W number two. Here’s to hoping I do a better job documenting this pregnancy than I did with my first!

When/how did you find out?

This couldn’t possibly be any different than how I found out with Madeline. With Madeline I got pregnant so fast that it was a little surprising. I may share a little more about this later but it wasn’t nearly as easy this time around so I was testing about every day. It was equally surprising, though, after seeing so many negative tests over so many months. Just in a totally different way. One day it was negative and then the next morning there was the faintest line. It was so faint that I had to text a picture to my girl friend to verify that the line really was truly there. I was only three and a half weeks when I found out this time and that was at the very end of March. 

How are you feeling?

SO different than when I was pregnant with Madeline! I have been nauseous almost every day (never had any sickness with Madeline at all), having lots of food aversions, and the first trimester fatigue. With Madeline my first trimester was in the summer while I was off from teaching so I napped a lot. Now, I work while she is napping so I don’t have a chance to nap myself. I’m in bed so early most nights. I was also super crampy and had lots of low back pain for several weeks which was very scary but the cramping is pretty much gone. My physical therapist said I will likely have back pain on and off this time due to the nature of my injuries from my accident last year and that actually makes me feel a lot better to put a label on it and know it’s not really any thing to be concerned about.

Are you going to find out the gender? 

Absolutely! I am a planner and I need to be able to work on the nursery and buy or wash baby clothes. Corey is not so secretly hoping for a boy and I honestly am, too. Of course, I wouldn’t be disappointed in the slightest to have two healthy girls and feel like sisters always have a special bond. Whatever God has planned for our family is perfect for me! With Madeline we found out at a private ultrasound at fifteen weeks and have an appointment scheduled to do the same this time. It was a great experience.

What are you missing? 

Giving up wine this time around has been a lot harder in all honesty! Haha! Otherwise, I am really fine with the other dietary restrictions. 

Are you craving anything?

I am craving tons of fresh fruit (especially watermelon) and sweets a little more than usual. Early on, I was craving bacon, egg, and cheese bagels but that has passed now. Instead of cravings I’m having lots of aversions. Meats, especially are grossing me out. I thought I was craving a specific salad a couple weeks ago, paid $12 for it, and then when I saw the chicken on top, I was immediately nauseated by the chicken on top. It only sounded good when it was hypothetical chicken – not when it was actual chicken on top of the meal I was about to eat. 

Do you have names picked out?

We still like the boy name we had picked out if Madeline had been a boy and have a few others we both also like. For girl names we aren’t sure yet! With Madeline, we had a girl name picked out and when we saw her on the ultrasound, I just had a feeling that wasn’t her name after all so we started over and I feel like she is SUCH a Madeline. So we probably won’t have a real idea until we see the baby on the ultrasound. 

Will you do weekly updates?

I did monthly updates with Madeline and I will probably do that again. Weekly updates always seemed monotonous to me and are too much to keep up with. 

Are you still working out and sticking to your meal plan?

Yes for the most part. I will share my first trimester workout routine soon but I have still been able to workout with very few modifications so far 5-6 days a week. I am still eating healthy according to my plan most of the time. Corey started traveling every week instead of every other week for work right before I got pregnant and that has made it really tempting to just order something easy on DoorDash so I haven’t been quite as on top of it as normal. I’d say 70% instead of my usual 80% and I have upped my protein and fruits a little to help me account for the extra calories I need. I’m not concerned about weight gain – I just want to feel healthier and stay more active throughout my pregnancy this time. 

Are you planning to nurse again?

I have gotten this question SO many times especially from people who remember that breastfeeding wasn’t the best experience for me the first time around. Madeline was so tiny and struggled to gain weight. Getting a good latch was so challenging – even though I saw three lactation consultants in the hospital I still went home with my nipples bleeding and Madeline lost almost ten ounces of weight before she started gaining again. I lost my supply when I had a postpartum hemmhorage at home, had to nurse and pump 18 hours a day to get it back, and then got mastitis when I went back to work and had a lot of push back from my boss about needing to pump during the school day. Madeline and I stuck it out for six months but honestly the most anxiety-inducing part of my pregnancy so far was wondering if I want to try it again. I will definitely try nursing again. I found an awesome lactation consultant through Madeline’s pediatrician who was a total godsend so I know she is there if I need her. BUT, if it doesn’t work out I am going to give myself a lot more grace this time and I’m definitely not going to feel any guilt in switching if that ends up being best for everyone’s sanity. I’m a firm fed is best believer.

What about Corey’s travel schedule?

I got this question a lot the first go around, too, and even more so this time since he just accepted a new job with even more travel. Travel is the nature of Corey’s job and has been for years. He took the two weeks leading up to Madeline’s (early) arrival off of long distance travel and limited it to day trips and will probably do the same this time if possible. Luckily the holidays are a slower time in his industry so he will be getting a little extra time off at just the right time. With Madeline, he was back to work when she was 5 days old and has shared the desire that he’d like to be home longer this time if possible. That’s just the nature of his job. We are super fortunate because my mom and mother in law are both retired and live close by so they will be able to help when I really need it. Now, in the spirit of keeping it real, while we are used to lots of travel and have a plan in place, that certainly doesn’t mean that I haven’t had a hormonal meltdown or two when he is gone. It can be exhausting doing all the things at home when he is away, sometimes I do feel overwhelmed, and there are moments of anxiety when I think about adding another little one into our crazy schedule while Corey is traveling. But at the same time I am so grateful for his job and that it provides me the opportunity to be home with Madeline and this baby. 

Does Madeline have a clue what’s going on?

Yes and no. Maybe? When I ask her if she wants a brother or a sister she just says “Nope, I don’t want one.” If I ask her where the baby is she thinks it is in her tummy so we have to clear a few things up there. She is used to getting all my attention. She even gets jealous when Corey hugs and kisses me so we have some work to do for sure! But she is two and that is a really egocentric time so hopefully by the time the fall comes and my due date is getting closer she will be a little more open to the idea. 

Are you delivering in the same hospital?

No. I loved my old OB and had just the best prenatal and delivery experience however their practice only delivers in a small hospital that specializes in women’s care. However, because I had a very rare (only 2% of pregnancies) type of postpartum hemmhorage last time I switched to a practice that specializes in high risk pregnancies and will deliver at a larger hospital with a trauma center. My pregnancy is not high-risk – I needed to switch somewhere that delivered at a larger hospital and I just chose this practice because I knew I could trust them during the delivery to make sure things go well and to handle any complications. 

What am I doing differently this time?

I’m working out more and eating healthier this time. I’m saying no to donuts and splurges to try to have an easier recovery. I do follow intuitive eating so I’m certainly not denying myself or the baby – I’m just not letting pregnancy be an excuse to eat whatever I wanted this time because I did quite a bit of that last time and felt so unhealthy afterwards. I’m pushing myself less this time and saying no more. I really felt like I was running a marathon while I was pregnant with Madeline. It was an endurance test for sure as I often worked ten or more hours a day, commuted fifty minutes each way, and still felt like I couldn’t get everything I was responsible for done. So, I’m giving myself a lot more grace this time! I’m also trying to focus more on the now not the future which is so hard when you are pregnant and can’t stop thinking about the baby that is coming in the future. But I do want to take the time to really enjoy our little family of three. 

Are you planning to have more children after this baby?

Nope! I know sometimes God has other plans but I have always wanted to be a two and done family. It actually took a lot of thinking and praying for me to open my heart to having a second baby because Madeline was such a tough and overwhelming newborn and then it took quite a bit of work to get pregnant. As of right now, our plan is for the W family to be complete after this baby makes his or her debut in December. 

I think that about covers it, friends! If you have any other questions, you can drop them below and I will answer them in my next update post.