When you’re pregnant, there’s no denying that you’re going to get questions — lots of them. With this, our second pregnancy, I’ve noticed that most of them stay the same, but a few new ones do get thrown in the mix. I thought I’d touch on some of them here.
- How are you feeling? With our daughter Maile, I was in kind of a strange place, emotionally. I had just finished my master’s work, and was working part time for a local nonprofit, but I felt lost (code for: I felt like crap). Pregnancy felt alien to me, but not in a new and exciting way … in a holy cow, this sucks way. I didn’t feel connected to the growing baby in my belly, my weight ballooned, and I was extremely grumpy all. the. time. I felt guilty about how I felt, but I didn’t like being pregnant. In fact, I hated it so much so that deciding to try for another baby took a lot of thought, on my end. This pregnancy, dare I say, I’m actually enjoying! I’m tired (we do have an almost 3 year-old, and what mother isn’t tired), but overall, I feel great. I love experiencing my pregnancy through Maile’s eyes and expressions, and I can’t wait to see her become a big sister. And even though my weight has taken an almost identical trajectory to the first time around, I’m eating better and exercising more, so I feel better; it’s making a world of difference.
- Do you want a boy, or a girl? Heading into the third trimester, we already know that we’re having a boy, and of course we’re thrilled! My early feeling was that I would love another girl (I myself have two younger sisters), but I didn’t feel disappointed when we found out Baby’s gender; it was more like, Huh. I sure hope I can handle a boy! My hubby desperately wanted a son, so needless to say, he’s over the moon! I’m sure he would’ve been just as happy with another girl, though.
- Do you feel like it’s a boy, or a girl? The question that always piggybacks off the question above, or vice versa. With Maile, I had no feeling whatsoever; being grumpy, the question always annoyed me. This time, the pregnancy started differently from the moment we found out, and the different ways my body started changing made me think boy. Turns out I was right!
- Are you planning on cloth diapering again? We cloth diapered Maile. I was super into it, and overall it was a wonderful experience. I still don’t know the answer to this question. I would like to cloth diaper again, but the truth of the matter is that it is a little more work, so I’m still thinking on it — especially given the hubby’s schedule, and the different dynamic having two little ones will bring to his time away. A mix of disposable and cloth is sounding pretty good to me! Cloth diapering Maile saved us so much money (yes, even including water).
- Do you have a name picked out? Yes! We aren’t sharing anything but his first initial (C), though, until he arrives. Feel free to leave your guess in the comments section! I think we’ve heard just about every C name but the one we’ve selected — and no, we didn’t make it up … or its spelling.
- Is this pregnancy different? I’ve touched on the answer to this question a bit, but yes, this pregnancy is absolutely different. Looking back, I think one of the funniest things about a first pregnancy is how self-involved it is, and how obsessed you can become with being pregnant. Books, magazines, apps, websites … it’s an awful lot. It’s great to research, and educate yourself, don’t get me wrong! But the second pregnancy brings with it an element of relaxation that seems downright luxurious. It’s just as exciting, just different!
After my last post about a few of my favorite things for baby and mama, I noticed in our ROW Facebook group that there is, indeed, an oilfield baby boom going on! Congratulations to all of you who are also expecting! So exciting. Feel free to follow along with me on Instagram too, where I’m sharing updates, nursery inspiration, and even more of my favorite pregnancy and new baby essentials!
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