Reflections

As I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy, I'm still marveling at how (relatively) easy things have been this time compared to three years ago. We've heard the phrase "What a difference a day makes." I say, "What a difference a baby makes!"

Last time, I had morning sickness from 3 weeks (too early for the pregnancy test to even turn out positive!) until about 20 weeks, then again from about 36 weeks until the boys were born at 38 weeks. (The term "morning sickness" is a joke for me, though - it hit at all times of the day and night.) This time I was sick from 5 weeks until 14 weeks. No fun, but not nearly as bad as the first time.

With the boys, by the time I was over the nausea, I was already pretty large and had no energy. I needed naps every day and had to stop working around 36 weeks because it just wore me out. This time, I've had so much more energy and really just started slowing down around 38 weeks. My last day of work was Wednesday. I certainly needed the extra energy to keep up with two very active boys!

During the first pregnancy, I literally had almost every symptom in the book. Nausea, heartburn, lower back pain, exhaustion, swollen feet at the very end, even a horrible rash all over my belly that kept me awake because it itched so bad. This time around, everything has been milder. The biggest problem has been insomnia. I haven't slept well since April. I guess that's just preparing me to wake up every 3 hours with a hungry newborn!

With the boys, after I got my appetite back, I craved sweet things like cake and ice cream. This time, I've had cravings for salty foods like potato chips and pickles, but I've eaten more than my fair share of cookies too!

This time around, I have gained exactly (to the pound) half the weight I gained with the boys. That's probably a big reason why I have so much more energy!

At the time, I thought the boys moved around a lot in the womb, but I had no idea! Baby Girl has been so active that it now seems like the boys didn't move at all! Jeremy asked me to describe how it feels... the only thing I've been able to come up with is that it feels like I swallowed a live fish that is flopping around in my belly. Some of her kicks literally take my breath away. I think she can't wait to be out of there, stretch her legs, and see the world! It won't be long!