Pregnancy #2

I always knew I wanted more than one baby and hoped that was in God’s plan, too. We started trying for our second child what some would consider early – and I was nervous. Nervous it would take a long time again. Nervous I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant again at all. But we were blessed and after seven months of charting and trying we became pregnant with Baby #2!!

This pregnancy was different from my first in many ways. I didn’t crave any foods. I didn’t eat like a herd of elephants. I focused on eating healthy and doing my best to make my body feel good.

Because it usually didn’t. I was the epitomy of pregnancy discomfort. I couldn’t sleep at night because my hips felt so much pressure it hurt to lay down. I would pace the house hoping to get so exhausted I would just collapse into sleep. No such luck. I was lucky to get two hours at a time before I had to reposition of get up and move. During the day I felt great – I napped with Nate napped and slept in some mornings when my husband was home. This was great for me but really great for Joe and Nate because they were able to spend quality time together.

This pregnancy started off not being a “high risk pregnancy” so we didn’t get as many ultrasounds as we did with Nate. Which meant we had to wait sixteen weeks to find out if we were having a boy or girl. With Nate, we found out early and in the ultrasound room – Joe was too excited to wait and I couldn’t deny him the knowledge. But with Baby #2 we had the ultrasound tech write down the sex of the baby and put it in an envelope. This envelope was trusted to one person who was in charge of filling our balloon box with either pink or blue balloons.

We hosted a gender reveal party and had our family over to discover with us and celebrate. Joe and I were both thinking boy and were so happy to find out we were having a GIRL! #teampink

Shopping and nursery prep for a little girl can be so fun! Picking out a name, not so much! My top pick was Parker Margaret (Margaret after my mom) and Joe’s was Payton. Payton Leigh is what we ended up with – and we didn’t decide until we were being discharged from the hospital after delivery. I may have been bitter and continued to call P Parker for the first months of her life <3

Starting at week 30 I had the stress tests again each week. Throughout my pregnancy my doctor was worried about my lack of weight gain, but the baby always measured perfect. In the beginning I lost weight because I didn’t want to eat anything and I didn’t overeat at all (very different from my nightly box of brownies with Nate). So when I did gain from week to week some of that was catch up from my first trimester weight loss.

At week 35 Baby was diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restriction. She wasn’t growing very much and my doctor put me on a strict diet; I needed to eat more fatty foods myself in the hopes that the baby would gain the weight.

I knew I would end up being induced again and I was emotional about it. I wanted more time with Nate as my only child. I wanted to finish the curtains and stencil wall in the nursery (neither have yet to be finished). I wanted to make freezer meals for my recovery week.

I remember at 37 weeks I was at a weekly appointment getting an ultrasound with my doctor. She asked the usual, “How are you feeling?” and I unloaded all my nervousness on her. I felt stressed! I wanted more time before having the baby. Through tears I was telling her about my anxieties.

This is when she told me my fluid level was low and I was to be induced ASAP. The following morning. My tears turned to ugly crying. Joe was on a 24 hour shift and wouldn’t be home until after I was admitted. I wanted more time to have a special weekend with Nate. I hadn’t packed my bags. The house needed to be cleaned. Laundry needed to be washed, folded and put away.

But babies don’t wait.