Bump Day! Guest post from Chambanachik.

Happy bump day! Yes, Wednesdays have officially changed from hump day to bump day here in my pregnant world. Without further ado, here is this weeks guest post! Thanks for sharing your experiences Erika!

I've always heard that each pregnancy is different, and I have to admit I would roll my eyes a bit. After all, no matter if it's my first or my tenth, I'm still going through the process of carrying a baby, right? And while there haven't been any monumental changes during this pregnancy compared to my first, there are a lot of smaller things that actually are quite different... 

Firsts:

First Baby: I had a few early symptoms, and one night, my husband Sky and I were up until past midnight, talking about "what if?" He finally told me to take a test, and I yelled for him to come and see the results.

Second Baby: I had some faintness a couple days before, and then felt the rest of what I felt the first time. I told Sky that I should probably take a test. A day or two later, I did after Millie went to bed, and was less surprised but still a bit overwhelmed/excited.

First Baby: I felt Millie first kick just a couple days before the ultrasound at 18 weeks or so.

Second Baby: I'm told I should be able to feel this baby sooner, and I'm 16 weeks now, but nothing so far. I'm really impatient! 

First Baby: I had an only noticeable to me bump the first trimester, but seemed to go from flatness to roundness fairly quickly, and definitely looked pregnant by 20 weeks.

Second Baby: I looked puffy only a couple weeks after finding out, but it (mostly) disappeared and then reappeared as a little roundness. It feels much bigger than it looks!

First Baby: Sky held my hand during the ultrasound and we watched amazed.

Second Baby: Duty calls. So while Sky is gone with the Army, a friend in town offered to keep me company during the ultrasound. It'll be nice to share the experience with someone- and maybe, I can find a way to convince the hospital to break their strict video recording rules so Sky can still see it.

Pregnancy:

First Baby: Just a little morning sickness, lots of migraines, no interest in food except for a few cravings here and there.

Second baby: A lot more morning sickness, some migraines, and no interest in food again.

First Baby: Craved chocolate milk (the pre-made kind), lots of pancakes, and, towards the end, strawberry cream cheese. Couldn't stomach any Italian food, which is usually my favorite. 

Second Baby: Not as many cravings, but I'm only 16 weeks along. Like fruit right now, and have been drinking grapefruit juice and Sprite cocktails when I'm feeling especially nauseous. I'm always thirsty but don't have much of an appetite. Can't stomach meat too often, especially sandwich meat and bacon.

First Baby: Slathered lotion and oil on daily. They say it's all genetic, but I only got a couple stretchmark’s (and not until the 39th week, gosh dang it!), and they're hardly noticeable.
Second Baby: Slathering it all on again! Fingers crossed on this one.

First Baby: Saw my family practice doctor for the pregnancy.

Second Baby: I heard wonderful things about the midwives at my hospital, so I'm seeing them this time. The first one I met (and the only male, thank goodness) was British and a dead ringer for Ringo Starr.

First Baby: Found out we were having a girl and proclaimed it to the world immediately. There were a lot of frilly, ruffled clothes in her closet.

Second Baby: We're pretty sure this is our last baby, so to do something different, we decided to not find out the gender this time. That means a lot of yellow and green for this little one! I think the only thing that could even come close to topping the indescribable joy of meeting your child would be to have that sweet surprise, too. But the waiting will be hard!

First Baby: Regular deodorant.

Second Baby: Extra-strength deodorant. Enough said.

Nostalgia:

First Baby: Received a "One Line a Day" 5 year memory book to keep track of Millie's daily happenings. I've written in it faithfully every day.

Second Baby: Hoping to get one this time, too. I don't want to do anything less for this sweet baby.

First Baby: I worried all the time that something would be wrong, that she wouldn't be kicking enough- anything in the realm of possibility scared me. I've never felt so protective in my life.

Second Baby: I don't worry quite as much since everything with Millie was fine, but I still do some. Pregnancy makes you so aware of how much this little life depends on you.

First Baby: No matter what I was doing, who I was talking to, etc., the only thing running through my mind was, "I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant." It was impossible to not think about it.

Second Baby: I constantly forget. Not in big ways, like taking medicine I shouldn't, but chasing a two year old around doesn't give me a lot of time for thought! Even so, it's just as special this time.

Education and Help:

First Baby: Watched "The Business of Being Born"

Second Baby: Watched "More Business of Being Born"

First Baby: Sky and I took a childbirth class, but weren't mature enough to keep straight faces through it.

Second Baby: Not a chance!

First Baby: Hired a doula, meeting with her a few times before labor. It was amazing to have someone else to be there for me, especially after being surprised at how little the nurses actually checked on me.

Second Baby: Met with a doula last week, but because she is more experienced, her fee is more than double that of my first doula (who isn't available this time). Not looking forward to a birth without one, but it may end up that way.

The end of 9 months: 

Both babies: Having gone through these things once before, I can say that I don't look forward to labor any more than the first time- maybe less, to be honest. But more than anything, I cannot wait to feel that overpowering love and amazement when I get to hold my baby for the very first time. Love at first sight would be an understatement. There isn't a feeling on earth like that precious moment. And any difficulties along the way are worth it after that first cry.

Thanks again so much, Erika! I loved every bit of your post so I couldn't bring myself to remove anything to shorten it, lol. If you would like to follow Erika's blog, click this link: Chambanachik