This year is weird. It’s beautiful and hard all at the same time. Mentally I’ve never been clearer, but yet I still lack determination in aspects of my life. It seems that lately my actions towards priorities come together much slower than usual. I think it’s all the anxieties that have shown face during a double isolation. The isolation as a mother and another social isolation in the form of ‘social distancing’. Any other mamas reading this and can relate in anyway?
Easy to say that this pregnancy has been such a different experience emotionally than the last. The uncertainty of the care/delivery procedures during a pandemic, less partner-inclusive visits creating a slightly less intimate experience, the lack of sociable and relative mom groups and even our recent change of insurance has us feeling a little disconnected without initial ultrasound printouts. I need to know if any other moms are pregnant during this time, who’s had a hospital birth during covid?
Okay, but it hasn’t been ALL a cloudy experience. Our second child is on the way! We are incredibly stoked for that, something we were trying for and talked about since our first pregnancy. Having children closer in age, similar to my boyfriend’s family, not at all like the 6 to 9 year gap between myself and my brothers. We just wanted them to be close from the beginning and also maybe knock the childbirth out of the way ASAP? Not sure, but either way, we are here for it. The first few months I didn’t love being pregnant again, I think it was a mix of things. The change of insurance, finding a new doctor and getting accustomed to knew routines and less visits than last time. Additionally, I haven’t worked since March so our income is one + minimal from our secondhand shop. BUTTTTT four months in now, I’m rocking my new pregnant-mom bod and living my life to the fullest. Preparing to move states (another while-pregnant move), trying to keep determination and will to keep up with school, taming a toddler and making time for myself and intimacy with my man. It’s a lot for me to juggle honestly, I was really stressed out throughout the summer.
The end of October I told myself I’d let go of what wasn’t serving me. I did just that. I had NOTHING to show for independent study school work for the month of November. While I put myself a month (6 papers, 8 observation hours, and 4 meditation hours) behind, I have never felt so caught up and mentally free now that it is December. I’m more energized, made it through a rocky first trimester, settled and prepared to continue. It’s a vicious time-on/time-off cycle I’m trying to squash, but powerful baby steps are being taken towards a well-balanced lifestyle. I have the balance in my self-care, school, and family routine now. Self-care including the return of all the long lost hobbies I outed while stressed and depressed lol.
Physical differences from the last time? So we didn’t know the gender with our first and don’t know now. I can tell you that this one for sure is physically different. I’m more physically energized then I am mentally. Heartburn started early in the second trimester instead of the third, like with our daughter. While I wasn’t mentally prepared to be pregnant again, I feel beautiful, less bloated and more motivated to get dressed daily in the second trimester especially. I was nauseas for 3 months straight and had some early hemorrhaging that healed itself. This didn’t appear in the first. I’d like to tell you I think I’m having a boy! I was pretty sure with Olivia, so I’m going to take it that I’m pretty sure/right this time around. Let’s see 😉 What do you think?
scattered everything 
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