Here We Go Again

I announced the big news on Halloween that we are pregnant again with baby number 2. We are mostly excited, with only a little bit of anxiety and nervousness mixed in there, like healthy parents.

Here are the pictures we used to announce this baby:

If you can't tell, we are dressed up as Roger and Anita from 101 Dalmations. Rose is a dalmation, and we are pretending that baby number two is another addition to our "litter." 

This baby is due April 17, 2020 which is my birthday, so he/she will most likely be arriving a week sooner on April 10. Because I love birthdays, and I do not plan on sharing mine with any of my children if I can help it. And also, can you think of a more miserable way to spend a birthday? The miracle of life is a beautiful thing, but not the most fun.

Speaking of that. Here are some morning sickness tips for any expecting mothers or women who plan on getting pregnant eventually. While pregnant with Rose, I had the WORST morning sickness. I was nauseous all day, every day and I threw up a TON. (tmi?) This time around I don't know if it's different or if I have done a better job of managing it. But here are the things that have helped me the most.

1) Have protein first thing every morning. I have an egg on toast, every day. For some reason, it helps with the nausea.

2) Never let yourself get hungry! That's how it gets you! This one is tough because morning sickness makes pretty much all food unappealing, but if you power through and snack throughout the day, you'll feel better.

3) Don't drink water right after eating. And just do the best you can. I don't know if everyone struggles with this, but water is really hard for me to drink when I'm dealing with morning sickness. I know that pregnant women are supposed to drink a boatload of water every day to help the baby grow, but just drink what you can throughout the day. I keep a water bottle by me throughout the day so that when I DO feel like drinking water, it's already right there.

4) I take a unisom sleep tab pill and half a vitamin b6 before I go to sleep at night, which has helped me the last two pregnancies to not throw up as often. But there are other medicine options as well and I would definitely ask your doctor about them. This literally saved me when I was pregnant with Rose. I couldn't keep anything down before I got medicine.

5) Take your prenatal vitamins right before you go to bed. That way if they do make you feel nauseous, like they typically do, you will hopefully be asleep before that kicks in and it won't have any affect on you.

6) Take it slow. Don't feel bad if you are not doing as much as you think you should be. You are growing a human being for goodness sakes! And don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't doing enough because morning sickness is the worst thing ever! (maybe not the worst thing ever, but it's not a walk in the park.) If I had to choose between delivering a baby and having morning sickness, I would much rather just give birth.

7) Not exactly related to morning sickness. But something that I feel is important to share. I am SO grateful that my body is capable of growing healthy babies. I recognize that that is something that many women struggle with and can't do. My heart hurts incredibly for those women, and I wish there was something I could do to help. I also am aware that motherhood and pregnancy are beautiful things and that God knows what He is doing. But I think it is also okay to be frustrated and discouraged by the uncomfortable side effects that come from being pregnant. So, don't get me wrong if you hear me complaining. I am grateful for the blessing that it is, but I'm still going to complain when I throw up in a gross toilet at work because sometimes it's hard to be pregnant, and sometimes it's hard to be a mom and I think that it's okay to feel that way.

Cute little baby legs <3