Second time around..... not the same ol' thing

I kind of thought that pregnancy the second time around would be different..... and it is...... but not at all for the reasons I thought.

The excitement is similar...... the anticipation is huge...... but, people just aren't as excited for you. I can understand that..... first babies are different. Of course second babies are just as special, but..... they aren't firsts. This coupled with the fact that my cousin (who's due date was 6 weeks before mine) delivered really, really, really preemie twins a couple of months ago -- has made my thankfully uneventful pregnancy go completely under the radar for my family. Believe me, I'm not complaining -- it's been nice, and quiet -- and the twins are truly a miracle -- two very tiny gifts from God who are doing okay.

In some ways, the pressure is off with your second pregnancy..... you know what to expect..... well, kinda. Maybe I should say you think you know what to expect. I knew that during the first trimester I'd be exhausted...... of course, the last time I didn't have a 10 month old to chase after.... that, I really hadn't counted on. I also knew that constipation was likely and that mad dashes to the bathroom would be required due to frequent peeing...... I didn't know that I'd have 22lbs of company in the bathroom...... flushing the toilet for me whether I had completed my business or not -- and then clapping with pride at the flushing noise.

I knew that as you get toward the end, getting comfy at night is tough -- didn't realize the 'lil guy would start to scream just as I found the exact place to put the pillow. I knew what to expect at the doctor's appointments..... I knew to eat something or drink some chocolate milk with my prenatal vitamin to help fend of nausea.... I knew that nose bleeds are common.... and that people would offer their disapproval when I told them that we opted to not find out the sex.

Yet, some things are still a mystery....... you know, some of the more traditional fears...... I had an emergency c-section at 35 weeks the last time -- so, I didn't have to deal with labor, contractions or my water breaking in public...... AND my bellybutton never popped out..... I'm still trying to find out, does that hurt?

I have friends who gained 30, 40, 50 even 60lbs during pregnancy -- how the heck did they do that???? I gained somewhere between 22 and 24 the last time..... it's hard to know for sure because the toxemia came on so suddenly and there was so much bloating and water weight. This time at 32 weeks I'm up somewhere around 18ish lbs....... and I'm HUGE -- so huge that I'm starting to bust out of my maternity clothes and I am really beginning to wonder what am I going to wear to work for the next few weeks? Where do people who gain that kind of weight find clothes to fit them? Maybe it's because my weight is fairly concentrated -- other than my Aunt Angela's butt, which appeared 10 minutes after I peed on the stick, I'm pretty much all belly....