No More Belly Rubs! 7 Perks of a Second Pregnancy

7 things I'm enjoying about my second pregnancy!
7 things I'm enjoying about my second pregnancy!

I will be the first to admit that I'm not one of those women who "just loves" being pregnant. The aches, pains and ever shrinking wardrobe just aren't my favorite. That said, I'm finding a lot more things to be appreciative of the second time around. I have definitely been blessed with an "easy" pregnancy and I'm actually enjoying it more this time. It really is amazing what the body can do!

This second pregnancy has been great so far! Here are a few things I'm enjoying about it the second time around…

1. It goes by faster

This time around, I'm chasing a toddler and working and in the middle of a house remodel…all things that are keeping me busy and distracted. I don't have time to think about being pregnant all the time, so the time seems to be flying by. I can hardly believe it's already been 18 weeks!

2. No one touches your belly, because you're holding a child

Some people don't mind the belly rubs, but I was never a fan. The nice thing about having another child this time around is that I usually have my hands full and half the time I'm carrying her, which means she blocks my belly from unwanted attention quite often. Bonus!

3. You don't fear the unknown

With my first pregnancy I read everything I could get my hands on to prepare myself, but there was still the fear of the unknown that loomed overhead. All the birth stories in the world can't prepare you 100% for what your unique birth experience will be. Now that I've been through it, I feel much more relaxed and know what to expect a bit more.

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4. You can prepare more

I didn't know much about babies before having one of my own, so the idea of figuring out how to prepare for one was a bit daunting. Now that I've been through it and realized what things I really do and don't need, it makes it much easier to prepare.

5. You can talk about things other than pregnancy

As a first time mom you think about being pregnant nonstop. It's always in your mind, therefore you talk about it…a LOT. This time around I find myself talking about way more things than just pregnancy with friends. Now we can talk about fitness and parenting challenges and pretty new nail polishes too!

6. More confidence

I'm a worrier by nature, so first time pregnancy was an exercise in letting go, but I still worried about every weird little symptom. This time I feel much more confident about the entire process as well as about my ability to birth a human. Been there, done that and now I know I can do it!

7. You get to share it with your little one!

I love sharing this pregnancy with my daughter. We're planning for a home birth and as such all of our appointments are at our home. My daughter loves hearing the baby's heart beat during our midwife appointments. The smile on her face is truly priceless.

- By Lauren Hartmann

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