First Pregnancy versus Last Pregnancy

I have been pregnant quite a few times. If you count this time around, I have carried 5 babies to full term.

And it’s funny to look back at the first pregnancy and compare it to the last one (or, well what we think *may* be the last..) and see how things have changed.

Although I have had several, sometimes I think my husband underestimates my ability to know when the baby is coming… just last week we had a conversation similar to this…

Him to me:  “Are you ok, what’s wrong?”

(Me – waking up):  “I’m fine. Just hard to move around right now.”

Him to me:  “Is it time?????”  

(Me): No, it’s not. Stop worrying. I just said it’s hard to get up right now. That’s all. I’m stiff and sore.

Him to me:  “Are you sure you are going to know? You know what to do … right?”

(Me) No, I don’t know what to do. This is baby 5. I’m going to take a wild guess.. ;)

Of course I know, I’m pretty good at this by now.

And that conversation has been repeated several times over the week – I think deep down, he’s just a little scared that he’ll have to deliver if we don’t make it in time.  

First Pregnancy versus Fifth Pregnancy

Our first pregnancy: Babe, let me help you get out of bed. (Extends hand…) – is that better? 
Fifth pregnancy:  (Me)  Honey, can you help me here? (Him… must not have heard me..) … (Me) Struggling to get up….. (Him) “What’s your deal?”  (Me) Nothing, just forget it.

Our first pregnancy:  Found out we were pregnant and we were eagerly on the phone immediately to make an OB appointment. 
Fifth pregnancy:  We waited several weeks – after all, not too much goes on until around week 10 or 12, although you can visit as early as 8 weeks. 

Our first pregnancy:  VERY excited to grab those maternity clothes and start wearing them.. in fact, we may have even started to wear them before we were really “showing”.
Fifth pregnancy:  …… we tried so hard to avoid putting them on until we absolutely HAD to.. and even then, we may have been reluctant in digging them out. Why is that? 

Our first pregnancy:  Could not wait to get our ultrasound – why must we wait until 20-24 weeks?
Fifth pregnancy: Wondering why we had to get so many ultrasounds… do we really need to go to all of these? 

Our first pregnancy: LOTS of pictures of the baby bump – every week in fact, we must document how our tummy is expanding.
Fifth pregnancy: Don’t you dare take ANY pictures of me, and I better not find you uploading any on Facebook. 

Our first pregnancy: Took our prenatal vitamin religiously – never missed a day. 
Fifth pregnancy: If we remembered… we may have taken it every few days? Towards the end, once or twice a week. Can’t quite remember. 

Our first pregnancy:  Family is overwhelmed with excitement… everyone wants to help you at work, at home – after all, you have a living being growing inside of you. You need to relax and prepare for his/her arrival!!
Fifth pregnancy: You tell your family and the excitement is just nothing close to what you experienced with baby 1. Nobody comes over to help you at home, in fact, you are 39 or 40 weeks along and the only thing they ask is why you look so tired every day. (maybe this was just us?) 

Our first pregnancy: A balanced diet is so important – you eat amazing meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner – you have snacks for those times you are feeling iffy. 
Fifth pregnancy:  You forgot that you popped your lunch in the microwave at 12 until your kids opened the microwave at 5 pm — whoops!  Everything you eat is on the go, or leftovers of your kid’s food… sitting down isn’t an option.

Our first pregnancy:  Arrived at your OB appointments early – just so you could fill out papers, and read magazines.
Fifth pregnancy:  You are trying to contain all 4 of your kids to prevent them from jumping from chair to chair, putting wooden sticks in their mouth and examining the stirrups in the appointment room.

Our first pregnancy: A prenatal massage sounds like such a wonderful treat!
Fifth pregnancy: Just give me 10 minutes alone in the bathroom so I can take a shower in peace and quiet, that is ALL I want.

Our first pregnancy: Hospital bag is packed weeks before your due date – you scour Babycenter.com to review their suggestions to make sure you have everything you need.
Fifth pregnancy: Hospital bag?  Just get me to the hospital. Hubby can go back and bring a bag of clothes for you and an outfit for the baby later.

Our first pregnancy:  Husband says “babe, I don’t want you carrying in all that stuff from Costco. .. let me do it.”
Fifth pregnancy: You get home from Costco, and everyone goes into the house, and never comes back out. Well then, looks like I’m carrying everything in! :)

Our first pregnancy: Head to the hospital ASAP – we’re having a BABY.
Fifth pregnancy: Wait until the last possible minute… who wants to be there longer than they have to?  (Then you get there and push out a child 30 minutes later…)

Our first pregnancy:  You clean, and clean, and clean. Husband asks “babe, let me do that for you. Just go sit and relax.”
Fifth pregnancy:  Husband watches wife clean… wife (breathing heavily from bending over to fold clothes and pick up the floor) is obviously tired… Husband says “what’s wrong with you?” 

Our first pregnancy: Must start a registry – Target, Walmart, we can’t forget diapers, stroller, clothes, etc.
Fifth pregnancy: No registry…… on the way to the labor & delivery department husband asks “oh babe, do we have diapers?” 

Our first pregnancy:  I’m EXHAUSTED. I’m going to take a nap for 3-4 hours.
Fifth pregnancy:  A nap? Sure, let me start the laundry, wash the dishes, mop the floor, help the kids put on a movie and get everyone something to eat — wait….. 3 hours later, I’m no longer tired.

Our first pregnancy:  Car seat is installed and in the car at 32 weeks pregnant, just in case baby arrives.
Fifth pregnancy: Car seat is still in the box, as well as the bassinet up to 40 weeks. In fact, husband leaves hospital Labor & Delivery to come home and open the car seat to meet mom at the hospital when it’s time to go. Bassinet… is still in the box until baby comes home and needs to rest.

Our first pregnancy: We need to tell everyone that we are having a baby.
Fifth pregnancy: Eh, let’s just not mention it until 16 weeks. Maybe 20.  

Our first pregnancy: No LEGOS, in fact, super clean house – after all, no baby yet so no toys!
Fifth pregnancy: Mom says to her 4 kids “PICK UP YOUR LEGOS”…. then the next day.. “I hope, that when YOU get older and YOU are pregnant, your kids dump LEGOS on the floor every, single day. That is all.”

The list could go on… but it’s funny to see how things change. Do these sound like anything you have experienced, too?

Would you add any?