Pregnancy FAQ !
Since this wasn’t my first pregnancy, I will be answering these questions about both of my babies since each pregnancy has been so different! I am a little late to post this, but wanted to share it anyways!
How far along are you?
In these pictures I was about 39 weeks pregnant!
What is the baby’s gender?
I have a son from my first pregnancy and a daughter from my second.
What were your cravings?
During my first pregnancy with Asher I was always craving pizza and ice chips! When I was pregnant with my daughter Elianna I had one dish in particular that I ate constantly during my second trimester, it was fish with sweet plantain and avocado! I also LOVED deep fried pickles and coconut ice cream. I had ice chips literally everyday. My favorite dish towards the end of my pregnancy was grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches that my husband would make me.
How much weight did you gain?
I gained 25 pounds with Asher and I gained 30 pounds with Elianna.
How did you know you were pregnant?
Both times I just knew that I was, I can’t even explain it. I took a test to confirm with Asher, my first born, and it came out positive with the first test (best moment of my life!). With Elianna the first pregnancy test I took came back negative but I didn’t believe it because I knew I was pregnant. I took another test about a week later and it came back positive!
Was your due date accurate?
For Asher’s, my due date was pretty close, I believe I gave birth to him about 3 days after my due date. With Elianna she was born the day after my due date.
How did you tell your hubby?
Around the time that I was pregnant with Asher, my husband was obsessed with peanut butter crackers. I asked him if he could get me a pack from the box on his desk that he had opened the day before. I had hidden the positive pregnancy test in the box and he just stared at it for a couple of minutes before asking me what it was lol. He was just in shock and then immediately excited!
With Elianna he also just knew I was pregnant, so when I took a test he just waited for me to come out of the bathroom to confirm. He honestly wasn’t shocked or surprised at all haha, he was so calm, collected and happy!!
How old were you with each pregnancy?
With my first pregnancy I was 25, and with my second I was 28.
How long was your labor?
With my first pregnancy my labor was 8 hours and with my second my labor was 3 hours.
Did you get stretch marks?
Yes, with my first pregnancy there were just little ones underneath my belly button. With my second pregnancy I got them on my thighs too.
When did you figure out a name?
We picked out the names after we found out the genders. For our son’s name we were laying in bed with the computer and scrolling through a huge list of names and their meanings. Stephen mentioned weeks prior that he wanted to name him “Happy” haha. I wasn’t a fan lol, we then both stumbled upon “Asher” and looked up the meaning and it meant “happy”!!! So it was pretty much fate lol. As for our baby girl, Stephen had an excel sheet full of names he liked and their meanings. I would shoot him some ideas but we just couldn’t agree. I told him that if we couldn’t agree on a name that he had to just surprise me the day she was born lol. He eventually picked out Elianna which meant “God has answered”. (That was just perfect considering the little health scare we had with her during my pregnancy.)
Pregnancy Must Haves
Comfortable clothes! Some fave fashion pieces to feel good about the way you look. I wish I splurged more on my first pregnancy because I realized on my second how important comfort and confidence was when going through so much change.
Pregnancy pillow. I loved it with my first pregnancy but it got totally hijacked by Asher during my second (and then my husband.. And then our dogs ugh lol).
Pregnancy massage. I didn’t have one with Asher but a friend of mine got one for me with my second pregnancy and WOW. So amazing! I would highly recommend!
Favorite places to shop for maternity clothes?
Gap Maternity, Motherhood Maternity, ASOS Maternity, H&M Maternity
What was the hardest part?
With Asher, the hardest part was just the unknown. I was going to be a mom for the first time so that was just really scary because I desperately just wanted to be a good mom. For Elianna, the hardest part was a health scare we had with her, it took a week to get the results back that she was a healthy baby. It was the longest week of my entire life.The other hard part was just missing my time with Asher when I was pregnant. I was just always so tired and felt guilty because I couldn’t do as much as I wanted to with him.
Did you have a birth plan?
For both of my babies I knew I wanted to have a natural birth, no epidural. I wanted to have a playlist of my favorite soothing songs playing in the background, just taking in the moment. Both of the kiddos came FAST and FURIOUS! I did not get the epidural for either baby which I was happy about, but I didn’t get to have my little playlist or anything like you see in the movies lol. I honestly prefered how fast it was because I just got to spend more time enjoying my babies.
Did you take any classes to prepare?
My husband and I took a pregnancy class during our first pregnancy to learn more about the birthing process and what to expect. We were so glad we did! It made us feel more confident and knowledgeable. We also went on a hospital tour which was great. I just felt so much better going and having a practice drill. With the second pregnancy we went to a breastfeeding class, this was super helpful with making me feel more confident since breastfeeding didn’t work out the first time. We also went to a baby expo to check out baby products, that was actually a lot of fun. When our daughter was born we finally took a CPR class which helped put my mind at ease.
And there you have it, hope that was insightful :)
XOXO