Pregnancy talk

Those of you who read my blog (and there are more than I realized!) should feel lucky...you've known several weeks longer than most other people about my pregnancy. I guess that's a little perk for following my blog :-)

It's late, so I'm going to attempt to make this brief. We'll see how I do. :-)

This pregnancy has been quite different than that first...at least the first trimester. Here's a run-down of the differences so far:

1.) More nausea, less vomiting. I had at least a good month of vomiting with Layla. I feel like it was nearly every day. I've had one day with this little peanut (and I'm not entirely convinced it was pregnancy related, but rather a 24-hour bug of some sort). I do feel actual nausea has been more severe with this pregnancy. I'm not sure which is better...longer-lasting nausea or vomiting every day and getting it over with. I'd simply prefer to have neither.

2.) "Morning" sickness has hit in the evenings the last two weeks or so. Before that it was definitely in the mornings. With Layla it was entirely in the morning. This being nauseous in the evenings isn't quite as strong as when it hits in the mornings, but not fun never-the-less.

3.) Extreme exhaustion. I don't remember being so exhausted with Layla at the end of the day. I think I'm past the worst of it *knock on wood* as I have had a bit more energy the past week or so.

4.) Heartburn. I never experienced heartburn during my entire pregnancy with Layla. In fact, I don't think I've ever had heartburn. There's an old wives tale that says heartburn means a baby with lots of hair. Layla definitely had lots of hair at birth, so I have busted that myth. I wouldn't say it's severe heartburn, just an annoying ache of sorts. I can't really describe it. I've had it maybe 5 times thus far. From what I remember reading my first pregnancy (because I'm definitely not engrossed in literature on the subject this go-around), this is one symptom that isn't typically experienced in a single trimester, but the entire pregnancy. I'm going to hope this isn't the case for me. :-)

5.) Cramping. I had two days (not in a row) where I was fairly crampy. It actually made me a bit nervous. The last incident has been maybe 2 weeks ago now, so it apparently was nothing bad. Regardless, I hope to not experience it again.

There might be one or two more differences that I can't think of at the moment. I'll be sure to blog if I think of any I missed...or if more should arise.

In no way am I implying that this means I'm pregnant with a boy. In fact, I have no "feelings" on whether it's a boy or girl. I'm not even sure which I would prefer...but this topic is for another post.

I am chalking up the differences to the fact that I am teaching full-time with this pregnancy and I was only working in the afternoons during the first trimester with Layla. Actually, I wasn't working at all for the first half of the first trimester (summer break). I had the "opportunity" to get sick with Layla. I had the mornings to just lay* around on the couch. Therefore, I wasn't so exhausted, either.

The fact that I have approx. 10-15 more pounds on me than I did at this time with Layla's pregnancy is probably playing a role in the differences, too. However, I am DETERMINED to be more active during this pregnancy than the last. Having a little one already will most likely help...and the fact that I won't be suffering from first-trimester woes during the summer should also help.

In case you're wondering, we will again be finding out the sex of this baby and will let you know when we find out.

*I'm not afraid to admit that I had to look up online to make sure I was correct in using lay instead of lie. English teachers are allowed to use their resources, too. :-)