Baby No.2 Q+A

It feels so good to share this big secret with you all! Austin and I are beyond thrilled to be welcoming another baby to our family and can’t wait to watch George become a big brother. I did a mini Q+A on my stories last night and wanted to share the rest of them here for you to read if you are interested.

Thank you for your love and kindness surrounding our pregnancy. We love you guys! xx AR

HOW ARE YOU FEELING? ANYTHING DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND?

The first 13-15 weeks were tough for me. I felt incredibly tired and nauseas most of the day. I feel a lot better now, but I do get sinus headaches frequently. I think the biggest difference is having to keep up with a toddler. Whereas when I was pregnant with George, I could literally lay in bed and chill whenever I needed. Now, not so much.

CRAVINGS?

First Trimester: Ramen (cup of noodles) was everything to me. I also loved a good bagel. I couldn’t stand the smell or taste of coffee though, it would make me instantly sick.

Now: Sour candy, pineapples and I love coffee again (TG).

CAN YOU HELP ME FIND SOME GOOD MATERNITY JEANS?

Maternity jeans are tough. I bought this pair (TTS — but they are a little long) and the are a good basic pair to get you by these next few months. I have this relaxed style in my cart right now. For black denim, I have these black jeans (TTS) from Spanx and the under the belly style from PAIGE. The under the belly isn’t as comfortable IMO.

WILL YOU HAVE ANOTHER C-SECTION OR VBAC?

My doctor specializes in VBACs so if I go that route I know I’m in good hands. Ultimately, I want to do what’s safest for me and baby. I had a pretty traumatic c-section experience my first time around (not to scare anyone…I would do this all over again if I had to).

My water broke at home, went to the hospital and was already dilated at a 6. Got to a 9 that evening and then totally stalled. We waited it out…tried several techniques to get me ready and when I was at a 10 I pushed for 3 hours. George was “sunny side up” and ultimately kept going back up the birth canal. He started to loose oxygen so we had to do an emergency C-Section. I have been reassured by so many of you that if I have a planned one, it is so much better and recovery will not be near as bad.

We still have a while to think on it, but I will let you all know what we decide to do.

WILL YOU BE SHARING THE GENDER SOON? 

Yes — we are planning something to tell the rest of our family and once we do we will share.

DO YOU HAVE A NANNY NOW? IF NOT, WILL YOU HAVE HELP AFTER BABY ARRIVES?

Yes! Both Austin and I work full time and we have a nanny come 3 days a week to help with George and he goes to school on the other 2 days. She is absolutely incredible and is so good with George. She will continue to be here once baby comes. I am a firm believer in getting help where you can.

WHERE IS YOUR DRESS FROM IN YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT POST?

It’s the same one I wore in George’s announcement! It’s sold out, but this is a very similar style — it’s not maternity but very stretchy. I wear a size small now but if I was 7-8mo I would probably need a medium.

I’D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR REGISTRY ITEMS! 

I have several posts that break this down and I still stand by them after almost 2 years. We aren’t really getting anything new with the exception of a double stroller (have ZERO clue which one, spam me with your recs) and nursery furniture. The Doona Stroller System is still my number one rec — hands down worth every penny.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE AFTER YOU STARTED TRYING?

6 months for this baby.

It took us about 4 months with our first pregnancy (miscarriage) and then with George it took us 9 months. We knew this time around we were going to start right away with OPK from our dr to hopefully save us some time.

DID YOU HAVE A MISCARRIAGE BEFORE G? 

Yes. I was 8 weeks pregnant.

AFTER LOSS, WHEN DID YOU KNOW IT WAS RIGHT TO TRY AGAIN?

Honestly, the miscarriage was very hard on Austin and I. You hear about them all the time, but when it happens to you it brings a pain you never knew you could feel. I felt helpless.

Selfishly, I wanted to start trying right away because I didn’t want anymore time to go by where we had to wait on a baby. But I knew mentally I wasn’t ready. My doctor was great and really encouraged us to reach out to a grief counselor and trust the process because it wouldn’t be wise to rush into something we weren’t ready for. Everyone handles grief differently, but she knew for us we couldn’t handle more disappointment. So we pushed pause for about 3 months before we tried again. I wrote a post about me dealing with grief here.

PREGNANCY ACNE IS THE WORST. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HELP?

I feel like I need to do a dedicated blog post about this because I am struggling as well. My doctor approved this list for me, but since each pregnancy is different, it’s best to consult your OB before you try something new. Here’s what I currently use:

AM:

Gel Cleanser / Toner / Vitamin C Drops / Moisturizer (I like this gel formula too)

PM:

*If I wear makeup, I double cleanse* Cleansing Balm / Gel Cleanser (these reusable pads are the best for double cleansing) / Toner / Spot Treat with this Clay Mask (if I don’t spot treat, I use this overnight peel).

WILL YOU STAY IN YOUR HOUSE AFTER THIS BABY?

Yes, we aren’t planning to move until George would start Kindergarten.

FAVORITE DIAPER BAG?

I didn’t want a traditional diaper bag. I used my Goyard Tote GM, added the Tote Savvy Deluxe insert and these plastic zip bags. It worked great for me!