I considered myself an expert after having given birth to two daughters. Not only when you’re pregnant with a girl, but throughout your pregnancy. So I was fairly confident when I got the wonderful news for the third time. However, now that I’m back at home with my newborn son, I understand how different carrying him has been. While certain elements of pregnancy were identical, anticipating a baby of a different gender made me feel like a first-time mother all over again!
Here are a few things that made me feel different this time around:
- Oh, Those Hunger Pangs Were Way More!
I’m not referring to that one extra packet of chips here. This one reminded me a lot of a hungry and voracious adolescent male. I’d complete a king-sized burger only to feel like I’d only just begun my meal. I could eat all of those family pizzas myself and still have space for dessert. My spouse, in fact, agrees with me on this one (which is quite unusual!). He, too, glanced at me the other day and commented on how much more I ate this time around than when I was pregnant with my two daughters!
- I Did Not Puke Till A Long Time Weirdly
When I was pregnant with my daughters, I began ᴠᴏᴍɪᴛɪɴɢ almost immediately. This time, though, the situation was completely different. Yes, I was still sick to my stomach. But never to the point where I felt compelled to ᴘᴜᴋᴇ. “Wait for it,” my older daughter kept urging me. Of course, that happened in the end. The good news was that I didn’t ᴘᴜᴋᴇ for the most of my pregnancy. And, believe me, you’ll understand when I say this: it was a great relief!
- Much More Tired This Time Around
I was so tired with each of my pregnancies that I couldn’t even go up a flight of stairs without panting. I honestly felt things couldn’t get any worse. But, to my surprise, when I was pregnant with my son, my weariness became much more! Imagine how weary I used to be by midday. All I wanted to do was sleep on the couch while my children waited for me to feed them! I could hardly stand by dinnertime. There were occasions during my second trimester when my husband had to carry me to the bed as well.
- Felt That The Baby Was Much More Active
My son was always moving when he was in my belly. It’s like that all the time, whether it’s day or night! I enjoyed it as well. It was the most beautiful sensation in the world to feel him move within my tummy. In fact, I saw a change in terms of feeling as well. It wasn’t like the experience I had when I was pregnant with my daughter. They began quickly, although their motions were erratic. But it seemed like my little guy was auditioning for a football team the entire time (and I’m not kidding about the entire time part)!
But, clearly, there are a slew of similarities between the “boy-pregnancy” and the “girl-pregnancy.” My lower back discomfort is still as ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ as it was while I was pregnant with my two daughters. Hormonal alterations were still on the rise, in a similar fashion. I still sobbed at the tiniest and most insignificant details. I cried every time I saw one of their infants’ ads or saw one of their movies. It didn’t matter if I was expecting a boy or a girl!
And do you know what the most striking resemblance was? It was ᴇxᴄʀᴜᴄɪᴀᴛɪɴɢly difficult to wait for the day when I would finally meet my kid, just as it had been the previous two times. Believe me when I say it was absolutely fantastic and lovely!
