baby #2 FAQ

Thanks for all the sweet comments and happy thoughts and well wishes on our exciting news!

When Rooney was 6 months old, I remember wondering how anyone could have more than one kid, and thinking I must be a really terrible parent because I hadn't recovered enough yet or enjoyed it enough to want to do it again yet. I thought every parent who ever decided to have another kid was only excited and not scared even a little bit.

Am I excited? Yes! So excited.
And nervous? Yes, that too. For sure.

Here are some questions I've gotten and wanted to answer here. Also 1) Keep 'em coming. I seriously LOVE talking about being pregnant and babies, and 2) I am an open book, so please don't hesitate to email me or ask me anything. (I guess number 1 and number 2 are the same?) :-)

Here we go...

1. Will you find out what you're having again?

YES. I can't wait! I hope we can find out in January. Last time we had a big gender reveal party with our family and friends, but this time I think we'll just do something small just the two (or three) of us, then tell our families before posting it on the blog. We don't want to find out on the ultrasound table, but we also don't want to wait too long afterward to find out (last time we waited an entire day!).

2. Will you share what you're having after you find out?

Yes, we will. I don't have any reason or desire to keep that a secret.

3. Do you have a feeling if it's a boy or a girl?

As of now, I think it's a boy! I'm about 80% sure. At 20 weeks with Rooney, I was 100% sure she was a girl (which you can see me predict in this video). I'm not sure if this is an instinct I have or if I'm just saying boy because my first trimester symptoms were so different this time.

Either way, I am trying to prepare my mind and heart for a boy, since it would be different and somewhat terrifying for me. :-) If I could choose, I would probably choose to have another girl. Eric used to say the same thing, but I think now he is leaning toward boy. He would like to experience what it's like to have a son. I would, too, but I would really love for Rooney to have a sister and reuse all her clothes!

I will say that there are theories out there that you can do certain things to guarantee a girl or boy, but I didn't want to read any of that stuff before trying to get pregnant this time, because I really want to receive whatever God gives us (not that he isn't bigger than whatever we try to control, but you know).

4. Do you think this will be your last baby?

As of now, I think yes, it will be. I always thought I wanted four kids, but now that I know what it's like to have one, I think two will be a great number for us, and Eric's been set on two forever but now he's kind of like...well, let's have them one at a time and see! Who knows, but I'm trying to cherish that this might be my last pregnancy.

5. How did you decide or know you were ready to have another kid?

Like the first time around, I just started to get the fever. I went from "OMG, how do people have more than one kid, especially when they're sick???" to thinking about it ALL THE TIME. It was very sudden. I still know it will be hard at times, for sure, but I felt like we shouldn't put it off any longer, since we had decided that we wanted at least one more. Also, when Rooney got to age 2.5 and it seemed like she really needed another kid around - to play with, and also to learn how to share and that the world does not revolve around her.

6. How/when did you find out?

I took an at-home pregnancy test on the eve of our eighth wedding anniversary (Monday, Oct. 6). It was kind of a roller coaster though. I was pretty sure I was pregnant a couple days after we conceived, but I had two negative tests before getting a positive. I took my first test on Sept. 27 (five days before I anticipated my period, so the test should have been 76% effective). It was negative, but later that day I told Eric that I knew I was pregnant and the test was wrong because it was too soon to tell. So three days later, on my 31st birthday, I took another test. This was just two days before I expected my period, so the test should have been >99% effective. Again, it was negative. I was super bummed! Eric asked if I wanted to test again this cycle and I said no...we'll just try again next month. I was so confused because I really thought I was pregnant! Then two days later, my period didn't show up. This was unusual, but I had been so sad on my birthday that I didn't want to get my hopes up again. Plus, I was out of tests. I waited three more days (!) to go get tests and then came home that evening and told Eric that I still hadn't gotten my period and I could either test now or in the morning. He and Rooney were playing stickers on the floor and he said, "Just do it now! Why wait?" So I did and we finally got the positive sign!

 7. Did it take you a long time to get pregnant this time around again?

No, which was kind of a shocker! Last time, it took us eight months. This time, I was a lot more in tune with my body and it happened on the first try. My cycles are a lot more predictable now than they were before Rooney, so that was certainly helpful (I have used an app called Period Tracker Lite for several years to track my cycles). I spent some time reading What to Expect Before You're Expecting and learned about what to look for in my cervical mucus and then studied it as my cycle went along. It was pretty apparent to me when it switched from sticky to creamy to slippery, but I also did use an ovulation predictor to confirm (my friend had given me her extras).

8. Has your pregnancy been different this time?

It has! Early on I had quite a bit of cramping and headaches, which really worried me, even though my close friends told me it was completely normal. I also had spotting twice, which can also be normal, but can also be not normal (I didn't have any spotting with Rooney). On top of that, since my pregnancy last time, I've heard a lot of sad stories about baby loss and health issues, so I was definitely more nervous this time around, just being less naive and knowing that lots of things can happen (and still can happen, for sure!). Last time I was exhausted all the time, and while I have been tired, this time my most significant symptom has been slow digestion - which is really quite uncomfortable! I think this is the same as last time, but I was definitely super moody in the first trimester. I was shorter with Rooney than I'd like to admit, and even told Eric, "Don't talk to me when I'm pregnant." Yikes! I'm glad to say things are evening out a bit more now.

9. Are you using a midwife again?

Yes, we are! I was happy with how things went last time and had my first appointment a couple weeks ago. I have learned a little more about labor and delivery since Rooney's birth and am probably more "crunchy" now, but I still would like to give birth at a hospital (versus at home or in a birthing center), so I still think it's a great fit for us. So far there are no red flags, so I'm proceeding!

10. Do you want a natural birth again?

Yes, I do. Even though it was pretty traumatic at the time, I think that if I know I can do it, I should. I just personally don't like the idea of medicine affecting me or my baby. I may explore hypnobirthing this time because I've had a couple friends who used it and really liked it and it may help me stay more calm during labor. (You can read Rooney's birth story here.)

11. How are you financially preparing for the birth? 

Ugh, this is kind of embarrassing since we were so intentional about it last time. It cost us $4,013 to have Rooney, and we do have different insurance this time, but I'm expecting the bills to be similar. Last time we were more prepared (but we also had a lot less money in savings). Last time I had two Aflac policies that helped tremendously, so if that's something your employer offers, I would highly recommend it!

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Alright, that's it for now! Let me know if there's anything else you want to know :)