Everyone always says that every pregnancy is different and while I believed them I never imagined how true it would end up being for me. There have been things that have been the same but so many things have been different:
1. Morning Sickness
Jamey: Felt queasy from 6.5 weeks, only wanted to eat fruit. NEVER VOMITED ONCE. Felt totally better by 12/13 weeks.
Julien: Started feeling queasy already by 4.5 weeks--started vomiting by 5 weeks. Threw up every single day of the first trimester. Started usually by 5 am, I would need to be running to the bathroom, and I would throw up repeatedly every 10-30 mins for hours. I was only usually able to eat between about noon and 4 pm (again I usually only wanted to eat fruit--one similarity to my pregnancy with Jamey). The nausea would start again around 4/5 pm and usually I threw up at least 1-2 times again in the evening. I tried every trick in the book and nothing worked. Sometimes even drinking water would make me throw up. The vomiting got better around 12/13 weeks but only slightly. It wasn't until after 16 weeks that I started having an occasional day where I didn't throw up. These days became more as time went on. Around 20 weeks I threw up for the last time, and at 21 weeks I was finally able to start eating again.
2. Heartburn/Indigestion:
Jamey: Had little to no heartburn in the beginning, but it started up around 24 weeks. I had to stop drinking tea, had to cut out all tomato and citrus from my diet. I needed to start using Tums constantly. Things got better slightly as he dropped multiple times but overall it was pretty bad throughout the whole second half of my pregnancy.
Julien: Had awful indigestion (and even compulsive diarrhea during the first trimester. I would need to sleep sitting up on pillows but still ended up throwing up at least once in the middle of the night and also had awful diarrhea (I guess from all the stomach acids from all the vomiting?). Nothing like throwing up and having diarrhea simultaneously. Fun times. But this went away around 12/13 weeks thankfully.
And miraculously the heartburn stayed away after that for a lot longer than it did with James. It wasn't until 30/32 weeks that it started to creeeep back. I had to stop drinking tea around 32 weeks and just that was enough. I could still eat whatever I wanted when I wanted but just started to have a little discomfort laying down at night. Now at 36 weeks I just had a fun "vomiting from indigestion from eating tomato sauce before bed" which I guess means the heartburn and indigestion are back now here at the end. But I felt so good for so much longer than I did with Jamey!
3. End of Pregnancy Discomforts
Jamey: I felt AWFUL at the end. My back and whole body hurt and ached so much that I had to take a lot bath/shower every SINGLE night to relax my muscles or I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Sometimes I even had to sleep on ice packs to numb my back or I wouldn't be able to sleep. There was not a position that was comfortable for me--not laying, standing, or sitting. At the end I slept with my ribs belted because that seemed to relieve some of the pressure on my back.
Julien: I might be speaking too soon, we'll see what the last month holds--but so far I have felt pretty good physically. There have definitely been uncomfortable weeks but they have inevitably been followed by more comfortable ones.
So these are just three points in which my two pregnancies have been very very different. There are plenty of things that have been the same, as well, such as:
-craving fruit
-my pattern of weight gain (almost nothing the first trimester, 10-15 lbs by the end of the 2nd trimester, and then putting on lots of weight during the last trimester for a total gain of about 40 lbs)
-carrying low
-the positions the babies have been in and when they flipped/dropped
But these things seem relatively minor in comparison to the huge differences in morning sickness, heartburn, and the end-of-pregnancy feelings!
1. Morning Sickness
Jamey: Felt queasy from 6.5 weeks, only wanted to eat fruit. NEVER VOMITED ONCE. Felt totally better by 12/13 weeks.
Julien: Started feeling queasy already by 4.5 weeks--started vomiting by 5 weeks. Threw up every single day of the first trimester. Started usually by 5 am, I would need to be running to the bathroom, and I would throw up repeatedly every 10-30 mins for hours. I was only usually able to eat between about noon and 4 pm (again I usually only wanted to eat fruit--one similarity to my pregnancy with Jamey). The nausea would start again around 4/5 pm and usually I threw up at least 1-2 times again in the evening. I tried every trick in the book and nothing worked. Sometimes even drinking water would make me throw up. The vomiting got better around 12/13 weeks but only slightly. It wasn't until after 16 weeks that I started having an occasional day where I didn't throw up. These days became more as time went on. Around 20 weeks I threw up for the last time, and at 21 weeks I was finally able to start eating again.
2. Heartburn/Indigestion:
Jamey: Had little to no heartburn in the beginning, but it started up around 24 weeks. I had to stop drinking tea, had to cut out all tomato and citrus from my diet. I needed to start using Tums constantly. Things got better slightly as he dropped multiple times but overall it was pretty bad throughout the whole second half of my pregnancy.
Julien: Had awful indigestion (and even compulsive diarrhea during the first trimester. I would need to sleep sitting up on pillows but still ended up throwing up at least once in the middle of the night and also had awful diarrhea (I guess from all the stomach acids from all the vomiting?). Nothing like throwing up and having diarrhea simultaneously. Fun times. But this went away around 12/13 weeks thankfully.
And miraculously the heartburn stayed away after that for a lot longer than it did with James. It wasn't until 30/32 weeks that it started to creeeep back. I had to stop drinking tea around 32 weeks and just that was enough. I could still eat whatever I wanted when I wanted but just started to have a little discomfort laying down at night. Now at 36 weeks I just had a fun "vomiting from indigestion from eating tomato sauce before bed" which I guess means the heartburn and indigestion are back now here at the end. But I felt so good for so much longer than I did with Jamey!
3. End of Pregnancy Discomforts
Jamey: I felt AWFUL at the end. My back and whole body hurt and ached so much that I had to take a lot bath/shower every SINGLE night to relax my muscles or I wouldn't be able to fall asleep. Sometimes I even had to sleep on ice packs to numb my back or I wouldn't be able to sleep. There was not a position that was comfortable for me--not laying, standing, or sitting. At the end I slept with my ribs belted because that seemed to relieve some of the pressure on my back.
Julien: I might be speaking too soon, we'll see what the last month holds--but so far I have felt pretty good physically. There have definitely been uncomfortable weeks but they have inevitably been followed by more comfortable ones.
So these are just three points in which my two pregnancies have been very very different. There are plenty of things that have been the same, as well, such as:
-craving fruit
-my pattern of weight gain (almost nothing the first trimester, 10-15 lbs by the end of the 2nd trimester, and then putting on lots of weight during the last trimester for a total gain of about 40 lbs)
-carrying low
-the positions the babies have been in and when they flipped/dropped
But these things seem relatively minor in comparison to the huge differences in morning sickness, heartburn, and the end-of-pregnancy feelings!
2 comments:
Funny how they can be so similar and yet so different, huh? I was equally as sick with both of mine, but with Addie, my ribs killed me. Today (8 days after delivering) has been the first completely pain-free day in over two months.
I hope you decide to come back and update us on things!
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