Well ya’ll we made it to full term! This is officially the longest I’ve been pregnant (I got induced at 38.4 with Jasper and he was born the very next day). As I am typing this I had my 39-week midwife appointment today and scheduled my 40-week appointment for next week.
Even though it is completely normal to still be pregnant this late in the game, it feels so strange and foreign to me. I can totally understand now what women mean when they say they feel like they’ve been pregnant forever. While I don’t necessarily feel that way (right now, lol), I have been fortunate enough to have had two easy pregnancies. I will admit this second one has been more physically challenging, but I suppose that is to be expected when you’re also taking care of a toddler full time.
Anyways, I wanted to do one more final blog post before our baby boy comes. As you know I documented all of Jasper’s pregnancy both here on the blog and a little bit on YouTube. I pretty much did the same, or similar, blog posts for this pregnancy but definitely didn’t take the time to document it via video. Part of me wishes I did because I love going back and watching Jasper’s but there was no way I had the time or energy to edit videos to upload, ha! However, I did film a few clips here and there that I’ll put together in a video and I’ll definitely film a birth vlog. To read through the blog posts from this pregnancy as well as Jasper’s click here.
This pregnancy has been a whirlwind to say the least. Mark and I knew we wanted to begin trying for a second baby around the time when Jasper turned one, but we didn’t think it would be as easy as it was given all of the post birth complications I had with Jasper. We are of course beyond thankful it worked out the way it did. That aside, COVID obviously came and shook things up. I am just grateful this wasn’t my first pregnancy because going through all of this alone was hard enough, I couldn’t imagine doing it alone for the first time. My heart goes out to all of the first-time mamas who were pregnant and/or delivered a baby during this trying time. I truly thought it would all be gone by now, so I didn’t have the extra stress, but here we are. I am making the best of it though and realizing it could be a lot worse than it has been. Doing my part and following my gut has kept me and my family safe but we didn’t let us take away our joy.
Some things that have been different this time around are first and foremost, I am raising a toddler while simultaneously growing another human which makes everything that much harder. I also haven’t worked out much at all this pregnancy, whereas with Jasper I worked out nearly every day up until I was induced. I did go on walks a lot and live a pretty active lifestyle outside of the gym. I will say though, exercising makes a world of a difference in pregnancy, so if you can do it I highly suggest moving your body! With that said, I think from not exercising on top of taking care of Jasper, this pregnancy has just taken a toll on me physically. I have had a lot more aches and pains as well as spider veins. Those are all things I never experienced while pregnant with Jasper. I gained more weight this time around too which has played games with my mental health. Braxton Hicks are another thing I never experienced until this pregnancy. I didn’t realize that I was even having them at first until experiencing them for a few weeks, now they seem to almost be constant thing! That and false labor!
While I wouldn’t say this was the pregnancy of my dreams, it still has been absolutely amazing. I had a perfect pregnancy with Jasper until I got induced, so now I am focusing on a healthy and natural delivery, something I didn’t get with Jasper. It has been a long and scary road this time around, but I am feeling more confident and peaceful than ever before.
If there is one thing I learned from being pregnant twice, it is that a lot of it is out of our control. I hope any mamas reading this are reassured that nothing is ever perfect nor do things go as planned, especially birth. Show yourself grace and be patient with yourself.
Once our little guy is here I promise to get his birth story up on the blog (and hopefully YouTube). Until then I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following along on my journey yet again. I cannot wait to see what the future looks like as a family of four!
Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!
XOXO,
D.J.
DevonJade 