pregnancy one versus pregnancy two.
I can’t decide if my second trimester of pregnancy flew by or felt like forever. I guess some days/weeks crept by while others seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. Either way, I’m excited to have finally reached my third trimester of pregnancy! It’s been a journey — and it’s been a little different than my first time around.
First off, this pregnancy we’re living abroad in the Netherlands without any family or close friends. That in itself is different because I don’t get to share the experience with others like I did the first time around. Thank goodness for FaceTime and texting!
Also, this pregnancy, I’m a professional Stay at Home Mom (SAHM), and absolutely love it! I get to decide when I want to get out of my pjs, what I want to have for breakfast and lunch (and when), which errands I want to run throughout the day, and I get to have a home cooked meal on the table almost every night. I really enjoy cooking (and even with the help of my toddler), so this is something special for me.
So while I thoroughly enjoy all of these things about being a SAHM, boy can it be exhausting. Caring for, cleaning up after and entertaining a toddler is hard work, especially when you’re exhausted, your back hurts, your nauseous, or experiencing any other lovely pregnancy symptoms.
Throughout my first pregnancy I worked full time as a nutrition counselor. So while that was exhausting in itself, at least I was working with adults, I had specific hours and I could take breaks when I needed to. And I had weekends off — which we all know doesn’t happen with you have kids at home!
second trimester.
Each pregnancy has been pretty similar in terms of how I’ve felt. Luckily I’ve had two low maintenance, fairly high energy pregnancies without complications. I contribute that to my healthy lifestyle — where I eat nutrient dense foods a lot of the time, drink tons of water, enjoy my indulgences, have a healthy relationship with food, enjoy exercise and moving my body and am just in a positive place with myself, my husband and my family.
My second trimester had been pretty uneventful, minus a couple of weeks of unexpected debilitating fatigue and nausea. I remember the day I finally reached my second trimester and thinking to myself how great my first trimester had been with just a little bit of tiredness and no nausea at all. I guess I spoke too soon! It was awful. Trying to take care of my almost three-year-old at the time felt impossible. I was able to get food on a plate for her even when I couldn’t stomach the site or smell of food, and she was such a champ when it came to watching movies and mostly playing on her own while I was glued to the couch, snuggled in a blanket and just waiting anxiously for my husband to get home from work so I could go to bed at 6pm.
Being in the Netherlands without family was tough for those couple of weeks because I know, without a doubt in my mind that I would have had so much support if we were living in the United States with Mimi’s and Aunties ready to babysit so I could get through that rough patch. But you know what? We made it. So many moms do. Somehow. And thankfully, the nausea and fatigue hasn’t happened again.
As far as prenatal testing and midwife check-ups go, there isn’t anything too exciting to report. I had my 20-week anatomy scan which went amazing. All organs, body parts and measurements are looking great. My midwife appointments are pretty straightforward, and unless I have anything unusual to report, I go along my merry way and wait until the next appointment where we get to hear the baby’s heartbeat and measure my uterus to make sure baby is growing as she should be. Still no glucose test (love this about living here!) and no urine samples.
Baby moves A LOT. I felt my first kicks around 16-weeks, and they were crazy! Like hard jabs to the ribs. My oh my I wasn’t a fan of those first few kicks, but as baby continues to grow those crazy hard kicks got a little less intense and now I really enjoy feeling her squirm and move. Both my husband and three-year-old have been able to feel her, too, which is such a fun experience.
nesting.
I’ve been nesting like crazy and I kind of love it. I thrive off of organization, so getting the opportunity to go through drawers, cabinets and closets and organize/clean them makes me happy. Sounds crazy maybe, but a clean house puts me at ease. I’ve also been putting together our nursery and am loving getting the opportunity to design it all and see my vision come to life. We’re just waiting on a rocking chair and dresser and the room should be complete.
p.s. rocking chairs are one of the hardest things to find here in the Netherlands. According to a furniture store associate I talked to, they’re just “going out of style.” Luckily I was able to find one online — now it just needs to get delivered.
hospital tour.
The hospital I will be delivering at it is just five minutes down the road. Yay for convenience! And my husband and I were able to get a quick tour of the pregnancy floor and what the labor and delivery rooms look like so we know what to expect when we arrive when I’m in labor (in just a few short months, ahhh!). I left the hospital that day feeling relieved and at ease. The nurses were friendly, and everything felt pretty familiar to what I experienced in the United States. The birthing rooms looked similar and the hospital has a warm, inviting feel to it, which is so important to me.
In mid-March we booked an English-speaking hospital birthing class/tour at a different nearby hospital which will explain everything we need to know about delivering a baby in a hospital in the Netherlands. Our local hospital did not offer this service in English, but I’m still glad we’re able to get the information we need so I can feel comfortable and informed when it comes to the big day!
my day-to-day.
I thrive off of routine, so my days tend to be fairly routine-oriented. It keeps me grounded and feeling like a productive human/mom (most of the time!). I start my day when my toddler wakes up which has been pretty sporadic lately — anywhere from 6am to 8am.
First things first, I make myself a bulletproof coffee (coffee + coconut oil + collagen peptides + recently I’ve been adding a little honey and I love it). I stopped drinking coffee during my first pregnancy, but decided not to for baby number two because it’s something I really enjoy in the morning and I’m not overdoing my caffeine intake. Pregnant women in the Netherlands are advised not to exceed four cups of coffee daily so I think I’m doing just fine with my one cup in the morning!
Next, if I’m feeling energized I’ll work out in my garage. I absolutely love the ability to work out from home — it’s truly changed my life. I’ve also been doing a lot of stretching to try and keep some of the pregnancy aches and pains away. I love to run, but running isn’t for me while I’m pregnant — I feel like my uterus is going to fall out, ha! I stick to walking instead which I absolutely love. Exercise and staying fit is an important part of my life and makes me happy, so I always try and make this time for myself.
Then it’s deciding what me and the little miss (my three-year-old) are going to do for the day. Sometimes it’s a trip to the grocery store, a trip to the city to do some shopping, a lunch date with daddy, a trip to the zoo and/or a meet-up with a friend who has a son similar in age to my daughter. And other times we stay home and paint, bake something, play with modeling clay, build something, dig in the backyard, watch movies, etc.
I like to get out of the house at least once a day because it reenergizes me and makes me a better mom. Every day we try to get outside for a walk in the neighborhood and maybe even spend some time at one of the many local parks. What I love so much about the Netherlands is how many walking and biking trails there are. We can literally walk or bike anywhere which makes it so amazing when you thrive off of living an active lifestyle.
Then it’s about dinner time. From prep to table, my dinner routine usually takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and my daughter is usually eager to help, which I actually love! I’ve found that when she helps me cook she is so much more interested in what we’re eating for dinner and she’s more willing to try new things. Plus, I love being able to provide my family with healthy, homemade meals. Thankfully I’ve had no food aversions, so pretty much anything sounds good to me — and if it nourishes me, it nourishes baby.
We try and get my daughter to bed sometime between 7-8pm because it gives my husband and I some much needed wind down time in the evening. Oh and I forgot to mention, my daughter gave up napping when she turned three, so there’s no afternoon break for mom anymore! But, it means that she’s pretty tired when it comes to bedtime so getting her to bed is pretty simple and she sleeps well most nights.
After my daughter is in bed it’s time for my red raspberry leaf tea — one of my favorite parts of my evening. I love having something to look forward to in the evenings that I can feel good about. I drank red raspberry leaf tea during my first pregnancy as well and started drinking the tea around the beginning of my second trimester. Red raspberry leaf tea has been thought to tone and strengthen the uterus and make contractions during labor more effective. I’m all for that, plus I love the immune-boosting properties and calming effects. Then it’s usually a Netflix and chill kind of night with my hubs, with my bedtime in the near future. I try and get to bed around 10pm, but some nights (especially more recently) I’ve been tossing and turing a lot which makes for a pretty restless night and early morning. All I can say about that is #momlife and #pregnantlife.
babymoon.
With Europe at our fingertips we knew we wanted to go on a “babymoon” even though we knew it wouldn’t be a solo husband and wife trip like the first time around. We chose Barcelona, Spain and it was simply perfect. It was just a quick weekend trip but it was completely worth it. We walked everywhere (20,000+ steps daily) and I’m so thankful I had the energy and stamina for that being in my second trimester of pregnancy. We saw some of the major attractions including the Sagrada Familia, the beach, Park Guell and some amazing Gaudi architecture. But we also did what we love to do in new cities, we just stroll. We find a unique part of town and just take in it’s beauty and uniqueness. In Barcelona this was the Gothic Quarter. Overall it was a quick trip, maybe not as relaxing as our first kid-free babymoon in Maui, but it was 100% worth it.
Kraamzorg.
If you didn’t read my first trimester pregnancy post, or just don’t remember what Kraamzorg is, it’s a program unique to the Netherlands which offers at-home postnatal care for mom and baby. I’ve signed up for eight days of care, 3 hours per day. I have my first at-home intake appointment with my Kraamzorg nurse next week and I can’t wait to see what it’s all about. I’ll find out more about the process, the program and what to expect in the coming months and after delivery.
the home stretch — third trimester
I’m now into my third trimester and couldn’t be more thrilled and excited to meet this little baby in a few short months. I’m feeling more aches and pains, peeing constantly, sleeping less, experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions and am so ready to not be pregnant — but I’m trying to soak in these last few months with my only child, Hallie. She’s going to make an amazing big sister and we can’t wait for her to meet our newest addition in April.
p.s. we’ve officially decided on a first name (and are going back and forth picking a middle name), but we’re keeping it a secret until she’s finally here.
xoxo,
Angela
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