Every woman has a different pregnancy because every woman’s body is different. But, every pregnancy is different too, which points to the influence of the baby on these things, obviously. Every fetus is different from the last. So, the child rules the roost in here! (Of course!)

Here’s my list of comparisons between my two pregnancies, something I find quite fascinating!

SIMILARITIES

• Fire Feet (see this recent blog)
• Sore lower back in last trimester
• Boobs from Gargantuanville
• Increased cravings for dairy
• Sweet milky smell coming from the breast region around month 7 onwards! (Remember this blog about that?)

DIFFERENCES THIS TIME AROUND

• I haven’t gained as much pregnancy weight
• I had to cut out wheat because of yeast infections. (Under control now. This has resulted in enormous empathy for women who deal with these regularly. I had no idea!)
• Increased libido
• No depression (mine was mild during Echo’s gestation, but still sucked)
• No “linea nigra” this time around–that’s the vertical line that sometimes appears along the length of the belly, crossing the belly  button. I’ve heard it said that pregnancies with girls get them more often than with boys. My sister never had one and she has two sons. Not sure if it is truly gender related, but interesting nonetheless!
• Carrying round and up front more distinctly (like a basketball) rather than ovular from the breasts to the mid-thighs!
• Not as much record-keeping, attention to pregnancy details, to the point where I am amazed that there are only four weeks to go (more on this below)

The last item on the list is the single most important difference in my second pregnancy. There are several reasons for this:

First of all, I haven’t had time to record the happenings. I’ve been running around after a toddler who is incredibly distracting (in a good way) and so I haven’t been focused on my pregnancy.

Secondly, it’s important to note that having one’s first child is a monumental change in life. It’s a whole new rhythm, set of priorities, focus, etc. Now that my life has wrapped itself so beautifully around being a mother to Echo, this second child is coming into a living environment in which the people are already familiar with babies and parenting. In other words, the transition will not be as significant. This time around, my mind is not constantly worrying or wondering, predicting or trying to prepare for something no amount of reading could have properly prepared me for. (And, you know I’m the type to do my homework!)

Finally, I haven’t had a health care system breathing down my neck about this pregnancy either. I haven’t had to go to regular hospital visits (as per the “package” deal we had in Beijing last time) because I secured a midwife in Canada and spent five of the nine months of my pregnancy in Beijing. In China, people stress about their only child and rarely have a second child, so I can understand why the process is so particularly detailed–lots of tests, etc. That being said, I’m still relieved to not be inundated with them. I’ve done very little in the way of health care throughout this gestation, to be honest. As long as he continues to grow and kick in there, I’m at ease. And, thankfully, my partner isn’t stressed about it either and so I don’t feel any outside pressure.

There are now 4 weeks left before the almighty due date: Christmas Day. As I prepare to enter a serious hibernation north of Toronto in a home with a fireplace (hurray!) and open doors to good friends who want to come visit me in snowy cottage country, I’ll simply be waiting for Guo Jian to arrive (first—hopefully—scheduled arrival is Dec 17th!) and then the baby to arrive (after his daddy, please, and maybe a day or two after Christmas would be nice!).

I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes.

Oh, and I’ll have to find someone to help me chop some wood. I’m guessing it’s probably not a good idea to be swinging an axe at this advanced stage of pregnancy… lol!

-es