Beautiful mum Sophie shares her pregnancy journeys. Now 33 weeks pregnant with her second little one, she reflects on both pregnancies and what she’ll do differently this time around.
Guest Pregnancy Journal: 33 Weeks Pregnant – Babies Close in Age
Week: 33
Baby is the size of a: Pineapple
How was your first pregnancy?
My first pregnancy was horrible. I was five weeks when I found out I was pregnant, it was actually for my 21st birthday. Around eight weeks I started getting the worst morning sickness. By the next week I was in hospital being diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. It was so severe that I lost a lot of weight and kept going back to hospital because I couldn’t even drink water without vomiting. That lasted around 25 weeks, then I managed to reduce vomiting to once or twice a week until about 30 weeks.
I didn’t get to enjoy my pregnancy at all. It was full of hospital visits, IV lines, strong nausea medication that often made me feel worse, and it was incredibly lonely. I never got the “pregnancy glow”. Instead I had red rashes from burst veins due to vomiting and lived in hospital pyjamas. It made me depressed and I struggled to grasp how amazing my body actually was for enduring all of that.
Did you always hope to have babies close in age?
I always hoped my babies would be close in age. I’m an identical twin and grew up sharing life with my sister, which was amazing. So when my husband and I talked about another baby, we always knew it would be sooner rather than later.
This pregnancy has been completely different. Everything I experienced the first time has not been an issue at all. Quite the opposite. I have had an amazing pregnancy this time and I thank God for that. I cannot imagine going through severe hyperemesis again while caring for a toddler.
Can you describe your first birth?
This question is bittersweet for me because I know so many stories are different, but I had an amazing birth.
I started getting contractions at 5:30am and spent the day resting, bouncing on my exercise ball and letting my body do its thing. Around 9pm my midwife came to check me at home. I was 2cm dilated and coping well. Within an hour the pain escalated quickly. My waters broke and we headed to hospital.
By midnight I was 3cm dilated and relying heavily on gas. My contractions were strong and close together, so my midwife gave me a muscle relaxer to help me release tension. Within 20 minutes I was 8cm dilated. Before I knew it, we welcomed our little girl into the world at 2:32am, just three hours after my waters broke.
I didn’t have a rigid birth plan. I was open to whatever needed to happen safely in the moment, and I carry that same mindset into this birth.
Have you found out what you’re having this time?
Yes, we have. This time we’re having a boy.
What will you do differently this time?
I will bottle feed by pumping. With my daughter I exclusively breastfed and didn’t introduce a bottle until about a month in. She refused it completely. We tried everything and she never budged. Exclusive breastfeeding was the hardest job I’ve ever had. There were lots of tears and lonely moments because I couldn’t leave the house. It led to separation anxiety that took a long time to overcome.
This time I want more flexibility and balance.
If after reading this you’d be happy to share your own experience of pregnancy, please email megan@forgetmenotjournals.com to receive one of these pages, or send a photo of your own pregnancy journal.
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More third trimester reflections:
- 34 Weeks Pregnant – Second Pregnancy
- 34 Weeks Pregnant – 11 Months Apart
- 35 Weeks Pregnant – Second Pregnancy
- 36 Weeks Pregnant – Second Baby
- 38 Weeks Pregnant – First Time Mum
Document your own journey with the Pregnancy Journal – Made With Love, and continue the story with the Baby Book – Your First Years.