Extra short (and slightly late) post this month. Forgive me, we had a baby on April 21st! Baby pics and introduction coming soon….

One: I learned that it’s common practice to schedule a 40-week induction, before the due date has even come and gone.

I missed this memo with my first child because I wound up being induced suddenly at the 39-week appointment because of low amniotic fluid levels. I was taken aback when I happily “achieved” the 39-week mark with no complications in this second pregnancy, only to find my doctor using the appointment to ask if I would like to schedule an induction for my due date.

The whole process of those last few weeks with the doctors was very interesting and surprising for me.

Thankfully, the doctors gave me a week of grace and we scheduled the 41-week induction at the 40-week appointment and I went into labor within 48 hours. We didn’t need the appointment after all! I really wanted to experience going into labor on my own with this baby since I didn’t have the opportunity to with my first.

Two: The hardest part of the second pregnancy is the first baby.

The most challenging part of the last trimester is not being physically able to care for your active toddler without some pain and/or discomfort. It was over 90 days of not being able to:

• happily hold Joslyn on my hip,
• enjoy the last few quiet moments of the day where we sing a song and I sway by her crib holding her for last-minute hugs before bed,
• enjoy getting down on the floor to play,
• comfortably give her a bath,
• comfortably load her into the car seat.

Goodness sakes! It was tough, but it’s all over now. I’m tickled to carry her around the kitchen again!

Three: Everything is easier the second time.

So far, less than three weeks into having two children, I am feeling 100% percent better than I did at three weeks with Joslyn. There are a 100 reasons why this postpartum experience is going better than the previous one. (I might have to write a post about it when I have some more time.) For now, I am so thankful that this is looking and feeling different than my first few weeks with Joslyn.

Baby, baby, baby. It’s hard to write, think or learn about anything except babies in the final month of pregnancy. So, I guess the theme for what I learned in April is all about babies!