In this article, you will learn what I’m doing differently during my second pregnancy after I’ve been working with the perinatal population for 4 years.
Currently, I’m 35 weeks pregnant and ready to be done with being pregnant.
I’ve been more anxious as I have more knowledge about what could go wrong. I’m 5 years older and less active, so my body has ached more. I feel more ambivalent about adding this baby to our family as it will change my relationship with my first daughter.
However, I also feel that I’m more prepared to welcome this new baby. Which made me reflect on what we’re doing differently this time around.
So, here are 5 things I’ve done or I’m doing differently during this pregnancy.
1. Being under midwife’s care
I was happy with my doctor during my first pregnancy. My labor went well and I felt supported throughout the process thanks to an amazing nurse.
Still, I wanted to experience first-hand the difference between being under midwife’s versus doctor’s care as many of my clients and colleagues have shared their wonderful experiences.
It will also help me support my clients to make a decision around their care in pregnancy.
However, throughout the process, I’ve also realized that being under midwife care has made me feel more in control of my body, and I’ve felt better supported and understood throughout the pregnancy. In addition, it lets me choose where I want my baby to be born. To my and everyone else’s surprise, I am leaning towards homebirth this time around.
This brings me to the second difference:
2. Preparing for labour earlier
Last time I discovered hypnobirthing during the last month of my pregnancy which helped me a lot during the first phase of the labour.
So, this time around I started listening to the recordings during the second trimester. I’m also adding work with negative thoughts and visualizations to be mentally prepared.
In addition, I’m doing specific exercises to prepare myself physically for the labour process.
I have also done thorough research into birthplace options in Alberta. This has helped me to make an informed decision considering all the factors.
3. Making sure I have more people in my support team – both during pregnancy and in the postpartum
I loved my massage therapist and prenatal yoga instructor during my first pregnancy. However, I did not add any other specialists to my team. Mainly, because I didn’t need them but I also didn’t know what other supports were out there.
During this pregnancy, I’ve made sure that I connect with almost every specialist that can make my pregnancy journey smoother.
I’ve seen a pelvic floor physiotherapist, chiropractor and massage therapist. I also know who I could have as my psychologist should I need support with my mental health.
If I could go back half a year, I would have also added a doula and a prenatal yoga instructor.
In addition to the professional team, I’ve leaned on my friends more during my pregnancy and already asked for support during the postpartum period.
4. Made a postpartum plan that focuses on me and my partner, instead of the baby
Last time, I was very focused on getting everything ready for the baby. In addition, doing as much research as possible around sleep, parenting, milestones, and care of the baby.
However, I missed thinking about how I’m going to take care of myself, and my relationship with my husband, and make sure we get the support we need.
This time, I have a sleep plan for myself. We’ve discussed how we take care of our mental and emotional health. I’m starting to make freezer meals and lowering my standards around the cleanliness of our house. I used Postpartum International Postpartum Plan as a conversation starter with my husband which you get after attending this webinar.
Above all, when our friends tell us they can support us during the fourth trimester, I will thank them instead of saying “We’ve got this”.
5. My husband is taking paternity leave!
Last but not least my husband is taking the full year for paternity leave and I’ll return to work in 2-3 months after having the baby.
Last time, I started working on my provisional hours 2 days a week when my daughter was 4 months old. I was comfortable doing that as my husband stayed home with her. I loved my time away from home and my husband enjoyed his days with our daughter.
So, when we found out that we are expecting baby #2, it was obvious that my husband will be staying home with the kids and I’ll continue working. He has always dreamed about being a stay-at-home dad, so we will see after a year if that is still true.
From my experience of working with the perinatal population but also learning from our “mistakes” with our first daughter, we have done several things differently during this pregnancy. This has made me feel more prepared and hopeful for the postpartum period.
If you need help preparing for the postpartum period, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation to see how I can support you!
