Going from One to Two
I have been pregnant twice, and both times were completely different.
The first time happened very quickly. My husband and I had been married a year and decided to start trying in May. I was in the middle of trying to time my ovulation, having no idea what I was doing, and by the middle of July we were pregnant. It happened so quickly, but we were elated.
I had been living in New York City for years and my life was truly similar to Carrie’s in “Sex and the City”. I was out every night – experiencing everything the city had to offer. My husband, who loved greenery, couldn’t get me out of the city on weekends. I wanted to go to the theater, take in art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see every film that came to the Film Forum. But once I got pregnant, I entered the nesting phase rather quickly. We moved to the suburbs a few short months later, and all I wanted to do was put my feet up and take tablets to deal with my never-ending heartburn.
I’ll never forget the moment my daughter was born. She literally had me at “Hello.” The fact that this little creature had been resting inside my womb for nine long months amazed me. The bond occurred immediately. She latched on to my breasts right away. She slept in my room the entire time I was at the hospital, and I didn’t want her to leave.
However, when I got pregnant with my second child, I had just made the decision to stay home full time with my daughter. I didn’t feel ready to be the mother of two small children. I was so confused about my changed identity going from career to no career, and wasn’t coping well as a full-time mom. I spent the next nine months worrying how I would manage to cope.
The night before my son was born, I spent some time with my daughter. I was worried about providing equal attention to both children. When I brought her into the delivery room after he was born, she burst into tears at the sight of another baby in my arms.
My son didn’t have me at “Hello.” Unlike the first time around, I didn’t want him to sleep in my hospital room, nor was I excited at the prospect of him latching on right away (which he did).
I was overwhelmed in the beginning looking after two babies, and it was often hard having two crying children to tend to. It took me weeks before I even had the courage to leave the house with the two of them, and that was just to take a trip to the post office.
When my son was about six to eight-weeks-old, I remember holding him after a feeding. He looked at me with his dark brown eyes, much like mine, and smiled that baby smile you aren’t sure is gas or happiness.
But he had me. It was our “Hello” moment. A moment I will never forget. It just came later than the first time.
I’d love to hear more about your best or most difficult pregnancy moments. By commenting, you will be entered to win an exclusive Million Moms Challenge Gift Pack, which includes an all expenses paid trip to a conference on mothers hosted by the UN Foundation in DC (Jan/Feb 2012), an iPad2, a custom-made Million Moms Challenge pendant and $50 donation in your name to Global Giving.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Million Moms Challenge. The opinions and text are all mine. Contest runs September 19 to October 16, 2011. A random winner will be announced by October 18, 2011.