Round two – Not a TKO, but close to it (some days)

Here I am, again, experiencing the joys (and sometimes uncomfortable stages) of pregnancy. Feeling life growing inside your body is a feeling like no other, and one I thank God for allowing me to do once more. On the other hand, as I sit here typing this blog (and I must mention my frequent “potty breaks”), I can only giggle and think, “Here we go again – round two!”
I compare pregnancy to boxing, because some days you feel as if you’ve literally been knocked out, and then you have those days when you’re so excited that you’re pregnant, all you do is smile while rubbing your stomach.

During my first pregnancy, I was tired all of the time, but never nauseous. For the most part, Nandi, who is now almost 14 months, hardly gave me any grief. This time around, it’s a totally different boxing match, so to speak.  Baby number two makes me nauseous; the little rascal makes acne an issue; not to mention I’m constantly hungry (yep, I’m planning my next snack right about now). Some similarities between the pregnancies that I can do without are the occasional headaches and embarrassing flatulence. 

One major difference between the pregnancies revolves around my age. As my husband lovingly tells me, “You’re no spring chicken.” He seems to forget that he’s a year older than me; and being the caring wife that I am, I remind him that his senility is nothing to play with. But back to the subject at hand – my age was a deciding factor in my obstetrician referring me to a perinatologist. I must admit, I was a bit nervous; but she reassured me that the referral was only because of my age, not because of fetal development.

While dealing with the physical and emotional changes that pregnancy creates, I still make it a point not to neglect the needs of Nandi, my firstborn.  Right now, she happily runs around the house, smiling and giggling uncontrollably. When she tires herself out, she’ll sometimes crawl into my arms and shower me with hugs and sloppy kisses. I only wonder if she’ll have that same positive and loving attitude once her sibling arrives on the scene.

When I told my mom that I was pregnant, she said, “Oh, well how will Nandi feel about the situation?” I thought it was funny at the time, but I honestly don’t know how she’ll feel about sharing Mommy and Daddy. You see, my precious baby can sometimes be mean-spirited. When she doesn’t want to be bothered with someone, she’ll simply ignore you. And a couple of months ago, my little angel started kicking my stomach, out of the blue. It threw me for a loop; but I’ve come to the conclusion that babies are smarter than we think. Since I’ve become pregnant, she’s been moodier than usual; and in my opinion, that’s more than a coincidence.

In fact, on one recent occasion my aunt babysat Nandi – and for several hours, she gave her the silent treatment, even looking at my aunt as if she owed her money. When I asked my aunt how she behaved, she said, “She was mean in the beginning, but she warmed up to me later in the day. I’ve never seen that side of Nandi before!” Then later in our conversation, she said, “You better keep an eye on Nandi when the new baby comes on the scene!” She was partially joking, I know, but it definitely made me wonder how my sweet pea will react to a new baby sharing her space.

Will she be jealous? Will she be affectionate? Will she be happy, or will she be sad? I have no clue. All I can do is pray for the best and let her know that I love her unconditionally – and that Mommy and Daddy plan to love her sibling just as much. 

Chandra is a Sr. Public Relations Specialist for Texas Health Resources and Mom to strong-willed Nandi who will have a new sibling in January.