My Third Pregnancy-Any Differences?

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the differences between being pregnant with G and this time.

Your first pregnancy is the most different because you can do what you feel like doing and, if that happens to be nothing, then so be it. You can nap when you’re tired, eat junk for lunch if you can’t be bothered cooking and sleep, sleep, sleep.

By the time you have another, you have to feed your child so junk isn’t an option really. Not every day, anyway.

I am two years older than when I was pregnant with G and six years older than when I had Boo. I think this has probably been a large factor in my energy levels this time but I think the major difference is that G is still a baby himself, so he needs constant supervision and amusement-and quite rightly so.

When I was having G, Boo was four and even though she was older, she also has a totally different character to G. She is dainty and careful and enjoys playing with little people and can amuse herself.

While G can also amuse himself, if he is very quiet, you have to pay close attention because it usually means he is up to something.

He regularly climbs furniture, no matter how high or dangerous.

I digress. With G I think it is more his age than his character that has made this pregnancy interesting.

Boo would snuggle on the sofa with me while I had a rest last time. If I tried to lie down this time, G would use me as a human trampoline and has regularly used my bump as a stepping point for climbing me.

It is simply not safe for him or the baby for me to close my eyes if he is awake.

That leads to the other point. Boo still napped up until the summer before she started school. It may have been a bit before but she was certainly still napping at three.

For G, unless we have been to some kind of toddler group or activity or let him run around the farm (not so easy when it is pouring down with rain and his sister wants to play with her Shopkins or read a book), he doesn’t nap.

It is exhausting trying to exhaust him. How ironic is that?

When I was pregnant with G, Boo was sleeping in a regular bed. She could walk and get up and downstairs relatively unaided.

G is still in a cot and, until he climbs out regularly, I plan to keep him in it. I learnt my lesson from moving Boo to a bed too soon and that took literally months of putting her back into bed.

The physical act of placing him in the cot is a constant challenge with the bump though-especially because it is on the lowest setting so there have been times that I have to just lean over and plop him in. Thankfully when he wakes up, he will stand so I can lift him out which is much easier.

The routine we have when Boo is at school will be both a blessing and a curse when the new baby comes. A blessing because it will provide some sort of routine but a curse because I will actually have to make myself semi-presentable on a daily basis rather than the luxury of a hermit’s existence when you have your first baby.

I think every parent worries towards the end of pregnancy about whether they can cope with one child, let alone three. I am sure the new baby will just arrive in our lives and provide as much joy as the other two have and you find that you can cope because you have to.

A little nap every so often would be lovey though. I’m not holding out much hope for that.