Preparing For Baby #2
Motherhood…this has been the sweetest of chapters. I was never the girl who was obsessed with having babies, but I always knew that I wanted them. My life prior to babies felt full and happy, and I certainly didn’t think I was missing anything.
On May 2nd at 9:32pm, the life I knew stopped, and my life forever changed in that moment. I had no idea that love for another human could be so strong (sorry Nick), and from that point on, I knew motherhood was a priority for me.
Growing up, school, sports, and many other activities did not come easy to me. I had to work extra hard to live up to my expectations. However, becoming a mom was the most natural thing I have ever done. My world is crazier for sure, and most days my brain is completely jumbled. But, being a mom has forced me to slow down in the best way possible, and motherhood has already taught me so many life lessons. Olivia has completely changed how I look at most things in this world, significantly increased my compassion for others, and brought forth so many other positive emotions in me.
I’ve been asked why we waited so long to tell the world about baby #2. With my first pregnancy, I wanted to shout it from the roof top the minute I found out. This time around was different. This past summer was the most challenging in my career. This was our first real season being open at the RSVP Motel, and I did not have the right team in place to help accomplish our goals. I take 100% accountability for the struggles this summer, and as I am quickly learning, surrounding yourself with the right people is everything. As my favorite productivity mentor Darren Hardy always says, be quick to fire and slow to hire…well I was the exact opposite this summer, and I paid for it.
With that being said, my body was under an insane amount of pressure, which for me results in severe anxiety. This was not the environment I wanted for a growing baby. From someone who reads enough on stress and how it effects your overall health, clearly the extra pressure I took on was not what my body needed. I honestly was worried about carrying this child. The worry that I was not giving my body the rest it needed to grow a human weighed on me daily. So, getting to the 20-week mark is definitely a milestone of sorts for me. However, as all you parents know, the worrying does stop. And according to my mom, it doesn’t stop even as your children grow into their adult years.
Now…about how I am preparing for baby number two.
I’ve been asking my friends with multiple kids about how to juggle it all. Everyone’s answer is, you know what you are doing the second time around, and it’s easier than you think. Here are a few things I have done for myself, in no particular order, that have helped me emotionally and/or physically:
Figure out what you want your maternity leave to look like. First, since I run a small business and didn’t take any time off after having Olivia, my main priority is to give myself the proper time to heal, rest, and recover after this baby. Who knows, I might go stir crazy after a few days, but at least I mentally know I am giving myself the option to slow down. This baby will be born in March, which is the best possible time for me having a baby in business. I plan on taking it one day at a time, and the goal is to have the right people in my business ready to tackle the day-to-day for a few weeks while I’m gone. Plus, this is the only time in your life they will be newborns, so my plan is to just enjoy it and embrace the slowness.
Decluttering my life. Yes, I’ve already been in nesting mode. I feel the need to get rid of anything that does not serve purpose in our life. I feel an organized space equals a clear mind for me.
Asses what you need. Along the line of decluttering, with the second baby I strive to keep more of a minimalist house. Meaning, I want the least amount of baby things as possible. I think this being the second time around, we have a better idea of what we will actually use. I will do a post later on the things I am buying for baby #2.
Taking care of myself. Moving my body daily is a top priority for me. Of course I’m not going for the 6 pack abs, lol, but I learned in my first pregnancy that moving my body every day helps tremendously with labor and recovery. I could write a novel how this helped me the first time around. I also swear by acupuncture, both for me mentally and also for morning sickness. This pregnancy, I’m working with a certified Webster chiropractor. I think this has been a game changer this time around.
Rest, rest, and more rest. Whoa, I didn’t know I could sleep this much, but what the body needs, the body gets. I’m sleeping between 9-10 hours a night! Which also means I go to bed around 7:30pm (aka 5:30am alarm)
Food Prep: I am already planning what I’ll have stocked when the baby comes. Currently, I’m testing out easy soup recipes that can be frozen. I was inspired by the book, The First Forty Days, having warming and nutritious foods is key to recovery. Along these lines, I’ve been consciously eating really healthy, making sure I get in my greens and Omega 3’s daily.
Prepping Olivia for a sibling. Olivia has been so sweet during this pregnancy, understanding there is a baby in my belly. We are really trying to get her involved. We’ve taken her to our appointments so she gets to hear the heartbeat, see images of the baby, and enjoy the excitement of this whole process. I definitely have a lot to learn here and I am already mourning all my one-on-one time that I won’t have with her once our family grows. So, more to come on this later.
Logistics: I’ve thought about this a lot. How will we manage two kids and a growing business? I hope to have a pretty good plan in place in regards to childcare for Olivia and the new baby.
There’s a whole lot that I still don’t have figured out, and we are definitely learning as we go. But, just writing down my intentions for these few things has helped greatly.
