There is something about reaching the third trimester of pregnancy and then the 30th week of pregnancy that all of the sudden makes me feel like I’m in the home stretch. Even though I very likely have two months of pregnancy remaining, saying I’m now 32 weeks pregnant makes me feel excited and so grateful because it’s truly beginning to feel real. I’m slowly, slowly releasing some of my pregnancy-related anxiety and the amazing feeling of our baby rolling around in my belly fills my heart right up. Keep wiggling around in there all you want, little one!
Just in case you’re catching up, here are the past pregnancy-related blog posts I’ve shared on this blog so far about this pregnancy:
- A Miracle On The Way
- The First and Second Trimester (So Far)
- PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 20-23
- PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 24-27
- What I’m Going To Pack In My Hospital Bag
And you may also check out all of my weekly pregnancy updates from my first pregnancy on the Pregnancy page of this blog.
Let’s dive right in to the recap, shall we!?
PBF Baby #2: Pregnancy Weeks 28 – 31
- 28 Weeks
Flashback: 28 Weeks Pregnant with Chase
This week the light nausea I began to experience in week 27 of my pregnancy continued. It didn’t happen every day and was more common in the morning but every time it surfaced it caught me a bit off guard since I keep feeling like I am “past that stage.” And then I remember how much everything related to pregnancy can change day-to-day and sometimes, seemingly, hour to hour! My appetite is still fairly high but in the evening hours, I’ve noticed my stomach will often feel bloated and almost overly-stuffed despite lingering hunger. Eating a large dinner can make me feel incredibly uncomfortable so eating smaller meals spread out over the course of the evening seems better for me at dinner time.
- 29 Weeks
Flashback: 29 Weeks Pregnant with Chase
I had another prenatal visit this week and it went well! The midwife who delivered Chase let him control the Doppler and he was quite excited to hear the baby’s “boom booms.” While I still experience anxiety surrounding pregnancy from time to time, the anxiousness I feel waiting in the waiting room of my OB/GYN appointments seems to be lessening with each passing week and I attribute this to constantly feeling our little one move around in my belly… and a recent pep-talk from my doctor. I feel like a broken record in the evening when I tell Ryan how much our baby is moving, rolling and kicking and yet somehow the baby’s movements always seem to stop the minute Ryan places his hand on my belly. Go figure!
While nausea thankfully subsided for the most part this week, sleep was horrendous multiple nights until it finally wasn’t and I slept like a LOG (with the exception of mandatory bathroom breaks throughout the night). A few back-to-back nights of restlessness that kept me up for 2+ hour stretches in the middle of the night were a bit rough and followed by some exhaustion that typically kicked in during the late afternoon.
- 31 Weeks
Flashback: 30 Weeks + 31 Weeks Pregnant with Chase
Note: I missed recapping my 30th week of pregnancy, but many of the symptoms mentioned below surfaced during week 30.
Without a doubt the highlight of this week of pregnancy was a great prenatal appointment and our Babymoon to Kiawah Island and Charleston! Ryan and I have been dying to get away as a couple before our second little one arrives and spending some much-needed couple time together was fantastic, especially since I’ve felt a little out of sorts physically lately.
I briefly alluded to some of the not-so-fun aspects of pregnancy that I’ve been struggling with in this blog post but really, really hate to complain in any way because I’m so darn grateful to be pregnant again but I also want to be honest in this space. You guys were amazing and made me feel a lot better about sharing some of these challenges openly because while pregnancy is a HUGE blessing, it can be really hard sometimes. I’ve been experiencing insomnia (the inability to sleep until 3 a.m. or waking up for hours in the middle of the night followed by intense exhaustion the next day) and some serious nausea and it can really take its toll as I try hard to be a good mom to Chase and squeeze in work during any free moments I have during the day. I spoke with my doctor about some of my challenges and he recommended magnesium supplements for my calf and foot cramps and low-dose melatonin for nights when I struggle with sleep. I bought the melatonin but haven’t used it yet however I am really, really loving Natural Calm (a natural magnesium supplement) for both my leg cramps and winding down at the end of the day. Thank you guys for recommending this one to me as well!
One thing that’s also been happening to me this pregnancy is shortness of breath, specifically when I’m sitting in my car. I think this all has to do with the baby’s positioning when I’m driving and while it doesn’t happen every time I drive it’s definitely noticeable and I find myself focusing on better posture and occasionally stretching out my back at red lights to try to take a deep breath.
On the more fun side of pregnancy, this week was the first week I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without people commenting on my belly. I’m definitely showing a lot right now and had a bunch of strangers stop me during our babymoon to ask if we were having a boy or a girl. When I said we were going to be surprised, every single one but one person predicted a girl with most commenting on the high way I’m carrying as an indicator. We’ll see! I’ve definitely noticed many differences from this pregnancy to my pregnancy with Chase, though I know that doesn’t say a ton about the baby’s sex. I’m craving sweets and carbs like crazy still and will often feel nauseated if I don’t eat some kind of bread-based carb with my meals. At my prenatal appointment, I learned I am up 27 pounds which I think is only a few pounds shy of what I weighed at the very end of my pregnancy with Chase. Ryan, my doctors and I are all thinking this little one is going to be a bit bigger than Chase’s 5 pound 10 ounces when he or she makes their debut!
Girl or Boy Thoughts (And Other People’s Opinions)
I addressed this briefly in my last pregnancy update but I am beginning to realize that I, somewhat subconsciously, think we are having another boy. I think it all comes down to picturing the moment I deliver and I simply cannot envision Ryan saying, “It’s a girl!” I realized recently I am fully expecting him to say, “It’s a boy!” and would be completely shocked if we have a little girl. Is this mother’s intuition finally kicking in!? I have no idea but I am just giddy (and tearful!) when I think about that moment and cannot wait to have our baby on my chest.
In my last pregnancy post, I had a few moms with multiple children of the same sex chime in and share some not-so-great stories about people’s reactions when they gave birth to a baby whose sex was the same as their first child. This makes me so incredibly sad because a baby is a true miracle and the biggest blessing. I’m not saying people don’t have preferences on the sex of their babies or that it’s wrong to want one sex but I would hope that the people in a pregnant woman’s life would only offer love and support and enthusiasm for this blessing.
Also, for some reason, it seems like people expect women to want a girl if they have a boy already and for men to want a boy if they have a girl. But here’s the thing: I’m the mother of a boy who initially thought she wanted a girl during her first pregnancy. And you know what? I LOVE MY BOY. He’s the best. He’s surpassed every single image I had for what my child would be like and he’s PURE JOY in a tiny two-and-a-half-year old body. Being the mother of a boy and going through the intense heartache that comes along with experiencing two miscarriages filled up my heart and changed my perspective on everything. There is ZERO part of me that feels like I’d be missing out on anything if we have a boy in June. That boy will be so ridiculously loved and cherished, just as a precious little girl would be if a little girl joins our family in a few weeks. We are just so excited to meet our baby – boy or girl.
The Name Game
Something about not knowing our baby’s sex makes it SO much harder to discuss names! Ryan and I have chatted on and off about names for a baby girl or a baby boy and I have an ongoing list in my phone. Part of me thinks we are going to show up at the hospital with the list on my phone and pick a name from our list of 5(ish) boy and girl names.
Because we were fairly certain about Chase’s name within weeks of finding out he was a boy, this is new territory for me! I never really understood how couples could have a baby and have no name for hours or even days after their baby was born but I TOTALLY get it now! I can easily see that happening to us but I’m hoping that meeting our little one might provide some sort of clarity on the whole name thing!
Questions of the Day
For those with multiple children, were your pregnancies similar or different? Did this cause you to think you were having a boy or a girl? Were you right?
When did you decide on your child’s name?
For those with multiple children of the same sex, did you experience anything similar to what I mentioned above regarding other people’s opinions about having multiple babies of the same sex?
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My son who is 3, almost 4 is named Chase. My daughter who is 17 months is named Cassidy. Chase and Cassidy go together so well.
I love reading these posts, my friend, and I am SO excited for you! On the “same sex kids” note, I know I had my feelings hurt a few times when telling people I was having “another” girl. I wrote this about it: https://www.ahealthysliceoflife.com/opening-up-being-pregnant-with-a-second-girl/ and now looking back I just want to hug myself because boys or girls, our kids are our kids and it’s just amazing to see how different they can be and how they shape our families to be exactly what they should be. <3
My first two pregnancies were very different and we ended up with two wonderful, beautiful girls! I’m pregnant again and the number comments about how we must be wishing for a boy is down right frustrating, especially since I’m kind of wishing for a third and final girl! I’ve started saying this out loud but, eeek… I’ll be getting comments if baby is a boy! Which of course I’ll be delighted over.. there’s nothing like that feeling of a baby being put on your chest.
I have two boys (3 and 1) and had totally different pregnancies! I felt great when I was pregnant with my first son, but experienced all day nausea for 18 weeks with my second son. We were also surprised by the gender of both boys and it was so exciting. Some people ask if I am going to try for a girl, but we are totally done and happy with our boys. I used to think I was meant to have a baby girl, but now I can’t imagine a girl in our house!
Oh and having two boys saves a ton of money on clothes! And they love each other so much. I can’t wait to watch their relationship develop as they grow up.
I think I could have literally written this post. I have had crazy insomnia this second pregnancy, something I NEVER got with my first. We found out the gender of our First child and his name is Chase as well! We were certain of his name by at least 20 weeks. This time around we aren’t finding out and we have a couple names but no stand outs. I also contribute it to not knowing the gender and not being able to visualize it. I am 37 weeks currently and for a while I thought we were having a boy, but now I am more on the girl side. This babys position is so different then Chase was. I never had body parts in my ribs. But WOW, this baby likes to give me a swift quick to the ribs A LOT! Which leads be back to the breathing. UGh. I don’t call it shortness of breath per say, I describe it as I can’t breath efficiently. I don’t know if that makes sense but It sucks, and also something I didn’t have with Chase. I am sure you read this a lot but, I had a miscarriage about a month after you, and your words were hard to read but oddly comforting in a way. Thank you for always being so open.
You are such a gorgeous pregnant mama, Julie!!! You’re glowing!!!
I have three girls – ages 5, 4, and 1! My pregnancy with my second daughter was very different from my first. I was SURE she was a boy but sure enough – girl! With the third, I didn’t even try to guess haha!
I will say my husband DEFINITELY wanted our third to be a boy. I could tell he was very disappointed in the ultrasound room lol. However, Hallie (our third) is his little angel through and through. He’s obsessed with all our daughters of course, but sweet Hallie has a special place in daddy’s heart 🙂
Looking forward to hearing what your precious second baby is!! Praying for a healthy and happy remainder of your pregnancy and delivery! 🙂
We never found out the gender for either of our boys. I loved being surprised and having something else to focus on. I have 2 boys and I hate the comments about trying for a girl. Our family is complete and I like saying I’m forever the queen of the castle!
My pregnancies were different and I’ve got 2 girls! I knew my oldest was a girl but I swore my 2nd was a boy bc of the cravings and overall how I felt were so different. I’m honestly LOVING having 2 girls. They are so different personality wise it is just so fun! One is super girly and the other wants to play in the mud lol
Within a day or 2 after my 2nd delivery we were asked when we are going to try for a boy and it makes me sad. We have had multiple comments even recently about why we aren’t having a boy and honestly it really hurts. Our family is complete at 2 girls and we felt that way the day we found out we were having a 2nd girl. We said 2 kids no matter what 2 boys, 2 girls or 1 of each. Many don’t know how hard it was just having 2 babies for us anyway ( my oldest is a fertility baby and my 2nd was a complete shock!) I don’t feel like I need to explain my struggles (I’ve got PCOS) so I just jokingly tell people to mind their business lol.
As far as names… with my oldest we had her name picked before we even got married and my 2nd we had quite the list going and decided shortly after the 20 week anatomy scan. We used family names for both of their middle names and I couldn’t love them more!
I know you weren’t asking for name suggestions, but I always like Cameron for a little girl. So pretty!
So I didn’t realize this was “my mother intuition” until after my second but… when I was pregnant with my first (we didn’t find out gender and if I am being honest I leaned towards wanting a boy so I thought that played into this) anytime some one would guess girl, I would in my head get a little defensive and think no it’s not. Again I thought it was because I leaned towards wanting a boy. Well then I was pregnant with my second and again I leaned towards a boy (I think all boys/brothers are so fun!) but anytime someone would guess boy I would have that same feeling and think nope! And when I pictured moments it was always a girl. And she was a girl! Anyway I now wonder if that was my mom gut inside my head. All this to say babies are the biggest blessing NO MATTER the gender and each type of gender combo brings its own awesomeness. Actually the weirdest thing for me having a second is trying to not assume your second will be like your first. I honestly just pictured very similar kids and already at 1 year my second is SO SO different than my first. I am so happy for you and have been praying for safe healthy baby and momma.
And also an interesting perspective… people say to me all the time “oh so you are done now that you have a boy and a girl”. It breaks my heart that people think that having kids is just about what genders you have. I hurts my heart when people say that stuff to families of same genders as well.
You described my reactions to people saying we’re having a girl PERFECTLY! I would obviously absolutely love a little girl, but every time someone guesses girl, I also find myself thinking, “Nooo… probably not” which makes me feel a little crazy! Ha! I still really don’t feel like I have a clue one way or another, but I guess this is just another thing that makes me think I really am leaning toward thinking there’s a little boy in there! Cannot wait to find out! And t hank you so, so much for your prayers. I appreciate them very much! <3
I have a Henry (3) and an Evelyn (6 weeks) both completely different pregnancies. I knew right away with each kid what I was having and what their names were. I just had a weird feeling that I already ‘knew them. Not sure if that makes sense but it just felt right.
And you’re totally having a girl I’d say! It sounds like the symptoms I had with my girl. With my son I had nothing at all with my girl I had ALL the discomfort!
Hi Julie! I love following along with your daily life with Chase as well as your current pregnancy. I had my second child a little over a year ago. We decided NOT to find out the gender of our first child – and she is a beautiful now 3.5 year old girl. On the second go, we decided to find out what we were having. My son is a wild, sweet one year old boy. With my first, I had a dream when I was about 32 or 34 weeks that I was having a little girl. Pretty crazy! I would say that my second pregnancy was different from my first, but only very slightly as I experienced very intense nausea around week 8 or 9 that lasted nearly all day. I was literally eating only carbs (potatoes!) whenever I felt hungry and I’m pretty sure I looked several shades of green for a week. Once my co-workers found out that I was pregnant, I had a male co-worker comment that I had looked pretty sick a while back and it had made him wonder =)
I wish you all the best in the rest of your pregnancy, and a healthy delivery!
We decided on our baby girl’s name, Scout Callie, maybe a month after we found out she was a girl! If our next is a girl we have NO other names picked out, so we will definitely be in a pickle haha!
I have three boys, and pretty much all 3 of my pregnancies were similar. I was way more sick the first trimester with the second two kids, but I carried the same (really low) with all three, and I just had gut feelings with all three of them that they were boys. So, obviously, I have gotten a million questions and comments from people who just assume I’ll have another one, so I can “try for a girl” and it’s so annoying! I”m so happy with what I have, and we are content with our three. I really have no desire to just keep popping out kids until I get a girl! I can tell you are going to be thrilled no matter what happens. Congrats!
I feel the same way about sex of the baby! I have two boys and didn’t find out with either. So many people expected me to want a girl for the second one and now even that we have two boys people always ask if we are going to have a third just to have a girl. I had two miscarriages before our first son was born and loved everything you said – so happy to just have a healthy baby! And it will be perfect no matter what it is!
We didn’t decide on a name until the day we left the hospital! Not knowing the sex makes it much harder and I was pretty shocked when I heard our baby was a girl, even though I wasn’t convinced it would be a boy either.
We had no clue about the sex for either of our kiddos. I had very similar pregnancies, with a boy the first time and a girl the second time. Each time, we went in with two girl names and two boy names, and once baby arrived and we were down to our two finalists, we sat with both for about 36 hours before committing.Also, I really expected that I would care a lot about the sex. Like you, I imagined the “it’s a boy!” or “it’s a girl!” moment right after birth. But surprisingly, it didn’t really matter at the time.
My first labour was looooong (50+ hours) and required a vaccuum after four hours of pushing and a meconium show. As soon as the baby was born and immediately placed on my chest, a nurse and pediatrician were checking baby’s heart, breathing, and colour. I was entirely focused on those immediate health issues, and breathed a sigh of relief when all was well. I spent the next 10 minutes staring into my baby’s eyes and being stitched up, and it wasn’t until the doctor was filling out the paperwork that he looked up and said “does anyone know if this baby is a boy or a girl?” that we realized that we didn’t know! Ha! The nurse said “I know! Do you want me to tell you guys, or do you want to see for yourself?”. At that point the baby was all snuggled up under a blanket, and the thought of lifting off the blanket just to see the parts seemed mean so the nurse just told us. But really, it was about 15 minutes after the actual birth, and it was such an afterthought.
With #2, the medical team placed her on my chest, started checking vitals, and noted a low temperature so they covered us both with a warm blanket. Once she was warmed up, I asked about the sex, but again, it seemed selfish to make her cold just to check the sex so the nurse told us.
After going through a similar experience both times, my theory is that we obsess about the sex because it’s something that we can immediately know about our new baby. We can’t look at them and know if they’re an introvert or extrovert, or an adventurous eater, or really into music, or whatever, and we’re all just so excited to meet the baby and to learn…something!…about them.
The only thing that was similar between my two pregnancies were horrible heartburn, and they both had a bunch of hair when they came out. When I was pregnant with my son I had night sickness vs all day sickness with my daughter. I was on the borderline of gestational diabetes with my son, but perfectly fine with my daughter. I wanted all the carbs with my son and wanted all the cuties and fruit with my daughter.
For both my pregnancies we found out the sex of the baby and then started the name game. We have a long slightly hard to pronounce last name so I wanted easy one sylable first names for both of them. For my daughter we actually goggled one sylable female names and found it on a list.
I’ve love following your pregnancy journey and it’s nice to see what I might expect with mine. I just got into the 2nd trimester of my second pregnancy. It is a little different than my first. The nausea and aversion to all things peppermint have been the same, but I want all the salty or bland things possible! Sweets are a total turn off. There is nothing better than a bowl of plain Rice Chex! My son will be 3 1/2 when this baby is born; so far he thinks it’s a house. So gender is the farthest thing from his mind! haha I felt very strongly I was having a boy with my first and I was right. I can’t tell if I feel like this one is a girl or that it’s just my subconscious wanting a girl. Either way, I’ll be happy with a healthy baby!
The doctor first told me I was having a boy the second time and I told my husband after the appointment that he was wrong. (my oldest is a boy) My second pregnancy was different and I just felt that I was having a girl. Sure enough a month later, we found out it was a girl and not a boy. (I didn’t know what to believe?!?) I jokingly told my husband, it would be funny if we delivered a boy! But Miss. Mayzie June popped out as predicted the second time:)
I relate to so much of this! I’m 33 weeks and what is it about driving that makes me SO uncomfortable? On the sex issue – I have two boys. I didn’t find out with my second. My pregnancy was totally different than my first; different symptoms, weight gain, carried differently, the whole 9 yards, so of course, EVERYONE insisted it had to be a girl. I honestly had no idea, with my first I had a very strong feeling it was a boy starting at 8 weeks, but second, I was honestly clueless even when my doctor asked me right before he was born.
Strangely enough girl names are a struggle. We decided on both our sons names before I was even pregnant and never wavered, and decided on a boy name this time early on and I love it. Girl names we just don’t seem to see eye to eye on. I never understood how people could decide after birth either but it looks like that’s what we will be doing if it’s a girl! We have a short list, at least.
I have sooo many feels on the sex. I get constant comments assuming we were trying for a girl, assuming I am hoping for a girl, mentioning that other people are hoping for a girl. I really hate it, because if I’m hoping for a girl, that implies I’m hoping it’s NOT a boy. I already experienced this with my younger son and I can’t stand the idea that a little boy would be starting off his life as a disappointment, even though I know that to me and my family and the people that matter, he wouldn’t be. We weren’t “trying for a girl”, we want a third child in our family and like you said, I love my boys so much and can’t imagine them being anyone but who they are, and obviously I’ll feel the same about this baby.
It also annoys me because it’s just dumb. We went through all this “oh you have that symptom? Oh you’re carrying differently! Must be a GIRL” last time, people. It was a boy. Symptoms don’t indicate sex. We have established this. It wouldn’t bother me so much if it wasn’t the same people who have made the obsessive “hoping for a girl” comments. And that’s my novel on kids of the same sex.
I am the proud mama of three beautiful girls, and all throughout my pregnancy people (mostly strangers or acquaintances) CONSTANTLY made comments along the lines of , “Oh, your husband must be so disappointed,” or my favorite that we unfortunately still alw
Sorry about that! anyways, we still have people ask us when we are going to try for that boy… and if we decide to have more children, it will be because we want a child, not a boy or girl! It’s seriously such a pet peeve to be asked those questions and so rude too! And all three of my gurl pregnancies were fairly similar… I craved sweets and carbs like crazy haha, but I was sick with my last pregnancy and rarely sick with my first two. Also, everyone who commented on my belly and guessed the sex always guessed girl… so I those little old ladies who can look at you and know what you’re having are on to something! I hope you continue to have a good pregnancy, and can’t wait to keep following your journey!!!
Both my pregnancies were different. I had all day sickness with my first for 18 weeks and survived on bland, carby foods. With my second, I had the typical nausea that lasted for 12 weeks. I had to eat every hr or so and then the nausea wasn’t too bad and could go on with my day. I did carry low and all in my stomach with both. I had both boys! The second took us 16 months to conceive and we had one early loss and yes, even family members seemed disappointed that it wasn’t a girl. I was so grateful for any healthy second child. And we are done with 2 and I love having boys! All the best!
I have two boys (ages 3.5 and 10 months). My pregnancies were slightly different and I was sick a lot longer during my second pregnancy, making me think I was going to have a girl instead but that’s not what God had planned for me. I’ll admit, I was a bit upset when I found out the news but everyone else was extremely excited for me, saying that little boys are the best! But no matter what, having a healthy child is what really matters and I cannot imagine life without either of my little boys. I’m so excited for you and cannot wait to see your new addition to the family 🙂
We were at a 2 yr old birthday party over the weekend where there were some friends pregnant with their second. And the conversation was about the sex and who wanted what and blah blah. My husband finally said when we got home I am so tired of people talking about the sex of the baby. To be able to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and have a healthy baby at the end is a miracle in itself! Who cares about the gender. Amen!! If you haven’t experienced loss it is hard to understand. I am so happy for you Julie! Always in my prayers!?
YES!!!!!!
I agree with this so much — I do think going through any sort of challenges related to becoming pregnant and having a child makes it impossible for your perspective NOT to change a lot regarding pregnancy/babies. Any baby is such a blessing and a true gift. <3
2 little girls for me, and my pregnancies (and deliveries) were COMPLETELY different. I was convinced it was a boy the first time, because my husband’s family is over 5 generations of only boys! Also, I always wanted an older brother growing up, so I think that made me kind of hope that my oldest would be a boy. Then with the second one, I was convinced it was a boy, but only because my pregnancy was so different.
With the first, we had names picked out for either gender before I was even pregnant. It was super easy for us, as they were family names. Then with the second, we already had a boy name picked out, because we didn’t use it with our little girl. We were able to decide on a little girl name fairly quickly after finding out we were having another girl. We knew that we (ok, mostly me) wanted the initials to be the same as the first child, because of all of our monogrammed things, and also because it’s the same initials as my mom and grandmother, which I just think is neat. There was only 1 name combo that we both liked, so that was it.
Yes! It’s so frustrating and sad to me. Anytime people find out I have 2 girls, or see us out somewhere, I so often hear….”Your poor husband”. I just don’t know how to respond to that! I always pictured myself raising boys for some reason, but I couldn’t be happier picking out hairbows, and they’re only 17 months apart, so I know that they will be best friends.
My two pregnancies were completely different… One was easy breezy, but LONG (didn’t come until 41 weeks 6 days!) and I gained close to 50 lbs. The other was filled with all day nausea, insomnia, gestational diabetes, I only gained 23 lbs and delivered at 39 weeks. But I have two healthy boys from it all… I swore my second would be a girl because of the different pregnancies, but here he is and I wouldn’t change a thing! My favorite part of having two boys (Now 7 and 4 years old) is that they are so opposite from each other. It’s such a gift getting to know their individual personalities, likes and dislikes. Even as babies, one wanted to be swaddled tight, and the other wanted to spread out! One loved the swing, and one hated it, etc.
I am so excited for you and this new chapter! Just soak up every second of it because they’ll be 7 and 4 before you know it! 🙂
I love reading about your boys’ differences! When I picture another boy it’s hard not to picture another little Chase but SO exciting thinking about a whole new little person with their own personality, quirks, passions, opinions, etc. I think maybe that’s one of the many reasons having two kids of the same sex doesn’t bother me in the least — I know they’ll still be SO different from each other!
I have a 2 year old girl. I think my husband named her after our 12 week ultrasound. He said the ultrasound looked like a bean and went with Rowan (Mr Bean’s real name). It worked for boy or girl and at our gender ultrasound, we found out baby was a girl! We are trying for baby #2 and I have it in my mind that I want a gender neutral name also for baby #2.
Love reading your updates!
I am 34 weeks pregnant with my first, and we don’t know the baby’s gender either. Everyone says “do you hope it’s a girl?” “i see you as a boy mom” etc. Sometimes I’m even bothered by “let’s just hope it’s a healthy baby!”…well if it’s not, I’m still going to love the hell out of that baby! Maybe it’s just hormones making me slightly dramatic…ha! So happy for y’all, and love following along on your adventures, especially since we are in CLT I love getting ideas on kid friendly things to do! We also took a babymoon to the Sanctuary a few months back and fell in love with Kiawah!!
I have two boys and the pregnancies were polar opposite of each other and I swore my second was going to be a girl. With my first I craved fruit candy and all the fruit. With my second I wanted all the salty snacks and carbs.
Before we found out what we were having we had a girl name picked out because we both loved it. The name we actually gave our son took me a long time to get my husband to agree to. I had been working on him since our oldest was born and he finally agreed a few weeks before we had him. I’m glad I worked on him so hard because we had our son 10 weeks early!
When people found out we had another boy, the immediate response was “Oh, you have to try for a girl now!”. This was like a dagger to my heart. Not only are you belittling my boys, but I’m also not allowed to have any more children. I had preeclampsia/hellp syndrome with both and almost died each time. My doctor said I’d be an idiot to have another. I know people don’t mean any harm by it, but you never know what someone is going through. People need to be more aware of what is coming out of their mouths.
I have one girl, born last June.. so it’s been fun seeing where you are and remembering how I was in the very same place this time last year! We only want one more, and I honestly want another girl. It’s not to say I would be disappointed with a boy and I KNOW if I had a boy I would be so happy, but I adore having a girl and I think it would be so fun for her to have a sister. And my husband initially wanted a boy, so badly, but he says all the time how thankful he is that he has a daughter and I actually think he is leaning towards another girl as well!
And as far as intuition, I knew she was a girl from the second I saw the positive pregnancy test. I don’t know why, and I actually told myself I was being ridiculous and only felt that way because the test was pink. But I knew, and when they told us at the 20 week ultrasound I didn’t even flinch because I had known all along.
I decided on her name in high school lol. I love Reese Witherspoon and have always been told that I look like her, so I have wanted to name my daughter Reese for as long as I can remember. Thankfully my husband agreed to it and he picked her middle name 🙂
Reese is a gorgeous name! It’s on our list of girl names, too! <3
Luckily names have been easy for us! We didn’t find out the gender of our daughter so we had two names ready to go. I fell in love with the name Emma years ago and always knew that would be our girl name and since I chose the girl name my husband picked the boy name which was pretty easy for him. Since we had a girl we still have the boy name to use for this pregnancy and my husband came up with the name Claire before I was even pregnant and we both loved it so we decided that was the girls name. Easy peasy!
I had different symptoms with my pregnancies and have two boys. I sort of always thought I would be a boy mom. I’ve gotten a couple comments about trying for a third to get a girl, but our family feels complete with two kids so there won’t be an intentional third :). I always thought it was weird when people didn’t have a name picked out too. But we didn’t find out the sex with our second, we were 100% sure on our girl name but were going back and forth on our boy name. We didn’t decide for sure until an hour or two after he was born. We actually picked one name but it didn’t feel right so changed our minds about 15 min later haha
Ha!! I could totally see changing my mind! I actually wanted to change Sadie’s name a few days after we named her but by then it stuck!
I totally thought we were having a boy my whole first pregnancy (no real reason – just intuition) and was very shocked to find out it was a GIRL 🙂 So… mother’s intuition can be totally wrong. haha
We had names picked out for our first around probably 32-ish weeks along. For our second (due in June) we found out we are having a boy and are using the name we would have named baby #1 if she had been a boy since we still love the name and it has a family connection for us.
You’ll find the perfect name in time I’m sure.
I just had twins on April 6th and on the way to the hospital I told my husband I just knew they were boys. I was already planning that we would have to adopt a girl. Well, to my surprise, my husband told me twice, “it’s a girl!” Apparently, my intuition was wrong! Don’t get me wrong, I would be ecstatic with boys! I have a 2yo son, who is full of life and just happy and adventurous! But, I think I can only handle one daredevil, which my little guy fills that role quite well! I also had many dreams my twins were girls but chose to ignore the dreams. Who knew dreams could be so accurate?
We found out with both of our girls but my pregnancies were totally different! I blame it on different seasons (one in August, one in February). But I felt completely different – how I gained weight, nausea, everything was different than my first pregnancy.
We decided on our girls name about halfway through for both and never looked back! Except it did take a little longer to agree on the second baby:)
I think my husband would have loved a little boy but I was THRILLED to have another girl (and so was her big sister)!
Our first child was a girl. When we got pregnant again, all of the symptoms that I experienced early on were so completely different that I just KNEW we were going to have a boy! Well, we went to our first appointment and found out the reason that I was feeling SO different was because we were having TWINS!!!! And they both turned out to be girls. Did a part of me hope to have at least one boy before we found out their sexes? Sure. But I could not imagine my life without our 3 perfect girls!
We were surprised with gender for both pregnancies. For the second we had a boy named locked down, but we went back and forth on a girl name. I was sold on Emerson and convinced it was a girl so I was even nicknaming the baby Emmie. Two weeks before delivery my husband was like “I really don’t like Emerson”. I was devastated. I literally handed him the ipad with a list of all the baby names by rank. He listed off a bunch and I hated all of them. He got to #80 and it was Reagan which is our oldest daughter’s name. He goes “well if it’s another girl we should just double it.” He jumps to #160 – Hayden. At the same time we both stop and just knew. I can’t imagine our little Hayden as anything else.
I’m big on signs and I have no doubt when you find the perfect name, you will just know. If all else fails, Thomas the Train is still a viable option!
I love this name story!! Reagan was my #1 girl’s name… until I met and married Ryan and it rhymed with my new last name! Haha!
I have two girls but everything about my pregnancies seemed so different from each other. I think part of that was just knowing what to expect and how to handle things a little better.
Your comments about people’s opinions on the gender of your children are so accurate… it can be so frustrating. I have two girls and I love having two girls. I grew up with a sister who still to this day is my very best friend and I was so excited that my girls would have that. We would have been equally as happy with a boy (and all the different things that comes with that) as well but that is not what God chose for my family. It is so super frustrating and annoying when people make you feel like you have “failed” because you failed to produce the perfect boy/girl offspring. My nurse literally asked me if I was going to try again for a boy just hours after having my baby and I was like are you kidding me?
My husband is totally okay with two girls too… he takes the hunting and fishing and coaches tball and does all the fun things he would have done with a boy… he just does it all with a little pink 🙂 Your family will be perfectly what God has planned for you either way!
I agree with you completely. I had the exact same thing happen to me at the hospital when I had a second boy. People are crazy.
That’s EXACTLY how it was with the names! (We we’re surprised with the gender, although I had a gut feeling all along that he was a boy.) Interestingly (I thought), the name we chose was way down on our list and not one we’d been “serious” about until we saw him. His dad tells people he named himself! We were 99% sure we’d go with our top boy choice—Atticus—but he came out and was Emerson. (Can you tell I was an English major? 🙂
Love that! While Ryan and I were pretty committed to Chase’s name, we both said that if he came out and it didn’t feel right, we’d change it but he was definitely a Chase from the beginning! I am REALLY hoping to have some kind of an “ah ha!” moment regarding a name when this little one arrives!
We JUST decided on our son’s name, and only because we were both sick of calling him “baby boy” constantly when we both knew we liked the same name, ha! We just went for it! And I ordered him a name sign, so now it’s really set in stone!
My son was not named until the day he was born, and we found out the gender at 20 weeks. My husband wanted to use a family name that I was absolutely opposed to, so we could *not* agree. It was frustrating when I was pregnant and everyone was asking about the name! We finally settled on a compromise when I was in labor.
I found out I was having my second boy on my birthday and when I made my appointment the receptionist said “Are you sure you want to find out on your birthday, what if you don’t get what you want? Won’t it ruin the day?” And I honestly didn’t even know what to say for a minute – I was in shock. I eventually said “No – I would be happy with either one, we did not have a child for gender”.
I am currently pregnant with my 3rd and people have definitely asked if I am hoping for a girl but it isn’t in the way I expected. They are more hesitant about it and see more respectful than I have heard in the past. We are definitely excited either way and I can easily see a boy fitting in with our family just as much as a girl!
That is crazy! I feel like my mouth would’ve dropped open on the spot if that happened to me!
Also, wishing you the very best for a happy and healthy pregnancy and delivery for your third bundle of joy!!
I am so, so happy for you and your family and am counting down to your baby’s arrival! Wasn’t the royal baby news yesterday exciting?!
I’ve been reading through all of the comments people have been leaving about the sex of their kids and it almost seems like, you can’t win! Let’s say you want three kids but you have a boy then a girl. Then people are like, “Why would you have a third? You already have a boy and a girl” (which I feel like many in society think is the “perfect family”) My friend has two boys then a girl. So even though the excitement was through the roof when her girl was born, now that she’s two years old people say, “Well you have to have another girl for your daughter!” or people see her out and say, “Well you must’ve wanted to try for a girl to have had a third” even though they would’ve been happy with three boys and always wanted three kids no matter what!
I think the bottom line is, people feel the need to say something. And because in society blue is associated with boys, and pink with girls, when people see a mom with a boy and a girl, they may think, “perfect family! What a lucky mom to experience life with both a boy and a girl!” and a lot of people see me with two boys and think, “She’s probably disappointed and will try to have a girl” when my husband and I honestly think we have two boys b/c we were meant to! Just like everyone is meant to have the children they are blessed with! Whether that’s through birth, adoption, after years of infertility, losses, etc. I think people may long for a boy or a girl while pregnant, but when you actually have your kids in front of you, you do not think, “Wow, I really wish my second had been a girl.” It’s just SO silly! I had two people who worked at the hospital tell me I needed to have a girl or asked me if I planned to try for a girl within 24 hours of my second son’s birth. That is just insane!!!! I think it goes along with this idea in society of the “perfect” woman – thin, a boy and a girl, but there is just no perfect. It does not exist. Do you know any person who has a perfect life? I honestly do not! Wanting perfection, and especially the image of perfection, is dangerous!
I remember when the author of Against All Grain had this video on the Today show about finally having a girl, after she’d lost her daughter halfway through her pregnancy. She had admitted that she had been very depressed when she had a second boy and wasn’t sure if she wanted him or could love him. I feel devastated for him to read those words one day when he is older, even though she said that’s not how she feels today. When she was pregnant the last time she made it clear she would’ve been heartbroken to have a third boy, but having a girl means that now she gets to be happy in life. This kind of thing makes me feel very nervous. When she spoke in her video about how having a girl means pink and hair bows and ballet classes and picking out homecoming dresses and wedding dresses and spa days and nail appointments, there was a woman who wrote in and said something like, “Um…I’m my mom’s only daughter. A day at the spa sounds like torture. I liked sports. I hated makeup and dresses and dance. Am I a huge disappointment to my mom? What if your daughter hates girly thing?” I honestly can’t believe that in 2018 it’s still, “Well, a husband must be disappointed to not get to have a boy b/c boys love sports.” Some boys hate sports! Some girls love sports! I think we need to be very careful with the expectations we have for our kids, especially when it comes to gender. What if a mom has a boy and a girl but then one decides they are gay or transgender? Or what if their daughter finds that she doesn’t meet the one and feels like a failure because her mom is missing out on wedding dress shopping? (I have a friend who feels this pressure daily and it hurts my heart for her.) My expectations for my boys are that they do their best, find what makes them happy, and that they are kind and compassionate people. Period.
Sorry to write a book about this but I really feel passionate about the subject!! Julie, I love that you are bringing up these issues in your blog and that you’ll be so happy to have a second boy or a girl! Every single family is unique and has positives no matter what – two boys, two girls, one of each, three boys, three girls, etc. There is no “one” perfect family. Each of our families is perfect!!!!!
I commented on this a while back, but the biggest difference between my first pregnancy (girl) and my second (boy) was th me way I gained weight. With my daughter, I gained weight ALL over (my arms couldn’t even fit in my blazers!) and with my son I was all belly, with virtually no weight gain anywhere else. It was wild how different it was! So my intuition is that yours is a girl based on you saying something similar about your weight gain early on. But who knows?!
I have a boy and a girl so I haven’t gotten the comments about trying for a particular gender, but I have had a lot of people say, “Oh, one of each! So you can be done now if you want!” As if I couldn’t be done with 2 if they were both the same sex! People are weird. My husband and I have always wanted 3 and we have our 3rd in the way now. I would love to be surprised with this baby, but I think practicality is going to win out because our plan is to move my daughter into a new room, and if the baby is a girl we won’t need to update the nursery at all, but if it’s a boy we’ll need to make some changes. So for that reason I think we’ll probably find out. I think it’s so cool that you guys are going to be surprised though! I think having that moment in the delivery room would be SO cool!!
I always LOVE reading pregnancy updates. I’m 28 weeks with baby #2 as well, so it’s always fun to see how other mamas are feeling at around the same point 🙂
Happy April 24th! I’m glad you got a lot of support when you were struggling with some pregnancy symptoms, because everybody deserves support no matter what they’re going through. And as I’ve mentioned before, “saying someone can’t be upset because someone else has it worse is like saying someone can’t be happy because someone else has it better.” It’s great for women to be able to come together and commiserate about whatever it is they need to, even if there are people going through other difficult things at the same time. If you had a cold while someone else had something worse, it wouldn’t make your nose any less stuffy or your throat any less sore. It makes us all feel less alone to talk things through, and it’s ultimately a great thing.
I’m so happy you’re getting affirmations, week after week, that things are proceding along a great, healthy path. Continued prayers of support sent your way!
I watched an instastory from K8 from the Small Things Blog, who’s expecting her third child soon, and she already has 2 boys, and she’s said the same thing about how weird people can be about placing their expectations on the gender of your future child. At the very heart of it, everyone just wants a happy, healthy baby! That’s my prayer for you. It will be great when you have a child of either gender! I’m excited to hear your baby names! I’m a big fan of “Kate” for a girl, and I’m all over the place with preferences for boy names.
Thanks for another great post!
Not quite the same as what you’re talking about, but I have boy/girl twins, so people always say “wow, a boy and a girl, now you’re done!” Umm, no we’re not. hahah, idk why people think having both sexes is the ideal or why they think they can tell me i’m done having children? It’s so awkward. lol.
You love on that baby no matter what the sex!! <3 <3
You look great! I can’t wait to see the sex of your baby…and how Chase adjusts to a new little brother or sister. I can’t believe you still have 2 months left!
My first was a girl. My 2nd pregnancy we also didn’t find out the sex. My pregnancy was very different from the first, and I totally bought in to the “heartrate” theory – higher heart rate means girl and lower means boy. My daughter’s heartrate was always super high, and the 2nd baby was super low. That plus the different symtoms had me convinced we were having a boy. I think you see where this is going…my 2nd daughter popped out (after just 4 short hours of labor I might add…yay 2nd child!) and my husband said “it’s a girl!” – I was shocked. Definitely felt the pull between not wanting a boy (had always imagined girls only) but wanting 1 of each. SO I was happy either way – I think one of each could be fun, but its always great having 2 girls – the sister bond is something special and its also super convenient with hand me down clothes 😉
Congrats on this pregnancy – looking forward to what’s next!