What I’ll Do Differently During My Second Pregnancy, By Trimester

I still can’t believe that I have completed an entire pregnancy and that I have a child to boot. Currently more than nine months postpartum, I’ve had a lot of time to self-reflect over the past year and a half. And through admitted self-reflection, I’ve decided there are a number of things I would do differently the next time around. I now know from experience that as much as you try to prepare for pregnancy and motherhood, there is always inevitably going to be things you don’t know you don’t know. On top of that, every person and experience is different. It takes experiencing something firsthand to understand what you will want and need as an individual.

I now know what I want and need both as an individual and as a mother. Curious to learn how I plan to improve the experience the next time around? Because, let’s be honest — the first experience was fairy rough. Here are 11 things I am going to do differently when it comes to Baby Janitz number two.

First Trimester

I’ll Start Taking B-6 Much, Much Sooner

I was not even close to prepared for morning sickness — easily the most mentally and physically challenging three months of my life. The one remedy that made a moderate amount of difference was taking B-6 supplements. I’ve since read that taking this vitamin prior to actually becoming pregnant can be a huge help for morning sickness, as you’re preloading your system with this handy dandy supplement. Needless to say I will be guzzling down as much as is healthy leading up to my second pregnancy.

I Will Keep Protein Shakes on Hand

It’s funny how all the medical journals and publications note that morning sickness often leads to weight loss. Well, not for me it didn’t. And — as I’ve learned since — such is the case for many women. For me, morning sickness meant there were only a handful of things I could eat without having to run to the bathroom. Unfortunately, most of those foods were pretty unhealthy (cheeseballs were my meal of choice). Aside from only being able to eat unhealthy foods, I also had to eat constantly to keep the nausea at bay. Thankfully, I eventually discovered that protein shakes were one of the few healthful options I could stomach. Next time, I’ll keep pre-made shakes stocked in my fridge so that I can sip on them throughout the day and know that my body is getting at least some useful nutrients. I’m also hoping that doing so will keep some of the excessive weight gain at bay.

We Will Hire Someone to Clean the Bathrooms

Here’s the thing — when you’re spending a good portion of your day puking into the toilet, you would like said toilet to be clean. I was so incapacitated, I was unable to help with household maintenance or dog care in any way. This meant Andy had to do literally everything to keep the house running. Next time, I will one hundred percent hire someone to come over and help with the cleaning. It’s just too much for one person — especially considering we’ll have little toddler Alden running around while I’m pregnant with baby number two.

Andy and I Will Tell Family Members Sooner

We didn’t end up telling most of our family until the end of the first trimester. We wanted to tell them sooner, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had us all sheltering at home and we really didn’t want to share our big news over the phone. Next time, we will definitely share our news sooner so that we can share in the excitement earlier — and also ask for help.

Second Trimester

I Will Invest in Cute Maternity Clothes

I was so stubborn with my shopping. I’m frugal by nature and didn’t want to invest in clothes that I would only be wearing for a short amount of time. It also didn’t help that I wasn’t a fan of many maternity styles (Why is everything covered in horizontal stripes? Seriously.). This next time though, I will get my wallet out and buy some pieces that will actually help me feel cute and trendy. I’m planning to hit up Target’s maternity section again,as well as ASOS and H&M.

We’ll Buy Gift Cards to Local Restaurants

While we were busy buying things for the baby and his nursery, we should have also been buying gift cards to local restaurants here and there. These definitely would have come in handy once Alden was born or even during the third trimester when I was way too tired to do anything, and my husband was too tired from picking up the household slack for either of us to think about cooking. Buying a $25 gift card every once in a while and storing them for the newborn days will help make our lives so much easier.

Third Trimester

I Will Definitely Drink More Water

OK, fine — I wasn’t getting my gallon a day. But in my defense, the heartburn was torturous! Next time I’m making a promise to myself to actually drink enough water so that I can (hopefully) keep some of the swelling at bay.

I’ll Start my Freezer-Stocking Earlier

I waited until last month to start stocking the freezer. Next time, I won’t wait so long. Healthy chilis, breakfast casseroles, pasta dishes and more — they’re all getting made, labeled and stored way before the baby arrives.

I Promise to Myself I Will Sleep as Much as Humanly Possible

No explanation needed.

Fourth Trimester

I Will — I Swear I Will — Ask for Help

Again, we were in a pandemic. There was only so much we could do on the asking-for-help front (Thank you to all of you who dropped off food or groceries!). Next time, though, we will definitely be asking for some help when it comes to cleaning, watching the baby for an hour so we can take a nap, keeping an eye on Alden (Who will be a toddler! Oh my gosh!), etc.

I Will Trust Myself and Listen to My Body

I was a good patient and waited the prescribed six weeks before exercising (for the most part). But quite frankly, I felt fine much sooner than that. Next time, I’m going to listen to my own body and do what feels best for me. We’re women! We’re not one-size-fits-all.

Are you a parent or a mother in particular? What advice would you give yourself for future pregnancies? Let me know in the comments below!