Pregnancy Comparison Thus Far

It is impossible not to compare my current singleton pregnancy with my triplet pregnancy. Although the triplet pregnancy had great results as we now have three wonderful children, I am thankful every day that this time around I am only growing one baby inside of me. Pregnancy is tough, whether it's one baby or three, and I can't imagine trying to take care of Alexis, Jack, and Faith while being pregnant with triplets as eating and resting were practically a full-time job the first time around.

These are some observations I've made between the two pregnancies so far:

• The first trimester of my current pregnancy felt hard, especially because Alexis, Jack, and Faith no longer nap and I needed a nap most afternoons (Jack gave up his nap during the first trimester, much to my chagrin).  There were many days that I turned on a movie for the kids just so they would be entertained while I napped. Even during the second trimester I still need a short nap occasionally, so I sleep on the couch while the kids watch a short show. During the first trimester I spent most evenings resting once Micah got home from work (I'm thankful for a husband that was willing and able to put the kids to bed most nights by himself for weeks!). 

•  I think I felt "good" for about a month of my triplet pregnancy...maybe between weeks 15 and 20, which is after the first trimester and before I started getting really big. So far the second trimester of this pregnancy has proved to be somewhat easier. Unfortunately I had two colds and a stomach bug between weeks 15 and 20 (I don't think I EVER had even a minor cold when I was pregnant with triplets as it was much easier to stay away from germs before I had kids), which depleted my energy, but even with those sicknesses I was able to care for our kids while being pregnant. Now I'm 23 weeks along and lately I have felt much better (knock on wood!), although I have come to realize that I probably won't ever have my "normal" energy level until I'm not pregnant. Plus, I'm just plain exhausted at the end of every day since I'm taking care of three rambunctious, strong-willed 3-year-olds.

• Up until a couple of weeks ago I could still wear some looser fitting non-maternity tops (and even at 23 weeks I have a couple of looser non-maternity tops that I've purchased since becoming pregnant that I can still wear). I can also still zip my winter coats, although I probably only have a couple of more weeks left of being able to do that. I gained so much weight with the triplet pregnancy that this would not have been possible, so I love that I can still squeeze into some of my "regular" clothes. 

• Multiple people have told me I'm still "tiny." Although I have been gaining weight steadily, and I will most likely go over the recommended max weight gain of 35 lbs (the holidays definitely didn't help me keep my weight gain in check!), compared to my triplet pregnancy I am tiny. As of 23 weeks I had gained 46 lbs with the triplet pregnancy, but with this pregnancy I've gained just over 20. I don't feel small since 20 lbs is significant, but the difference between the weight gains during the pregnancies is huge.

• I have to eat often, but not nearly as often or as much as the triplet pregnancy. I literally had to force myself to eat with the triplet pregnancy, since I was told that the more weight I gained the better off the babies would be, but this time around I eat when I feel like it. 

• My cravings are different this time around, although I'm sure that happens with different pregnancies for everyone. I loved Kraft Mac n Cheese and McDonald's during my triplet pregnancy. Since having kids, I no longer make Kraft Mac n Cheese because I've realized it's actually a bit gross, but my kids love Annie's. I've had an abundance of mac n cheese over the last couple of years because of the kids, though, so this is NOT something I crave. I also have only had McDonald's on road trips as it really doesn't sound that good (generally we don't eat much fast food). BUT this time around I have had too many Twisters Bandito Breakfast Burritos to count (they only cost $2 and they are the perfect little size for a second breakfast, so I didn't feel too bad going through the drive thru often during the first trimester). We also ate pizza once a week during the first trimester (I might have kept this up if heartburn wasn't a factor now). 

• During my triplet pregnancy I ate ice cream almost every single day because I was told it was a good way to get more calcium and fat. This time around I've only had a tiny amount of ice cream as I correlate it with massive weight gain during pregnancy. 

• Like my triplet pregnancy I have heartburn, but so far it is very mild compared to my triplet pregnancy. I'm hoping that it doesn't get any worse as during my triplet pregnancy I had to sleep sitting up most nights, which was miserable.

• I was hopeful that I would keep running and climbing during this pregnancy since that was something I longed to do during my triplet pregnancy, but that hasn't worked out for me this time either. I was way too exhausted to do these activities during the first trimester, and now I find it hard to find the time and energy to do these things along with taking care of Alexis, Jack, and Faith. Also, when I have tried running and climbing it just didn't "feel right" since my body has gone through a big change already. Instead, I'm trying to make sure I keep moving and at least go to the zoo and parks with the kids so that I'm getting a lot of walking in. I honestly don't get much downtime in my day since Alexis, Jack, and Faith require a lot of attention and supervision, so I'm pretty sure I'll be in better shape at the end of this pregnancy than I was at the end of the triplet pregnancy (just squatting to pick up millions of toys strewn about the house is more than I did during my first pregnancy!).

• I felt movement early on with this pregnancy, but I wasn't confident it was the baby until 20 weeks when it suddenly became much more obvious. Between 20 and 21 weeks I started seeing the movement. But I still don't feel movement as much as I'd like to and I think this is because I'm comparing it to my triplet pregnancy when I felt movement all of the time. I have to keep reminding myself that I had three babies dancing in my belly the first time around, so it makes sense that the movement feels much less frequent this time.

• I feel much more relaxed about my current pregnancy. During the triplet pregnancy I had a lot of time to think since I wasn't working and I spent my days growing babies, reading about triplets and triplet pregnancies, and preparing for their arrival. This time I'm honestly too busy to think about the pregnancy very much since Alexis, Jack, and Faith demand a lot of attention. It's also not a high risk pregnancy like the triplet pregnancy, so there isn't much to worry and think about. Also, we have most of the stuff we need, and we know we can survive without other things if we don't have them right away, so there is zero prep that needs to be done besides picking out a name! I'm actually getting weekly emails to update me on the pregnancy and I'm paying attention to the fruit / vegetable size comparisons. I was much too stressed to read about fun things like this during my triplet pregnancy.

I have been taking weekly pictures and I've enjoyed comparing my photos to the same gestation in my triplet pregnancy. Thankfully, overall I think I look much more rested and much smaller. The triplet pregnancy took a huge toll on my body, and I think this pregnancy is helping me understand how difficult it really was for me. In the photos below, the triplet pregnancy photos are on the left and the current singleton pregnancy photos are on the right.

16 weeks

17 weeks

18 weeks 

19 weeks

20 weeks

21 weeks

22 weeks 

23 weeks