I find it hard to believe some days that I am only a few weeks away from the third trimester with this pregnancy. It has been such a gift for which I will always be grateful, as I was with my first as well. Though, not everything you experience during your first and consecutive pregnancies is the same. I thought I'd share with you all my top 5 differences that I have found between this pregnancy and my first.

#1. You Find Out What Being Tired and Pregnant Actually Feels Like

Something I remember so clearly about my first pregnancy with my daughter Audrey is constantly being tired and complaining about being so. Now the idea of how "tired" I was at that time is laughable. Yes, I was tired, like most pregnant women are for a wide variety of reasons. At the time, though, I had stopped working at 20 weeks during my pregnancy with her so other than the multiple bathroom trips, a couple of chores and a scatter outing, I spent the entirety of every day lying down and relaxing. An opportunity I would kill for this time around. With this pregnancy, I've learned that my new reality is being exhausted from the moment I wake up in the morning to the time I lay my head down on the pillow each night. Between a teething toddler who loves to throw tantrums and get into everything possible, a marriage and a Youtube channel (and now blog) to run, there's barely any extra time in the day to use the bathroom, let alone relax.

#2. You Understand What's Going on Inside Your Body

With my first pregnancy, every little pain or uncomfortable feeling was cause for concern to me. I remember at 7 weeks rushing to the ER department with sharp stomach pains to find out they were only bad gas pains. From that point on, Google and every baby app and book became my one stop shop for every little bothersome feeling. With that experience under my belt, I've become a lot more in tune with my body. This time around I was able to feel his little kicks and movements sooner because I actually knew what they felt like, but I was also able to decipher normal pregnancy aches and pains from worrisome ones. Being through this whole shebang before gives you more insight into what's going on with your baby and body during pregnancy than every parenting book combined. 

#3. Your Partner Knows Exactly What to Expect

Every woman reacts to pregnancy differently. For me personally, I tend to get crazy hormonal, have lots of mood swings and have a strong NEED for extra personal space. It only makes sense that when your partner sees their normally perfectly composed wife crying on the floor because she dropped the last bagel for the first time, they get a little freaked out. For your partner, pregnancy is a constant guessing game. When all they're trying to do is make you happy and that's changing day to day (or hour to hour) it can become overwhelming. By the time your second (or third) baby comes along, your partner has already had a front row seat to this all before. They know how you and your body react to pregnancy and they should have a pretty good idea of how to confront anything your pregnant self should throw at them (not literally, hopefully). In my experience, this can be a bit of a disadvantage as well. Because your partner has seen you go through this all before, it can cause them to sometimes see things as less crucial than the first time around. For instance, my husband can often brush off me being upset about something because from his experience he knows this is mostly just hormones and everything will usually pass. For me, though, everything is just as intense. If your partner is having a similar issue, make sure you take the time to simply explain your feelings. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to try and keep you as comfortable and happy as possible during your pregnancy.

#4. Your Pregnancy Isn't Your Entire Life

I feel like this is something that only having kid(s) at home already will teach you. You will often hear second (or third) time moms say that their pregnancy is just "flying by" and I feel like this has a lot to do with how much focus you have on other areas of your life when it comes to a consecutive pregnancy. During my first pregnancy, I remember being able to recount exactly how many weeks and days pregnant I was to anyone how asked. I would wake up every morning, make my coffee and change how far along I was on a little chalkboard I had in my kitchen. I was so obsessed with my pregnancy that it made my pregnancy really drag on. I remember every week felt like it took a year to pass, in fact when I went for my first ultrasound and they told me they would have to push back my due date by almost a week, I legitimately sobbed. I felt like I was so ready to already have my baby, that my pregnancy took over my entire life. Now with a toddler already at home, I wouldn't have the option to be so absorbed in my pregnancy the same way, even if I wanted to. I have to say, though, I am truly glad this pregnancy is "flying by". Looking back, being so obsessed with my pregnancy wasn't good for me mentally and only ever wanting to talk about the baby put a stress I didn't even notice at the time on my relationship. I can't say being so involved in your first pregnancy is necessarily a bad thing as I'm pretty sure every first-time mom is the same way. I'm just saying I wouldn't go back to the way that pregnancy felt versus the way I've been feeling this time around if someone paid me.

#5. You've Come to the Realization That You Will Never Be the Same

I remember during my first pregnancy spending so much time worrying if I would go "back to normal". Being only 18 when I became pregnant for the first time, I worried so much about always having a "mom's body" from this point out. If I would every get my tiny waist or perky boobs back. If I would ever again look down at my stomach and not see dozens of stretch marks. If I would ever feel like myself again, if I would keep up with the habit of getting fully ready every day, even if it is only for my husband. I wish I could just go back and tell myself one word that would have solved it all: NO. No, nothing will ever be the same way it was, and that is perfectly okay. My body will never be the same because of all it has went through, and everything it is still put through on a daily basis. I will never again find the time, energy or justification to spend over 2 hours a day getting my hair and makeup done just to sit around the house every single day. All of that is perfectly fine. I think it goes without saying that now that I have come to terms with all of that, it's no longer a stressor this pregnancy. I've come to a place now that I know that I, my husband and my kids love me regardless of how my body looks or how presentable I am. I know that I will feel like myself again, but it will simply be a different version of myself. One I personally think is an upgrade.

I hope you all enjoyed hearing the top 5 differences I've found between my current pregnancy and my first. Please let me know in the comments below the biggest difference you have found!