Wednesday, March 5, 2014

A 17 Year Difference

So, pregnancy as a 36 year old is much much more interesting than it was as a 19 year old.

At 19, I stayed out all night with my friends.

At 36, I am asleep by 9:30.

At 19, I drank gallons of coffee, smoked cigarettes, and ate crappy take-out food supplemented by the occasional full meal at Denny's. I truly took "eating for two" literally.

At 36, I drink gallons of water, can't handle the smell of cigarette smoke, and I'm very conscious of what I'm eating and have plans to limit my weight gain as much as possible.

At 19, I didn't feel an ounce of pregnancy until I was about 7 months along.

At 36, every moment of every day is consumed with feeling pregnant. At 5 and a half weeks, I feel like I've been run over by a Mack Truck.

At 19, my worries and anxieties circulated around things like how I was going to pay my rent and afford diapers.

At 36, my worries are more about future mortgages and shopping for a car that has enough room for a car seat.  


This time around is so very, very different. I'm definitely feeling it more physically, but I have so much more help and support this time.

4 comments:

  1. Haha, oh my god is it ever different?! Last July I had baby no. 5 - I was 37 and my eldest daughter was just about to turn 16, my youngest (then) was 8.
    Seriously....so many issues I didn't even give a thought to in my twenties suddenly cropped up and I was all like "wtf?!"
    It is so much harder on your body when you're older as well! But I think without a doubt it's more rewarding - you're older therefore you know more. You've done stuff once and you know what worked and didn't work. You have more patience and can go with the flow a bit more (in terms of parenting).

    But the one thing I will say kills, is the sleep deprivation!!! That is the hardest thing hands down about having a baby when you're older. Having said that, we're probably going to go for no. 6 at the end of this year, so I'll be a pregnant 39 year old. :/

    Yep....
    Hope you're feeling ok!

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    1. Isn't it crazy? I really thought I would just breeze through this pregnancy, because, ya know, I know better and I'm healthier and what not. But I guess age is going to teach me a lesson for thinking that! For now, I'm just trying to eat as healthy as possible, get some exercise every day, and get to my yoga class every week. I at least feel like I'm functioning now!

      I have a feeling that parenting this time around is going to be SO much better though.

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  2. Weird how nature makes it more difficult for someone over around 30 to handle pregnancy (more exhaustion, more sensitivities, etc) when someone over 30 is probably much more prepared to actually raise a baby. Seems like it should be the other way around!

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    Replies
    1. Right? When I was 19, I got knocked up by accident and breezed through pregnancy! 16 year olds get pregnant in the back seats of cars all the time! At 36, it was an actual process and I had to actually TRY!

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