How Differently Sisters Can Experience Pregnancy…
it’s an exciting time in our family as both my sister and i are pregnant! these will be the first grandkids for all families involved so it’s extra exciting! she has deemed us “sister moms” which makes me laugh every time. kendal is about 5 week behind me so it’s been fun to have a close companion to share in the highs and lows of pregnancy. though we share much of the same genetic make-up as sisters, we could not be having starkly different pregnancies.
her and her husband are waiting to find out the baby’s sex until it’s born but i would put a whole lot of money on a bet that she’s brewing a baby boy! we are having a little girl (#queenNOTprincess) so i think these are pretty good clues about what’s going on in there.
when we were together a few weeks ago in kansas city, we had some good laughs about how different it has been for the both of us!
aversions
me: as i mentioned in my recap of my first trimester, my husband was forbidden to cook pretty much anything and everything for a solid month. i even found almonds offensive (what?!) i could basically only stomach eating plain, white carbs (i.e. pasta and bagels) and pineapple.
sister: a few times her husband was cooking ground beef, it smelled gross so she left the kitchen and was fine. then she still ate it.
morning sickness
me: horrible (see above) and here are tips that helped me survive it!
sister: she felt nauseous around 3 times.
cravings:
me: i am highly influenced by people talking about food or seeing advertising for food, especially sugar. i have been craving spicy, salty, sweet and am still especially fixated on almond-flavored things (perhaps making up for being mean to them in the first trimester?) oh and give me all the graham crackers and teddy grahams!
sister: one time she craved a root beer float.
place of delivery
me: i am going with a midwife at a birthing center
sister: delivering at a hospital and with the same doctor that delivered her husband!
exercise
me: i could barely move from my bed to the couch during the first trimester i was so nauseous. when i got medication for the nausea, my blood pressure was so off that any time i attempted to workout, i would immediately get dizzy and have to stop. walking for about 10 minutes was my limit. thankfully things leveled out about a month ago for me and exercise has been more frequent.
sister: the amount of snapchats i received from her still doing p90x was impressive – all through her first trimester even!
skin
me: i have shared the issues around my skin previously and it’s still a big issue for me. damn you pregnancy pimples – now appearing everywhere.
sister: glowingly and pretty much flawless.
weight gain
me: i totally packed on the pounds in the first trimester because i was only eating carbs and no longer exercising 4-5 a week. i have had to exclusively wear maternity pants from around week 11.
sister: thanks to her feeling good, eating healthy and exercising – she is right on track for appropriate weight gain. even at week 19 she said, “yeah, i still wear all my normal pants but usually have to unbutton them by the end of the day!”
ultrasounds
me: our baby would literally not be still and frustrated the technician who was trying to capture images (hence why the best one we got was this one on her faaaace)!
sister: her baby did squirm a lot during their second ultrasound but generally speaking, each time she leaves with beautiful and adorable pictures of their baby – right side up!
mood swings
i asked her what types of crazy mood swings she has had thanks to nutty pregnancy hormones. here was our real conversation (and my personal favorite contrast):
me: “so have you had any crazy mood swings? like, one time i completely freaked out and lost it when ravery suggested that a family member come visit our new baby after she’s born. or like sometimes i just get so irritated by everything he does i cannot be in the same room as him otherwise i’ll be mean. or i get really demanding passionate about the movie we must watch. what have you done?”
sister: “well, i haven’t really been experiencing bursts of rage or anything. actually, i have been feeling like crazy bursts of joy randomly!”
me: “get. out. of. here.”
this experience has demonstrated that truly every woman experiences pregnancy differently! if one of us had to have the more intense symptoms, i am grateful it is me because my job allows for frequent breaks and working from bed – while she is a fierce and dedicated school social worker!
time shall tell if out pops a little boy or girl for her and in the meantime, we will keep laughing about how different our pregnancies are!
Audrey
June 8, 2016 at 8:26 am
Oh my gosh… I can’t believe how totally different your pregnancies are! That’s super interesting to read. I really love that you’re able to compare! I bet you guys are just DREAMING of your kids being cousin-bffs. Boy or girl, your children are going to be great!!
Audrey recently posted…Thoughts on Recent Events…
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:16 am
it’s insane how different it is! yes we are so excited for cousin BFFs – now if only i can convince them to move to colorado too 🙂
Elyse
June 8, 2016 at 8:28 am
I love how different your pregnancies are!
My mom always cringes when she see this particular photo of her and her sister when she was pregnant with me(third pregnancy) and her sister(her first pregnancy and a boy) because my mom looks awful. Acne, huge, swollen, jaundiced and then there is her sister absolutely glowing from pregnancy.
Pregnancy is so absolutely amazing and a females body is literally awe-inspiring. I have no idea why people even think for a second that women are the weaker sex.
Elyse recently posted…BC Bucket List
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:18 am
haha i totally identify with your mom, elyse! it really is so amazing and bizarre and tiring and exciting (and a thousand things more). absolutely agree with you about how appalling it is that some people think women are the weaker sex!
Jennifer Haston
June 8, 2016 at 9:04 am
Glad you can compare – It really helps crystallize that notion that it’s not the same for everyone. I have had exactly two cravings.. Peanut butter and milk.. and I don’t know if that is me or the baby.. I decided to go with it.. – It’s so fun sharing this journey with you Chelsea!
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:20 am
mmmmm i have been eating a TON of peanut butter (i eat it at least once a day) glad you decided to go with it, jennifer! protein and calcium – it’s all good! glad we are sharing the journey too!
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes
June 8, 2016 at 9:25 am
That’s hysterical!! I hope to be pregnant at the same time as my sister closest in age one day. I have a sister who is 9 years younger. . . I hope we are *not* pregnant at the same time.
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes recently posted…The Middle School of Adulthood
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:22 am
haha yes – please do not be pregnant at the same time as your sister who is 9 years younger – that couldn’t be good for either of you! ha! i hope you do get to do that – it’s been quite interesting and fun!
Amberly
June 8, 2016 at 9:51 am
I’m excited to see if your pregnancies are so different because she’s having a boy. I know that this pregnancy has been totally different than with Bensen, so I knew it was a girl. But I guess we’ll see next time how it compares and if that holds true.
Amberly recently posted…Date Night In The Kitchen: Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:24 am
me too! i thought it was so fascinating when you shared how different your own pregnancies have been amberly! already planning for that #3, eh 😉
Paula Howley
June 8, 2016 at 9:57 am
That is hilarious and crazy and more than a little unfair!!! lol
Paula Howley recently posted…Synthesizing an Unmistakable Voice
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:25 am
i definitely felt the unfairness baaaad in the first trimester but now that i am feeling better, i am glad i can laugh!
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That!
June 8, 2016 at 11:52 am
I literally laughed out loud at the “get.out.of.here.” LOLOL!
Lauren @ Oh Hey! I Like That! recently posted…Wedding Wednesday: Saying Yes to the Dress!
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:25 am
that was the one that totally sent me over the edge, lauren! HA!
Rachel G
June 8, 2016 at 6:23 pm
Wow, that is pretty different! With so many of us sisters not-too-far-apart in age, I wouldn’t be surprised if someday a couple of us are pregnant at the same time. My mom was pretty sick throughout the whole pregnancy for all of us…and I have an aunt who was more like, “I love being pregnant!! I feel so awesome!! But one time I felt a little nauseated when brushing my teeth…” hahaha Mom can’t relate.
Rachel G recently posted…Trying Something New – Floating Lanterns
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:34 am
haha yeah sounds like the situation between your mom and her sister is much like me and my sister! totally strange how differently it can affect people (and even between pregnancies)! fun to think about overlapping with some of your sisters too, rachel!
Claire
June 9, 2016 at 7:38 am
Chelsea you are a gem for putting this experience into words for the rest of us fellow blog readers (and bloggers for some)!
I honestly feel that I would have been so frustrated if my pregnancy was so difficult while I watched my sister have a breeze. I think you are a strong person for being able to laugh and bring a new light to the situation, really showing how different women are during their pregnancies (and from what I understand each pregnancy is different too!).
That being said, hoorah for finding positives and being a caring sister by accepting the situation for what it is <3 !
chelsea
June 9, 2016 at 10:36 am
oh yay – glad you enjoyed it, thanks claire 🙂
to be honest, i could not have written this blog post during our first trimester because i felt way too horrible and was a bit jealous that everything seemed fine for her. thankfully now that i’m feeling better i can laugh at it 🙂 thanks for your sweet words!
Claire
June 9, 2016 at 2:02 pm
Hahah that makes a lot of sense! I’m with you girl. Totally understand (well for the most part minus the ‘ive never been pregnant’ part lol)
It’s such a great feeling when you can make a joke out of the situation when you look back too!
Vivien
June 9, 2016 at 1:16 pm
Thanks for putting the comparisons down in writing!
I’ve heard even different pregnancies with the same mother can be well…different. Just something I heard through the grapevine. I don’t have much proof to back that up…
Courtney {alkeks abroad}
June 9, 2016 at 9:48 pm
I loved this. Especially the last comparison. My sister in law is two weeks ahead of me with her third. They are waiting to find out the gender too but we have had pretty similar pregnancies which make me think it’s a girl. Our text convos revolve around what obscene amount of carbs or candy we have eaten that day and what made us burst into tears or almost kill our husbands. I think you would fit into our club 🙂
Courtney {alkeks abroad} recently posted…My High Tea Baby Shower
Karen
June 30, 2016 at 9:42 pm
You are so cute, Chelsea! Funny thing is I had cravings (and even hearing someone say the word egg made me I’ll), was fine after the first trimester; ran, played racquetball and basketball and swam until the very end. I had bursts of joy and slept like the dead until the last month. Each pregnancy is different.
chelsea
July 1, 2016 at 1:29 pm
that first trimester isn’t a fun one, is it karen? glad you felt so much better in the following months. i am quite jealous that you slept like the dead until the last month. it is weaaaring on me. you are right that each pregnancy is so different!