I can’t believe that I’m already in the second trimester of my second pregnancy. This pregnancy has been a lot different than my first for a lot of reasons. Not only am I chasing around a toddler this time around, but time just seems to fly by as a parent and this pregnancy is not immune to that. I blink and I’m five weeks more pregnant!

With my first pregnancy, I focused a lot more on self care and rest. This pregnancy, that is less of a given and more of a luxury. I try really hard to find pockets of time to fit in rest, hearty meals, or exercise when I can but to be honest, my toddler’s routine dictates my own and I’m often eating leftover chicken nuggets for lunch — all of which is totally fine!

Not only am I naturally experiencing this pregnancy differently than my first, but we’re also doing some things a bit differently on purpose. I wanted to share my experience as a second-time mom and what went into our decisions to do some things differently this pregnancy. I hope this post is interesting if you’re an expecting mama, too!

1. We found out baby’s gender much earlier

With our first, we waited until the anatomy scan to find out baby’s gender. This did make that day extra special, because we got to see baby for the first time (besides the very first ultrasound — but she didn’t look much like a baby then lol) AND find out the gender on the same day, but it was a long wait. Because California changed their laws surrounding genetic screening, the early blood test was covered by our insurance this time around so we decided to go for it.

We actually got our results back just yesterday, and I took them to the fire station to open them with my husband. We got to have a private moment as a family before celebrating with his crew with donuts. It was a special day for sure!

It’s been a lot of fun knowing the gender so early and has helped make this pregnancy feel a bit more real amongst the distracting chaos of toddler life. I can now dream up what it’ll be like when baby’s here with us, and start decorating the nursery or getting baby clothes ready. I’m so ready to peruse the newborn aisles!

2. We’re using HSA funds to snag wish-list baby items

We’re pretty lucky to have family members who spoil us with baby gifts. But, there were still a few wish-list items I didn’t get with my first. After experiencing the newborn, baby, and toddler stages, I feel more equipped with the knowledge I need to decide what’s really worth purchasing and what’s not — at least for us. My mindset around baby items, even with our first, was less is more and quality over quantity. I think my years of being a nanny helped shape my expectations in baby gear, and those opinions have been solidified with my first pregnancy.

The two big baby items I wish I had splurged on for my first was a baby monitor and a pump. For our first, we used insurance to get a free pump — the Medela Pump in Style. I didn’t absolutely loathe it, but I didn’t love it either. And I hated being plugged into the wall. The Elvie pump was always on my wish list, but it was out of our budget at the time. However, this time around we have an HSA account through my husband’s work so we used HSA funds to purchase the Elvie Pump and I’m so stoked about it!

We also used HSA funds to purchase the Nanit baby monitor, and that’s another baby item I’m super excited about. The baby monitor we got for our first was by VTech, and while I don’t hate it and we do still use it today, it’s not my favorite baby item. Plus, the beeping it makes truly spikes my cortisol levels. Not kidding! I’ve been classically conditioned to have such a negative response to that sound, I’m excited for a new monitor… and new alerts. And I’m just excited for the more advanced technology of the Nanit.

3. We got a double stroller!

My stroller was probably my favorite gift for our first. I got the Nuna Mixx and the matching carseat, the Nuna Pipa Lite. It’s still a baby item I absolutely love. However, going on walks is one of the only forms of self-care that I feel I have control over, so it was important for me to feel like I could still go out on a walk with two kids. If you’ve ever walked with a toddler who is not strapped into a stroller, you know why having a double stroller is so crucial to this goal.

I’m so excited to have been gifted the Uppababy Vista V2 for baby number two. I have the adapters and rumble seat on my registry, and I might add the skateboard attachment too. Having the option to strap both kids in and go, or have a place for Paisley to stand and ride while pushing baby, is going to be key to so many outings — and walks — especially as baby gets bigger.

We’ll still use the Nuna Pipa Lite, we’ll just use the adapter for the Uppababy stroller. I love the Nuna Pipa Lite and would never go with any other newborn carseat.

Pro tip: Snag the stroller you want from Nordstrom during their anniversary sale! That’s what we did for both strollers, and it saved us a lot of money on both.

4. I’m decorating a nursery

With our first, we were in a one bedroom apartment when we brought her home. Truthfully, it didn’t matter much because she slept in her bassinet in our room but, I was a tiny bit sad I didn’t get to decorate a nursery.

Now, we’re in a two bedroom condo and the new baby and toddler will share a room. We’ve already started the redecorating and got Paisley a twin “big girl” bed and fixed the mattress in the crib to be ready for a new baby. On my wish list for the nursery is a glider, matching linens, and floating bookshelves!

5. I’m less concerned with what other moms are doing

If my first pregnancy taught me anything, it was that community in motherhood is crucial. But, my goal in finding community quickly went from wanting guidance and someone else’s experiences to compare my experiences to, to wanting moms in my corner who understand the hardships of motherhood regardless of my or their experiences.

This was a huge factor in creating my community for moms who professionally design, Motherhood by Design[er]. I hope to create a place where moms in similar career paths can come and celebrate each other, or find solace in each other, but also learn from and lean on each other.

With my second pregnancy, I’m even more confident in my whys and decisions regarding motherhood and doing business as a mom. So instead of looking at other moms running a design studio to compare myself to, I’m looking at other moms running a design studio to find friendship and community. And this rings true for friendships with moms I meet at my daughter’s extracurriculars or at church or local mom groups too.

I hope you found this post helpful, or at least interesting! I personally love posts like this one, and I love documenting my pregnancies and motherhood experiences so I’m sure there will be posts like this one soon. If you’d like to follow along both my pregnancy or design studio experience, follow along on Instagram @poisedavenue. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the next post!