Preparing for two while there’s one……🌸It’s a girl🌸

Two years into being a mommy to my best buddy in the world my son Jaden. Papa Bear & I are expecting once again. 

🌸IT’S A GIRL🌸 !!! 

Wow! I can’t even believe this is happening. So many emotions. Is this real? Can I handle two kids? I’m still learning with Jaden & now we’re throwing in another whole child… just wow. 

The journey has been tough but magical at the same time. The beginning was very rough. Finding out I was pregnant again happened with my big sister Geraldine via FaceTime. I told her “my period hasn’t shown up yet & I have a test upstairs but it’s old” … “Go and get it and go buy another one so we can double check” She said. “OK” (20/30 min later) CONFIRMED! I am indeed pregnant. My sister was so excited and I kept on saying “oh my gosh, what do I do. Should I tell papa bear now or later.” Eventually I told him with giggles which he didn’t find funny at all but me laughing was the only way I could cope and tell him. His own emotions were all over the place. Initially he wasn’t in the best mood because he said “are we ready again?” And all I could say was “I don’t know”! 

Needless to say the next few weeks were very intense and confusing for both of us. I don’t believe in abortions but it was also so early that the fetus is barely formed. I went to the doctor to know my options and again abortion was brought up but also time had gone by going from when I found out to “you’re six weeks in” after a lot of prayer and faith – WE DEFINITELY MADE THE RIGHT DECISION. We are having the baby because God makes no mistakes. 

(Fast forward) all is well, baby girl is growing, emotions are up and down. My first trimester was a hot mess just like with Jaden. Sick like a dog, a lot of crying – not being able to brush my teeth without gagging and just praying I make to the second trimester where I can finally be happy and eat my life away. FINALLY … I get there. 

Trimester two. Bring out the credit card. Baby shopping, ordering this and that. “Oh this is cute and this and this” such a difference shopping for boys and girls. I love all the shorts and polos for my son but seeing the mini swimwear and dresses after paying attention to them got me looking forward to finally meeting this baby girl. I never paid attention to anything girl ever but now my eyes are literally moving at a 50-50 pace because I’m thinking “what can I get for her and what can I get for Jaden” it’s actually fun but it’s also breaking our wallets more 😅 

Now, since I know there’s an new baby on the way, the biggest task is getting Jaden to understand what is going on. As my bump gets bigger I also try to tell him “baby baby” “kiss baby” “baby sister” some days he’ll kiss the belly and some days he’ll smack the belly. I don’t know if he gets it but he’s been more clingy than ever and he’s noticed little baby toys around the house all of sudden. He knows he’s too big for the toys because he’s advanced. They are still appealing for him but when he tries to throw the “crawling ball” and I say no no! He’s confused in why is mommy telling me to roll this ball and not throw it. Children are very smart. I just know his vibes feel that something is coming. 

As a mom to be of two my goal is to split myself in half! I don’t even know how I’ll deal with it and of course I’ll blog about this experience when baby girl arrives. I just want to be amazing to both of them but Jaden is my best friend, my go to, my play buddy – how am I suppose to do this with two kids. I’ve asked mother’s of two and they said they felt the same way but once the second arrives everything just fell into perfect place and everyone is happy so I pray it’s the same for me. I’ll be so devastated if my little guy feels a certain way about his baby sister or if he feels neglected. I already know when she’s born – he’s taking a full week off school to see her every second and I can spend time with them both. Luckily newborns don’t do much but feed & sleep but even then I need Jaden to see that she’s here to stay. I’ve seen him with other babies and he’s done great so I don’t doubt he’ll love his sister and they’ll be best buddies forever especially as she gets older. Jokingly I’m prepared for his slaps because when he sees her on my breasts which once belonged just to him, he might put up a fight 😂  besides the general talks of what’s on the way, I’ve also tried to get him to understand with pictures and stories. I ordered him a personalized big brother book which hopefully will help also. His name and face are in it and it describes all the responsibility a big brother has! I love online. You can find everything. He’s had personalized books in the past and he learned very fast from them. 

The final countdown has begun. Less than a month to go and my big boy toddler love of my life Jaden will no longer be a single child. He’s had a great time. He’s always going to be my best buddy and I believe this is such a great experience not just for him but for papa bear and I. Our family is expanding. We’ve been married for one year & I see the future being bright.

I thank God for everything & I pray I get continued strength to keep being a better mom to my children. It really takes a village to raise a child and I’m thankful for the advice and help I’ve got along the way but I’m very proud of myself because I went from knowing nothing to mothering two & seeing how well my son is growing and learning before my eyes, I’ve been doing something right. 

Cheers to the next chapter 🥂 

Cord blood banking & what you need to know.

While pregnant, us women have to go through many check ups just to make sure our babies are healthy and nothing wrong is going on inside our womb. While I was pregnant all was smooth and well but I did come across some information about Cord blood banking which I thought was fantastic.

I was recommend by my doctors to look into it because papa bear and I had a similar blood group. Was it something I worried about? Yes, but with faith and knowledge our baby came out perfectly healthy & that’s all anyone can ask for and on top of that I decided to do Cord blood banking which I believe was the best decision I made for his future.

 

What is Cord blood + Cord blood banking.

“Cord blood is the blood in your baby’s umbilical cord. It contains stem cells that can grow into blood vessels, organs, and tissues.

Cord blood banking involves collecting blood left in your newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta and storing it for future medical use. Cord blood contains potentially lifesaving cells called stem cells. The stem cells in cord blood are different from embryonic stem cells.” (Via babycenter.com)

How to do it?

Once you feel you’re ready for this step, you contact a company of your choice, I chose CBR. Once you’ve set up your account they will send you a Cord blood package with everything your doctor or nurses need.

It is a process done right after you’ve given birth to your child. As read above they take the blood from the umbilical cord & everything else they need and then the company carrier will pick up the package and take it to the company storage.

What’s great is you’re notified a long the way via email of everything going on with your child’s blood banking until the very end. I even had a great representative who called me and sent a thank you note which was appreciated.

Benefits.

The reason I choose to do Cord blood banking with Jaden is because of the benefits for not only him but also one day for his future sibling.

Here’s a current list of what Cord blood is helping with.

– Cancers
– Immune disorders
– Blood disorders
– Metabolic disorders

Within each of these categorizes our child’s Cord blood can be beneficial.

– It can help by having immediate access to minimize disease progressions early for any types of treatment needed.

– “Ability to use one’s own stem cells for conditions that currently lack medical treatment options, also known as “autologous transplantation” *CBR.com* (This can be great because certain origins of people have a lower percentage of matches and using your own could save or rather give you desired time needed)

– With your Cord blood as an essential supply, if there is a situation where any type of transplant is needed there is less risk of complications.

– “Preserving them”stops the clock” and protects the cells from aging and being exposed to environmental factors and common viruses” *cbr.com*

Cost.

The first fee is quite high which is $1650. Afterwards the storage plan is $160 a year but I believe they have lifetime plans which range from $2k-$3k again quite pricey but they are flexible with payment plans and you can’t put a price on health.

I n conclusion, I am happy with the decision I made as I said above. This is something you must think about before delivering because it’s not possible after the umbilical cord is gone. Do your research parents & maybe for your next little one you can invest cord blood banking.