Urban vs. Suburban Pregnancy

Me and William on the streets of NYC, August 2005. Alex was in my belly!

I have been pregnant 4 times.

The first 2 times I was pregnant in New York City. William and Alexander were (ahem) conceived there. I was pregnant for 9 months there. I delivered them both there. And I came home to my NYC apartment in Columbus Circle with them.

My next 2 pregnancies were Rhode Island pregnancies… and as you all know, I’ve got 2 1/2 more months to go with my 4th baby boy! Benjamin and Henry were (another, ahem) conceived here. I have been pregnant the whole time here. I delivered Benjamin in RI and plan to do the same with Henry. And I came home to my house in Rhode Island with Benjamin, and will do the same with Henry.

I was lying in bed last night around 2 a.m. SO HUNGRY, thinking, “If I were back in NY right now, I would call The Flame Restaurant and order a grilled cheese with bacon and tomatoes!”

Yes. It was 2 a.m. And if I were back in NYC, The Flame (this heavenly diner on 58th and 9th) would be open, with a full menu and full delivery.

It got me thinking…

And I came up with a little list of the biggest differences between my NYC pregnancies and my RI pregnancies:

1) As I stated above, yes… all-night diners with full menus and delivery. I can’t tell you how much I miss this luxury. Last night I ended up just drooling over the thought of a grilled cheese… and ended up eating Saltines instead.

2) The doormen at our building. I miss the days of having these men help me carry my bags to my apartment… even if I just had one small bag from the market. Now I pull into my driveway, bring what I can in and have my husband get his butt out there to haul in the rest of the bags!

3) Taxis. Yes, the days of no driving. As much as NYC cab drivers can scare the CRAP out of you with their in and out driving, stopping-and-going – and braking for nobody – there was something nice about going outside, lifting my hand, having a taxi pull up and bring me to wherever I needed to go.

4) In NYC I was within walking distance to my hospital, which I loved! I knew if there was ever an emergency, I could be there in minutes… or if I had a concern or a question, I had doctors at my disposal in minutes. For every 1st time pregnant mama, I’m sure you can understand, this was heaven for me when I was pregnant with William. They probably had radar on me towards the end of my pregnancy to know that I was coming!

5) The fastest manicure/pedicure in the world. There aren’t many things I pamper myself with while pregnant… especially now, chasing after 3 boys and going here and there, it’s all about the BOYS, not me. But my one guilty pleasure in NYC was a weekly manicure/pedicure. They would have me in and out of there in 30 minutes – no joke. And get this – it cost me $15! That was it. $15 for a manicure AND a pedicure… and they did an awesome job!

I do miss my NYC days sometimes… I absolutely do. But then I get my dose of reality. And I see my 3 boys. And I see them running and playing in our backyard. And I knew that if we stayed living in NYC we probably wouldn’t have had a 3rd baby, not to mention a 4th. And we never would have even consider having a 5th!

NYC was fantastic while I was there.

And RI has been absolutely amazing for our family.

There’s no right or wrong. One is not more perfect than the other.

But oh, I do wish I could call The Flame Restaurant this VERY second for a grilled cheese with bacon and tomatoes… have it delivered to my door… and have a tab set up.

Oh, yes. Right now, that would be very, very nice.

– Audrey

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