Lea Michele says ‘literally everything’ is different about her second pregnancy

Those who have been pregnant more than once already know that no two pregnancies are the same. At all. Ever. The first time around, you can rest and be pampered and enjoy every single moment. The second time around—and any time after that—you’re already chasing after one kiddo and barely have the time or energy to even focus on being pregnant. But one great thing about being a seasoned pro is that you already know how to prepare to welcome a baby—and Lea Michele is certainly doing just that.

During an interview with Motherly, Michele opened up about working motherhood, the village she’s grateful she can rely on, and getting ready to welcome her second child, who is due any day now. She recently partnered with Children’s TYLENOL to promote their dye-free cherry liquid and to share her best advice for new and expecting moms, like preparing your medicine cabinet with the #1 pediatrician-recommended brand of pain and fever relief (a staple in any parent’s home, let’s be so real right now).

When asked about the differences between her pregnancy with son Ever, 3, and her daughter, Michele said “literally everything” is different. And yep, that totally tracks for so many of us.

“First and foremost, when I was pregnant with our son, we were on the other side of the country. It was a global pandemic,” she explains. “We were stuck at home. I had a lot of complications during that pregnancy, and it was just a completely different experience from the foods that I was craving to how I was feeling. And this is night and day.”

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She and her family have relocated to New York, so now she finds herself chasing her toddler son all around the busy city. That coupled with more intense sickness is a far cry from being isolated at home in California, like she was with her son.

“At the end of the day, I’m super grateful that with both of my pregnancies, I would say overall, I’m so grateful for the energy that I do have, and I really do love being pregnant,” she says. “And I’m so grateful and to have the energy, especially right now, to be able to still play with my son and run around with him while being on the last leg of this pregnancy. I think it is a really great gift.”

Last fall, she finished a year-long run in the role of her lifetime, starring as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s hit revival of “Funny Girl.” For those who don’t know, the daily grind of a Broadway star is just that—a grind. It’s a six-day work week that ends with a two-show day, and your off-stage time is spent recovering your voice, body, resting as much as possible, and rehearsing prior to your performances. It means being at work until well after 10 p.m., which is undoubtedly difficult for anyone but especially the parent of a young toddler—which Michele was at the time. It’s exhausting just thinking about it, frankly.

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“I think that everyone in my life knew that this was such a lifelong dream of mine, and I had such unbelievable support to, like, get me through,” she says fondly. “But I think that being a working mom, being able to go and do what you love is such a great joy. And to know that you have your family there to support and hold your hand along the way, it was certainly very hard, but it was also such a dream come true.”

Like all expecting mamas who already have a child at home, she’s trying to enjoy every last minute with her son before he becomes a big brother.

“My husband and I are trying to just really soak up this time with our son as much as we can before we become a family of four,” she says. Throughout her pregnancy, they’ve taken little trips just the three of them, they’ve seen Broadway shows, and they’ve padded their at-home time with extra snuggles.

But she cannot wait to “buy all the bows” and enjoy time with her baby girl before continuing to working on her career goals.

“Right now I’m just settling into this new role of soon-to-be mom of two,” Michele says with a smile. “‘Funny Girl’ was so wonderful, but I knew I wanted to take a little time off when that was done, and now I’m very excited about the projects that I have lined up for after the baby comes.”