Exclusive: Lea Michele Is Feeling 'Really Good' as She Awaits Baby No. 2: 'I'm Very Grateful'

Lea Michele's second pregnancy has been a bit tougher on her, but she wouldn't have it any other way!

"I'm really grateful for my body for giving me strength. It has been very different chasing around a toddler while also navigating the city this summer in the New York heat. I'm also working at the same time, which has been different, but I feel really good. I'm very grateful that I feel good, but everything has been the opposite. They say it's one way with a boy and another way with a girl — and that really has been the case for me," the actress, 37, who is expecting a baby girl with husband Zandy Reich, exclusively tells Morning Honey while talking about her partnership with Children’s TYLENOL®.

"It's wild how the experiences vary, but this baby had a much different experience than my son because of the way life was then as opposed to now," she adds, referring to how her son, Ever, who turns 4 on August 20, was born in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when she was living in California.

"We were locked in our houses, and this pregnancy, I've been working and singing and been out and about in New York. Having a girl is obviously so different than having a boy, but there's so many other things that are going to be different. My family never even saw me pregnant when I had my son. My father never saw my pregnant!" she reveals of being closer to home now.

"We had the baby and none of our family could meet him for months," she continues. "It was lovely to have that really intimate experience, but I'm really excited to have our families close by and to be home in New York now and to experience having a baby in this totally different environment. It feels so exciting!"

The Glee alum, who had multiple "back-to-back" miscarriages while she tried to conceive her second baby, is looking forward to dressing up her little girl in "bows and headbands" this time around. "We're excited and are so grateful to be able to expand our family and give our son a sibling," she gushes. "It's a blessing."

Though the Broadway star is still working, she is doing her best to have special moments with her son before her little one comes along. "It's hard, and I think we're always going to feel guilty, whether I'm spending tons of time with my son or I'm away," she confesses. "It just sort of always exists. They hand you the baby and they hand you mom guilt at the same time. Since we know our son is going from an only child to having a sibling, I'm trying to enjoy this time with him. Even on a day when I'm tired from working, I ran to the market and I bought brownie mix. I was like, 'Buddy, at the end of the day, we're going to make brownies.' It'll take 30 minutes, but it's about carving that time for the two of us. Even if it's a story at bed time, baking brownies or just doing the simplest thing, it's about having that moment of connection."

Fortunately, Ever is giddy about their family expanding. "He's super excited!" Michele says. "I think he's going to be an amazing brother. I know these things come with with an adjustment period, but the experience will be what it's going to be. He's so sweet and always coming up to me and rubbing my belly and talking to my belly. I just can't wait to see him with his little sibling for the first time. It's going to be amazing!"

Since the Scream Queens starlet is about to have a newborn in the home, she knows she needs to be careful about what germs come in, which is why she's grateful to be partnering with Children’s TYLENOL® to discuss her best advice for fellow expecting moms. One of her words of wisdom is to fill your medicine cabinet with first-aid products such as Infants’ TYLENOL® Dye-Free Cherry Liquid. From the #1 pediatrician-recommended pain & fever relief brand, parents can rely on Infants’ TYLENOL® Dye-Free Cherry Liquid to relieve their child’s minor aches and pains.

"Children’s TYLENOL® and Infants' TYLENOL® have been such a staple for us in our household. In 2020, when I was pregnant, our pediatrician recommended we fill up our cabinets with all of the necessary first-aid items that we would need for the new baby. Buying that medicine and thinking about our child getting sick for the first time felt so far away, but within the blink of an eye, our son had his first ear infection and fever," she shares. "When we called our pediatrician, she said, 'Give your baby Infants' TYLENOL®.' I was so grateful that we were prepared. TYLENOL® is the number one pediatrician recommended brand for pain and fever relief in children, and I was so grateful because kids get sick, and we do our best to try and prevent it, but it does happen. Being prepared is the best thing we can do to help us navigate through these stressful situations."

"We do the best we can. We make sure that we're washing our hands," she says of how she teaches Ever about keeping healthy. "We have air purifiers in our home, but making sure we're eating healthy and taking our vitamins. At the end of the day, kids are kids and being prepared is the most important thing!"

"I just want to give them the best life possible. It was important to me that we come back home and raise our children next to our families and relatives. I feel so fortunate," she concludes.