Having children is perhaps one of the biggest joys people get to experience. One child is a blessing, and another one is a bonus. So if you are expecting your second baby, let’s start off by congratulating you before we get all serious with the medical stuff! As excited as you understandably are, by now you understand that your second pregnancy is pretty different from your first one. The symptoms, the experience – everything seems to be unlike how it was when you were carrying baby number one. Let’s find out how the pregnancies are different.
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You’re more tired
This is natural. The major difference between pregnancy one and two is the fact that this time, you have one baby inside your womb, and one at home. Running behind your first baby contributes to most of the fatigue you feel, but because your body has already carried a baby, the tiredness you experience this time around will be much more.
Less anxiety
Since you’ve already gone through one pregnancy, delivery, and parenting, you’re not as anxious as you were during your first time. You’ve been there and done that, so small deviations from what is considered to be normal doesn’t end up firing those alarm bells in you. You know what to expect, and you’re at peace. You know what’s normal – you’ve pretty much mastered the numbers as to what your blood sugar and other hormones should be. So, you’re less worried and more in control of your anxiety.
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You’ll register baby movements sooner
At the risk of sounding repetitive, you’ve been through all that flutter in your tummy before. Unlike your first pregnancy during which you were unaware that the butterflies inside your tummy were actually sensations of your baby moving around, this time, you’ll be more aware of every single movement. This is why you might assume that your baby is moving sooner than your first one did.
You might have more pelvic joint aches
If your joints hurt more than your first pregnancy, there’s a reason behind it, and there’s nothing to worry about. Your first pregnancy would have put a lot of pressure on your joints. Your pelvic joints relax (which means they’re doing the exact opposite) and the pressure from your growing baby all aggravate the pain in your hip area. Because the pelvic region has already gone through this pressure during your first pregnancy, it might have become weaker, making it a bit more painful for you this time around.
Your baby will be lower
Don’t worry if your baby isn’t in the same position as your first baby was. Your uterus has already carried one, and your abdominal muscles have been weakened in the first pregnancy itself. Due to this, they have stretched out, making your baby lie lower. This could cause you some discomfort such as needing to use the washroom more often, but apart from that, there’s nothing abnormal here.
False alarms
If you thought your body, having gone through one pregnancy, would be able to understand when the baby is going to pop, then sorry, this is going to disappoint you. Contrary to popular belief, false alarms are more common during second pregnancies compared to the first. Practice contractions or Braxton Hicks contractions happen more during the second pregnancy because the baby is lower and away from the spine, not in the center of the mother’s pelvis, which is why even practice contractions find it difficult to set the baby into your lower pelvis as easily.
Shorter, quicker labor
So here’s the good bit – while your first pregnancy could have you in labor for hours, your second one is expected to be shorter. Thanks to your first delivery, your cervix is not as rigid as before, and therefore, dilation and thinning happen quickly, which leads to faster delivery!
Apart from all of this, the other experiences such as planning the birth, setting up the nursery, zeroing in on a name (you already have a reference now), buying stuff for your newborn (you won’t be buying a lot) will also be very different. However, it’ll be a new experience, teaching you so much more about your body. So, hold on tight and enjoy the journey!
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