Pregnant

Your first pregnancy vs. second pregnancy

Found out you are pregnant again? Excited about your new baby? Already guessing whether it is a boy or a girl? Whether your new nursery will be filled with soft teddy bears or cars? So much excitement and then comes the planning part.

Routine checkups, extra work because you already have a child, morning sickness all over again! This can definitely bring down the excitement. But you do not have to worry because you have already done it.

Once and now you even have experience and can handle it better.

What gets better with the second pregnancy?

Your ability to handle any situation gets better. This although seems a little vague but is actually the biggest plus point for the following reasons –

You already know your medical condition during pregnancy. During the first pregnancy, there are a lot of scary moments. Even the slightest pain or discomfort will scare the couple. By the time you are pregnant again, you know what might be causing this pain and can handle it better without panicking.

You can feel your baby sooner. During the first pregnancy, you might have missed the first time your baby might have moved in you because you did not know the feeling, but now you know.

Constipation-during-Pregnancy

Labor and giving birth will take lesser time. As your muscles are already stretched, so it is a little easier for the baby to come out. In comparison during the first pregnancy, it usually takes 8 hours of labor and 3 hours of giving birth, but during the second pregnancy, it is more than 5 hours of labor and 2 hours of giving birth.

What gets worse with the second pregnancy?

The biggest issue arises when you are pregnant again, and your first child is still a toddler at 3 or 4 years old. Even if your child is a little older, they need your attention, and you do not get as much time for yourself as you did during the first pregnancy. So second pregnancy can be tiring for the following reasons –

You might have morning sickness. Even if you did not have it during the first pregnancy, there is a fair chance that you will have them this time.

You will be tired more. Pregnancy is a time that demands some quality alone time to relax but with a child that can be a little problematic.

People do not help you as much as they did during the first time. This is because of the assumption that during second pregnancy you already know what to do and what not to do.

What do you need during the second pregnancy?

What you need the most during this time is actually time. You need time to exercise, time for proper sleep, and time to yourself to cherish this time. So here is how you make time for yourself. You and your partner need to coordinate on this. You can work out a way where he can take your child for a walk or to the park so that you can have an hour to yourself. Just sip some tea and listen to music. Do what makes you feel relaxed.

You both have to start discussing how are you going to change your first child’s habits. If the first child still sleeps with you, you have to change that because you will need space for the newborn. You need to get out of the house. Whenever your kid is in playschool, you should too go to someplace, so that you will have a break and if you stay in the house you will start doing some chores. Go to a café or read books, go to the garden and appreciate the beauty, or go to a friend’s house for some gossip.

Having advise with a gynecologist

Go to Antenatal appointments. Do not skip on them just because you think you know everything or because there were no complications during the first pregnancy. It is always better to be safe. Take your first child with you so that even they will feel involved.

Ask for help from family and friends. Ask them to come over and cook a meal for you once in a while at that time you can sleep and take proper rest.

Pregnancy is beautiful but painful, amazing but scary, loving but exhausting. It is a period that actually makes you stronger. You are giving birth to a baby, and there is nothing that can be more unselfish than that. So if you need to be a little selfish during maternity, do not feel guilty asking for help. You deserve it. You deserve all the care, attention, and help in the world. Do things that you like to make yourself feel better and cheer yourself up.

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