Motherhood is always a wonderful feeling. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to say that no woman would ever feel like a complete woman without experiencing the joys of motherhood. Second pregnancy brings back the joys of the first one to you. However, when you are going to be a mother for the second time, you could also be worried about the surprises that it may bring for you. Is it going to be a completely different experience from your first one? Since you are already a mother and have obviously become a bit older as well, you may be worried about certain pregnancy complications this time. In comparison to previous pregnancy experience, you may go through different body changes this time. Let's go exploring those changes when you are second time pregnant. Let us first take the physical aspects.
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is the first change that an expectant mother experiences. However, this time it is likely to be less severe. However, this is not mandatory. The severity level of morning sickness may even be intense, depending upon a variety of factors. However, if we look at the statistics, a majority of women, during their second pregnancy, report lesser morning sickness.
Fatigue
You are likely to get easily fatigued this time round. During the first experience, you had the chance to get a good amount of rest, but this time you already have a baby to care for. Therefore, it is obvious that you are going to get lesser amount of rest - willingly or unwillingly. Your pelvic joint is also likely to hurt you more this time. That is the reason why doctors and health care professionals always recommend that women who are going through their second pregnancy must be more careful about their posture. It is better for the expectant mother to sleep while lying on her left or right side.
Much Earlier Appearance Of Bump
The enlargement of the belly is likely to occur earlier this time. In most cases, the pregnancy becomes apparent even before the second trimester.
Labor Period Is Reduced
However, when it comes to the labor period, there is good news. The first time, it can be as long as twelve to fourteen hours. In fact, in some cases, it can go even higher - twenty hours or more. However, the second time, this duration is likely to get reduced substantially. If the first time you had a C-section, you usually should not expect much reduction in the labor duration.
The Emotional Aspect
During the second pregnancy, you are likely to be less anxious as before- this is because you have already been through one pregnancy. After all, you have an idea of the type of changes that you are going to experience. You are mentally prepared this time. However, since you already have a child, you may also have a sense of guilt that you are not taking as much care of your baby as you are supposed to.
You do not have to feel any guilt for that. Your second pregnancy is the opportunity for your husband as well as the elder child (if he/she is a bit grown-up) to learn how to take care of themselves.
The first pregnancy brings the joy of motherhood to a woman and the second pregnancy lets her enjoy that. While she had her first born, she was full of anticipation of the unknown, fearful and unsure in her capability of nurturing a life. However, the second time, she is prepared with a sense of deja vu.
Getting Prepared It is always safe to keep a time gap of four years between two pregnancies. It helps the mother to properly raise the first one to a school going age before her second pregnancy. The body also needs time to get ready for the second child. If there was some problem during the first pregnancy or if the first child has some genetic problem, the mother should consult her doctor before conceiving again. No two pregnancies are same, even if she did not have problems the first time; there is no guarantee that she will have a smooth sail in the second. She may have more morning sickness than before or less. But she will have less time to rest as she already has one child to look after. She will also find that her body is taking a different shape as the muscles and the uterus are both less taut than before.
Questions One Should Ask The Doctors A first time mother is an inexperienced person, so she tends to go by everything the doctor prescribes for her. Now that she is a veteran, she may have many things to ask during her second pregnancy. She may opt for a different technique of childbirth, which can be less painful. If she had a caesarian the first time, she should tell that to her doctor before delivery. All prior pregnancy complications no matter how small they were should be discussed with the doctor. If she is planning for sterilization after the second child, she should also talk about that with the doctor.
Preparing The First Born For The New Arrival Beside the mother, another person whose life undergoes a complete change due to second pregnancy is the first child. Suddenly from being the center of attraction, he has to make way for a new star. Hence, the mother should prepare her elder child for the younger one. Much depends on the age of the elder child, a toddler will fail to understand the situation and demand more attention from the mother. So the mother has to subtly make the child understand that he is as important to her as the new one, but the new one needs her more. If the child is little older, the mother can explain the facts of life to the child and take him along to the doctor so that he can see the new baby growing inside her. After the baby is home, the elder one can help the mother to look after the new one. This will help to diminish any jealously that he may feel for his sibling.
Nowadays, it is the norm to have a small family with two children. So the second pregnancy should be enjoyed more as this is the last time that the mother will feel a life throbbing inside her.
Both Warren Wong & Saurabh Jain are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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