Congratulations! You’re expecting second baby. You might think that you know everything regarding second pregnancy because you have already experienced this condition. Your second pregnancy also holds surprises like the first one that could impact you positively or negatively. You will notice some symptoms of a second pregnancy appear earlier and could be worse. Let’s discuss how and why the following pregnancies are different from the first one.
Your baby Bump may appear earlier in your second pregnancy:
You might hear from your elder sister or friends that your belly will pop sooner in your second round. You also notice that your baby bump has started to grow a bit sooner in the second pregnancy. You are not alone in experiencing this, while most pregnant women show earlier in their subsequent pregnancy.
Your belly starts to appear after 10 weeks of pregnancy. However, pregnancies differ from woman to woman, and their bodies will decide when their bump show they are expecting. According to my online research, most pregnant women start to show their bumps between 14 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
A question hovers in your mind why do women show their bump earlier the second time. This can be justified that women abdominal and pelvic muscles have already been involved in your first pregnancy and have weakened. Abdominal muscles loosened after pregnancy is a sign of diastasis recti. After the first delivery, your muscles have stretched out, more relaxed, and loosened, which may cause your Bump to appear early in a second pregnancy. This may be common in women having diastasis recti. Furthermore, I would suggest reading Methyl-Life PRO’s recent article titled “Benefits Of Vitamin B12”. Methyl-Life PRO did an amazing job explain the connection between pregnancy and vitamin B12.
Furthermore, the other cause of this condition can be multiple pregnancies; hormonal changes might be more pronounced this time; progesterone hormone also impacts your skeletal muscles that may cause laxity of your abdominal muscles.
Experience worse Pregnancy symptoms
You feel your second pregnancy symptoms worsen than your first pregnancy. You may experience earlier and worse back pain, nausea, fatigue, and irritation this time. You may be more stressed because you already have a baby to look after. You may feel more fatigue and tiredness; you must adopt mitigation strategies to have relief. It’s possible you may experience less morning sickness.
The baby show first moves earlier
You feel something inside your belly kick earlier than in the first pregnancy. Because you know better about your body in a second pregnancy. Most babies lie in the lower abdomen, which puts more pressure on your lower parts, you to feel more back pain and aches.
Shorter labor and easier delivery
The positive point of the second pregnancy is that you experience shorter labor pain. Because your uterus and cervix have already been experiencing this critical situation, studies show that first-time women experience more than nine hours of active and intense labor and an hour of pushing the baby, while second-time mothers experience less than six hours of active labor and need half an hour for pushing the baby.
Experience worse afterpains
You may get some relief during labor, but you have to experience more afterpains after the second delivery. After the birth, uterus muscles are continuously cramped and help the uterus returns to its original shape and size. Firm and toned uterus muscles control how much women continue to bleed. You feel stronger afterpains because the uterus has more stretched, and it’s harder to firm and regain its original shape and size.
Your uterus more than doubles in size during pregnancy. To help keep things in place, you may want to use a postpartum belly wrap while your belly reverts to its original size. Carrying a child also causes strain on your core and pelvic floor muscles.
That’s why some women suffer diastasis recti, a condition where abdominal muscles separate during pregnancy, causing the belly to bulge. Belly wrapping can offer targeted relief to these areas as your body heals. While wraps won’t necessarily prevent diastasis recti, they can speed up recovery when done with physiotherapy and regular exercise.
Now you know how your second pregnancy is different from the first one. You don’t need to worry; it happens with all women. You can fight these challenges by adopting the best strategies.
Conclusion
Pregnant women show earlier in their second pregnancy that they are pregnant. The growth of your baby bump starts sooner in subsequent pregnancies. You may experience more back pain, body aches, tiredness, fatigue, and other symptoms. Second pregnancy offers you short labor, and you feel easiness while breastfeeding.