10 Ways Your Second Pregnancy Will Be Different From Your First

This pregnancy has been nothing short of a wild roller coaster ride.

My first pregnancy was SO easy! I knew I had it pretty good, but I had no idea just how lucky I was while I was pregnant. I was nauseous but only threw up twice, I had zero complications or weird symptoms, I was able to work 12 hour shifts on my feet up until two days before I went into labor, my labor was only 7 hours long and started with my water breaking, there was NO drama surrounding anything!

When we started talking about trying to have another baby, Jared kept asking me if I’d be able to juggle taking care of a toddler, growing a blog, and working two part time jobs while being pregnant. I kindly reminded him how easy I’d had it before and assured him that I would be just fine. I couldn’t have been more wrong! They say every pregnancy is different but I really didn’t think they could be THIS different! I have had night and day differences this time around (even though I’m having another girl) so I’m sharing my experiences and ways (good and bad) that my second pregnancy has been different from my first.

-You start “feeling pregnant” sooner. You recognize that the queasiness and fatigue aren’t just from some bad food or a rough night of sleep, it’s definitely a different feeling when you’re pregnant.

-You might be sicker. I started throwing up around week six and didn’t stop until week 14. And I was throwing up 2-3 times per day compared to 2-3 times during my whole first pregnancy.

-Your husband is more supportive. Jared had to explain this one to me, this time around he already knew what to expect and what I needed from him, so he was able to help out a lot more and ask the right questions/tell me what I needed to hear. He said he was so lost the first time around that he didn’t know how to help, so he didn’t.

-You start showing earlier. I didn’t announce I was pregnant until I was 18 weeks along with Reagan, and some people didn’t even notice a bump until I was well into my second trimester. The second time, your muscles have already stretched and they know what to do, and I was showing a little bump at 8 weeks.

-You feel the baby kicking sooner. My placenta was anterior the first time around, meaning it had attached on the front uterine wall so there was an extra layer of padding and I couldn’t feel kicks until around 21 weeks. This time, my placenta is posterior and I felt distinct kicks at 14 weeks!

-You might have a few scares. Even though I’ve done this before, some unexpected things crept up in this pregnancy. I had early bleeding and cramping and was convinced I was miscarrying, and I had some blood tests come back positive for birth defects that ended up being false. Everything ended up working out, but it was scary nonetheless.

-You might not be as excited, or as in tune with every little change. I was definitely just as excited when we got a positive pregnancy test, but the weeks are flying by this time and I’m not keeping up with all the little changes happening with this little girl. With my first, I had all of the pregnancy apps and I read the little tidbits on each one every single day. I read all the books and watched all the movies and read all the birth stories and blogs. This time, I have the apps downloaded to my phone but I only check them once a week. I got my pregnancy books out of the closet but haven’t had the time to read them. I still love reading birth stories but I don’t go searching for them anymore, I just read them if I happen across one on Instagram. I’m not any less interested in what’s going on, I just have no time to sit and think about what is happening in my body this time around!

-You  experience round ligament pain. I never had this with Reagan, but I’m getting it really bad this time around. I’ve had dull, aching, tailbone pain for months, and if I walk at a pace faster than leisurely I get horrible cramping later in the day. One night it was so bad, that I had to leave work early, I cried the whole drive home, and I sat in the tub chugging water and tylenol and crying because I was in so much pain. It honestly felt like I was in labor, thank heavens I wasn’t! This happens because your ligaments have stretched out before and they know what to do, so they don’t always hold everything together as tightly as they did before ever getting pregnant.

-You might be considering different birthing options. This one isn’t relevant to me (epidurals for life) but I know lots of mamas who decide to do things differently the second time around. Since you’ve done it before you know what worked and what you liked and if you want to change anything this time around.

-You feel more confident. I remember focusing so much of my energy on what birth was going to feel like, when I would go into labor, when I should announce I was pregnant, and worrying about all the things that could go wrong. This time, I feel like I’m less worried about the bad and more focused on the positives of bringing another child into our family. I’m not worried about baby gear, or labor signs, or accidentally eating a piece of turkey that wasn’t heated up all the way, I’m busy teaching Reagan how to be a helper and what it’s going to be like to have another baby in our home, and preparing ourselves mentally for that change.

I can’t believe how quickly this pregnancy is flying by, I’m already more than halfway done! I’m really hoping that this pregnancy is smooth sailing from here on out, but given the drama that has unfolded during the first half I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more. I can’t wait to meet our feisty little girl, and I can’t wait for Reagan to have a little sister!