Secrets of the Second (and Third) Pregnancy

Any woman can tell you no matter how many times she’s been pregnant, pregnancies (and labor) can be so similar it’s almost scary, but they also can be as opposite as night and day.  For me, my first two pregnancies were very similar. In fact, I was positive I was having a boy the second time around because my pregnancy was an exact duplicate of my first. I was wrong however and had a girl! Both my labors were vastly different though. The first was in a hospital with an epidural, while the second was at home—accidentally! My third fell somewhere in the middle of the other two, and we’ll soon see about the fourth!

A few local moms share their pregnancy and birth similarities and differences:

No time to rest the second time around, that's for sure. Mine are 18 months apart and, as far as pregnancies go, I gained the same amount of weight, yet much faster and differently. ~Melissa

I am way more tired this go around. ~Anne

My first pregnancy was with twins, and my current pregnancy is a singleton…but it's been harder this time around so far! ~Kristin

All three of my pregnancies were super different. I never would have known I was pregnant with my first. I wasn't sick at all, didn't show until after 20 weeks and was able to run 3 to 4 miles daily. With my second pregnancy, I was nauseous but it was manageable. I worked out until I went on bedrest for pre-labor at 32 weeks. My third pregnancy was a whole new ballgame. From weeks 5 to 22, I threw up five or six times a day. I crawled from room to room attempting to take care of my other little ones! ~Suzanne

My pregnancies all ended extremely differently. My first one came all natural at a birth center after 60 hours of hard labor, while my second one came via C-section after bed rest due to pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure. This was all after a failed induction and three days of magnesium sulfate in a hospital, being watched by high-risk nurses! Couldn't have been more opposite! ~Emily

With both my pregnancies, I had morning sickness and heartburn, gained 30 pounds and craved jalapenos! However, the first baby came two weeks early and the second was three days late. With the first one, I had to wear a heart rate monitor the whole time because I had miscarried with two previous pregnancies. ~Lisa

My daughters are 53 weeks apart. I thought I was for sure having a boy because my second pregnancy was polar opposite of my first. With my first, I could barely get out of bed until almost my third trimester and spent hours each week getting infusions to combat dehydration from throwing up. My second pregnancy was unplanned, and I actually kept it hidden from everyone except family until I was five or six months along. I was tired but only threw up once, which was a blessing because I had a baby to take care of. I also only gained 32 pounds and not 55 like I did with my first! Both girls weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and were 20 ¾ inches long! ~Krystal

I've had three pregnancies (two boys and the last one a girl) and they were all very different! Baby girl knocked me on my behind! Not sure if it’s because I'm older or she was a girl, but she was my worst pregnancy. ~Jamie

Three pregnancies here! Everything from weight gain, to gestational diabetes, to heartburn—each pregnancy was so incredibly different! I carried high with one and low with two. Everyone had their old wives’ tales on how it was definitely a boy because of what I ate, how I carried, etc., but we have three beautiful girls. ~Amanda

The way I felt was pretty much the same: miserable. But I gained much less with my second because I was busy chasing a toddler! ~Casey

I have had three babies, and each pregnancy got better. I LOVE being pregnant! With my boys, I craved sweets but had an aversion to tomatoes. With my girl, I craved spaghetti! I was healthier each pregnancy, although by the third one I swore I was too old for it. I had two C-sections, and my last was a VBAC that I worked, researched and prayed hard to get. What an incredible miracle to grow a human being! So wild and such a privilege! ~Jessica

My first was close to a perfect pregnancy. No pain, backaches, heartburn, swollen feet, nothing. My induction was planned three days after my due date, no labor pain at all! My second? Severe heartburn, had to constantly rest, swollen feet AND had to buy shoes a size bigger. She came two weeks early, and I almost had to deliver in my car! Once the hospital put me in a room, I had her in 20 minutes! ~Kimberly

Suzanne says is perfectly: “Each pregnancy is so different, just like each of my littles.”

So no matter what your pregnancy was or is like, don’t let the miracle of it all be lost on you. Truly amazing is what our bodies go through, what they can handle and what they can do.

Did you know?

• If you were sick with your first pregnancy, you’re likely to be the second time around too, although the intensity can vary.
• You’ll show faster after your first pregnancy…but you’ll also feel movements sooner too!
• If you had stretch marks with your first pregnancy, you’re less likely to have them again, because your body already has stretched once!
• You’ll probably have more aches and pains during your second pregnancy, but your labor will be shorter!

Julie Collett writes from Overland Park, where her pregnancies all have been very similar.