Mumsnet Talk

Sorry if this sounds utterly stupid, but I am looking for views/stories about second pregnancies. I have a DD aged 4 and we are now trying to conceive baby number 2.

A couple of close friends know this and I keep hearing how second births are always faster, second babies always bigger, it's harder to lose the baby weight second time round and so on.

Just wondered what other women's experiences were, is this all true or one of those old wives tales type nonsense that other women just say?

Also, were your second pregnancies very different from your first in terms of morning sickness, weight gain and so on? For what it's worth I gained very little weight with DD, had awful sickness for 17 weeks and completely went off food in general with no cravings and fainted a lot!

Pregnancies were pretty similar - had morning sickness and then put on loads of weight with both.

Birth a lot better second time round. Was faster but not uncontrollably so. DD weighed about 1.5lb more than DS but he was only 6lb 1oz so she wasn't massive either.

Weight did take longer to come off but possibly due to stuff that happened when she was about a year which meant I put weight on then.

Morning sickness was in the evening rather than the morning, lasted a few weeks longer but I'd always heard ms is worse for a girl than a boy. Second was smaller than first, again probably because first was a boy and second a girl and girls tend to be smaller. Birth was faster (50 mins rather than 4 hours). Baby weight has been a bit harder to lose, mainly because I lost the baby weight from first in one weekend when I had d&v.

Your last paragraph sounds like how it was for me. Both times. I was more tired, but then I was rushing around after a very active 2 year old.

I suspect the harder to lose the weight thing can be attributed to the fact that, after the second child, you are older than you were the first time round; you are busier with 2 children and so have less time to focus on yourself; are less bothered about losing the weight.

My tummy muscles sprang back after I had DS and my stomach was just as flat as it had been before. I didn't really have much of a bump with DD (2nd preg) and she was 5 weeks early, 3lb 9oz and I lost weight during pregnancy, and yet I do have a wobbly tummy now.

I was more sick during the second pregnancy. The intensity was the same, but it stopped after about 17 weeks during the first pregnancy and continued throughout with the second. I really struggled to eat anything at all - hence small, prem baby.

There was nothing nice about either of my pregnancies (except the babies at the end!) and the second was even worse. DD would have been an only child if I'd had her first.

Having said that, I think it just goes to show that everyone's experience is different and that their isn't a set pattern for any of it.

I had DS and then DD and sickness was about the same. Less fun throwing up with a 15 month old watching you though....

THe labour is likely to be easier: the way a midwife from the RCM put it to me when I was writing about this was "it's like programming a computer - you've done it once". Having said that, it's not guaranteed.

I was less sick the second time round and my labour was in fact a lot easier. And, bucking the trend, this time I was back in my jeans in four months.

My second pregnancy was better than my first. No bleeding, less back ache. Birth was slightly quicker and better (you know what you're doing and feel less inhibited I found). I have found it harder to lose weight after the second one and my stomach muscles are not as strong. My second baby was actually 3oz smaller than my first 7lb 13oz rather than 8lb.

I'm 29 weeks on Monday with my 2nd.

I really don't think there's an 'average' when it comes to pregnancy.

First time around, i had the easiest pregnancy (apart from sickness), my bump was TEENY and DS was born 4 weeks early.

This time, my pregnancy is textbook. I've been looking at the babycentre app every week and whatever it says happens to me that week (apart from stretchmarks, none of those).

I'm really hoping that my labour isn't quicker as it was only 6 hours from waters breaking and contractions to DS being born last time. I'd have a bit of a panic if it happened quicker than that!

With DS I only ever felt sick, all day but worse in the evening. I was bone wearily tired for the first twelve weeks, I'd literally get out my side of the bed in the morning and then climb straight back in on DHs side.

With DD, second pregnancy, I threw up. Once a day for fifteen weeks and DS would try shut the toilet lid on my head! One morning I knew I couldn't make it to the toilet to be sick so I grabbed DS potty and was sick in it, for weeks afterwards he'd kneel in front of his potty and noisily pantomime being sick. I wasn't as tired though and if anything had more energy than normal.

I had bleeding throughout my pregnancy with DS but didn't with DD.

DS labour was 36 hours from first noticeable contraction to baby in my arms, was admitted to labour ward at 4cm (by which point I'd been contracting for 27 hours). He was back-to-back and I had a three hour second stage with a second degree tear.

DD was an EmCS for amissed breech presentation with abnormally low amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord wrapped around her legs with the remaking umbilical cord coiled between her and my cervix and not enough fluid to 'float' it out of the way

DS was 9lb 3oz, DD was a relatively small (in comparison) 7lb 10oz.

I gained a couple of stone with ds but lost it all afterwards in about 6 months. He was born at 38+5 weighing 7lb 2.

With dd (born last Nov) I gained about the same amount of weight which Im close to having lost all of but my hips/ bum/ thigh area is generally bigger grr!
She was born at 38+3 weighing 7lb 2.

So very similar yes

I was more tired second time - running round after a toddler. Birth was much quicker (30 mins after arriving at hospital & being 4cms!) but my second weighed slightly less than first!

I had same mild nausea, a lot more reflux (boy second time!).

Baby weight wise - second is 6 months and I haven't lost much but that's just because I'm too busy lazy exercise dodger & love cake!

On a different topic my babies are polar opposites 1st was brilliant sleeper 2nd still appalling despite doing all the same things!! X

Both pregnancies - fantastic. Second birth, she slipped out effortlessly. Was a pound smaller. I was back in my pre pregnancy clothes within a couple of months but I had an active pregnancy.

Second labour was faster (1 hour rather than 5)
Second DS was slightly bigger but both were pretty tiny (6lb something) and he was born 2 weeks later than ds1, so maybe not that different.
In maternity clothes much earlier with the second.
Still haven't lost the baby weight from ds1, but didnt get bigger with ds2.
Second pregnancy much harder than the first BUT I had a 1yo to look after.

Im only just starting 2nd Trimester with 2nd pregnancy but for me they have been very different so far. So much more tiredness and nausea than I ever had with my first. Don't know if that's down to an active toddler making it a lot more exhausting or not. Also by this point I'd gained roughly a stone with DS, so far only 2lbs up with this pregnancy.

Praying the labour is a bit speedier, DS1 took me 28hrs.

I am 18 weeks with no. 2 and this pregnancy has been pretty different to my first. With both I've had HG but with DS it started to clear up around 14 weeks, this time I am still throwing up now, just a bit less frequently. With DS taking cyclazine helped. This time round I have had to take proclorperazine instead and I'm still having to take it now. I'm also finding that I seem to have no immune system whatsoever and in last 4 weeks I've had flipping norovirus and 2 x chest infections! Not sure if they are coming courtesy of DS and all his toddler germs or if I'm just a lot more run down this time...

There are def a few pros tho - I'm definitely not pushing myself the way I did when I was pg with DS. I kept thinking everybody else I know who is pregnant is feeling fine, I should be able to do all the same stuff they are doing when in reality I just wasn't able to do a lot of stuff and I'm taking it a lot easier this time round. Also, even tho I had a mmc last summer and I was initially very paranoid and worried at the start of this pg, esp after unexplained bleeding at the start, I am finding that I'm a lot more laid back and I'm finding the second tri is going very quickly. I'm also just starting to feel little nudges inside now which is very exciting!!!

Can't wait til baby arrives in August - after two horrendous pgs and two v sad mcs, I think I'll be hanging up my boots and counting myself very lucky indeed to have two DCs. Very of anyone having an easier time second time round tho!!!

Birth was faster, weight was bigger 9lb 6ozs, I put on the same amount if weight and its the same shifting it the second time, its harder when bf, easy when not. Theres 4.5 years between mine.

Had horrendous morning sickness with dc2, nothing with dc1.

Lost weight to begin with this time, had a tiny bump early on, which didn't explode until 6 months. Similar weight gain both times.

I'm a lot slimmer 9 weeks post natal than I was at the same point last time. The weight is going slowly, despite a lot of cake.

My second labour was only 2 hours quicker, but when it got going properly, it was faster. It was also natural - DS was an emcs.

Second baby weighed less.

Thank you for all the replies, it's made for interesting reading, and am now firmly in the 'every one is different' camp! I think my firends are taking their experiences and assuming it is the same for everyone else when that is clearly not the case.

I am hoping second pregnancy mirrors first in most ways bar the fainting (which was no fun) and the three day labour! That might be wishful thinking though

For me:

second births are always faster: True, DS1: 24hours, DS2: 4 hours
second babies always bigger: True, DS1: 6"8, DS2: 7"8
harder to lose the baby weight: False, DS1: Took 9 months, DS2: Took 5 weeks

HTH

Not a good time to mention 3 day latent stages for both pregnancies then...

Both pregnancies were much the same, except DD (pfb) was 6lb4, DS was 7lb6.5. And went quite overdue with first, a few days before EDD with second. I was even more massive with the second, but no stretchmarks either time. Lucky I think.

First pregnancy - saled through pregnancy, induced at 42 weeks. DS1 9lbs. Put on 3 and a half stone.

Second pregnancy - saled through pregnancy (very similar to first one - no morning sickness, abit of tiredness), DS2 came at 38 weeks. 3 and a half hour labour. 8 pounds 6 oz - taller than brother. Put on 3 and a half stone.

Now pregnant with no 3 - similar early pregnancy but have stacked on weight very quickly. Already put on 2 stone (and have 4 months to go).

I suffered more with morning sickness 2nd time around (though had 2 boys), and went overdue with DS2 whereas DS1 was born a day early - completely contradicting all old wives tales / midwife expectations etc.

Other than that, pregnancies were pretty similar, the labour & birth were practically identical each time, DS2 weighed ever so slightly more but not much difference (but then he 'cooked' for 11 days longer!).

I'd say the weight came off at a similar rate both times, perhaps took slightly longer 2nd time around but I put that down to DS2 being born in the depths of a very cold winter so I basically hibernated for the first 2 months!

Second births are often faster, but not invariably so.

Size of baby varies (my second of three was my biggest).

Getting back in shape tends to get harder as you get older especially as you get into your 30s. But a lucky few always appear to do it effortlessly

DC2 was 9oz heavier than DC1. Second stage of labour was only 30 mins with DC2 compared to 2.5 hours with DC1.

First baby, sickness till 12 weeks, trouble free pregnancy and 4hr labour.
Second baby, sickness till 12 weeks, trouble free pregnancy mainly and 4hr labour

DD2 was just over 1lb heaver.