Pregnant for the 2nd time, how are you feeling?

[Dozeyland]

Thoughts about labour, pregnancy changes 2nd time around......

misscoffee - 3 hours: wow. I actually have a friend whose (2nd) baby was born outside the hospital on the pavement as they didn't quite make it in on time! Happily everything fine and her DH managed to catch it!

re looking after DD, I am currently making a spreadsheet (excel geek!) with all the different times of day/week that I could go into labour and what arrangements we'd have so I feel sorted... Last time I didn't plan anything; this time I'm much more feeling the need to get organised, not just childcare, but all sorts of stuff - I think it is that my brain has changed with motherhood and I am generally a bit more organised/prone to worry now!

This time around I have a lot less time to think about being pregnant despite working full time in first pregnancy and being a SAHM this time. Probably because my toddler keeps me busy. In fact I only really think about it at nap times and when I have a sit on the settee at night as a result it seems to be going faster and is less stressful than the last.

i am 13 weeks with dc2 and feel lousey. i have done since 3 weeks, delighted to be pregnant though i am. i was sick with dd but much, much more nauseas this time around, and more tired, and have had sore boobs, and insomnia has been worse and appetite has been rubbish and i am just generally having a harder time. i also have been showing since 8 weeks, feel like i am huge now (although in reality i am probably not much bigger now than i was at 8 weeks) and my back aches a lot of the time. i had pre-eclampsia last time, so hoping that if i get that again it will be later and less severe. on the up side, i am hoping to feel movement sooner with this one, it was around 16-17 weeks with dd

I will try not to think about labour too much as I am only in very early pregnancy and I lost my last at 17 weeks. However what I planned in that pregnancy was that DD would be here for the birth, no worries about where to send her, all very relaxed. The thing that worried me was having the baby when alone with her. But to be honest, even in that situation, I have every confidence we'd all be just fine, and she would be very proud. She's a very sensible girl and I am certain I can spare a comforting word or a quick squeeze for her even with a baby coming out of me. We'll see what happens in the long run I suppose.

2nd time here and have struggled the whole way through.

I am now 35+4 and feel totally and utterly exhausted, still supposed to be working, but have zero motivation or energy.

I have found this pregnancy much harder, longer, worse MS and tiredness up to 14wks, and I echo what others say about feeling worse earlier, at 35 weeks I feel like I did at about 38 weeks last time.

I'm 29+1 with my 2nd and i'm suprised how different this pregnancy is after DS. I've had next to no physical symptoms but emotionally I was a wreck until about 18 or 19 weeks. I was induced first time round and had an 11 hour labour so been worried about how this one will go as don't know what to expect with natural labour. Still it's got to come out some way i'm sure it'll all be fine.

I've had the same worries about about childcare etc, luckily both sets of parents are pretty available so will be telling them they're all to be on call. Mackrelmint i've been tempted to do the same, i'm resisting at the moment because I know the looks i'll get from DH (mixture of pity and exhasperation) but I may just have to closer to the time .

I'm 21+1 and i feel like i did at about 30 weeks ish! i havent had symptoms other than tiredness in the early stages, then it went, then the past few days i just feel a bit achey in my lower back (as i feel bigger this time, people say im not, but where im looking down on bump, and bending over doing nappies, picking up after dd etc i just feel "how the hell am i going to be at full term?!"

In 2nd pregnancies, does it grow faster then slow down, or just start big, and keep going big? I feel lower aswell, high placenta, and from tummy muscles it feels lower, (so more wee's this time around i think)

I LOVE the idea of an excel spreadsheet

It's not so much use to me on this one as PILs are retired so the time of day won't make a great deal of difference - no matter what time it is we just have to hope they have their phones turned on and they can hear them!! But that's just the sort of thing i'd do (and which my husband also pity-shakes his head at).

Same here on the growth... DD is measuring slightly smaller than DS did at the same point in the pregnancy, but I was showing stupidly early and at nearly 21 weeks I am huge - everybody has something to say about it. Isn't it just muscle memory, or something? (or absence of any previous muscle tone perhaps, in my case)