How did your first pregnancy compare to your second?

[anxiousannie1988]

I'm 5 weeks with my second. Aside from heatburn and mild nausea with my first I sailed through it.
I don't know if it's because I'm not working so I'm not seeing people or what but I feel so much more anxious this time round.
I'm so scared of vomiting and my emetophobia is in overdrive, to the point I'm not sure if I can go ahead with it.
How different was your first compared to your second?

My first pregnancy was a dream barely any symptoms but my anxiety was terrible as it was IVF after 5 years TTC and I was terrified it would all go wrong. This time around I'm 19 weeks I've found the exhaustion a lot tougher but I'm now also a parent to a toddler and for the first trimester I felt nauseous alot but was never actually sick. Other than that it's been ok and my anxiety levels have been nowhere near as high.

I'm 39 weeks and to be honest this one has been fucking awful compared to my first! Though I was very lucky to mostly sail through that, and also it's just so much harder when you have another child and so can't rest. At this point on mat leave with my first I was reading novels and taking long naps, whereas today I've chased a toddler around all morning... But it has also genuinely been worse in terms of nausea and I've had SPD - thankfully fairly mild, but painful and it makes it really hard to sleep. I'm also much bigger and was from much earlier, which makes everything harder. Sorry, I know that's not very cheering!

My first was much, much tougher psychologically though - it was a long awaited pregnancy after three miscarriages so I worried about everything all the time, whereas this one just happened and I barely have time to worry!

I'm emetaphobic and my first trimester was the same as with my first pregnancy for nausea. This time I got anti-emetic medication though as working at home thinking about it all the time made me so anxious. What was different was I got heartburn straight away this time when with my first that came in the 3rd trimester and not as bad. I took medication for that too and it worked wonders. There is 6 years between my pregnancies so my age may be to blame!

My first pregnancy was good.... pretty bad sickness between weeks 6-10, some heartburn, and a couple of instances of reduced movement that were checked and were fine. I was being monitored daily for high blood pressure and suspected pre eclampsia at 39-40 weeks pregnant. But otherwise uneventful. I had had two previous miscarriages though so I did have a lot of anxiety in the first few months.

My second pregnancy was easier. Very little sickness, no heartburn, no high blood pressure at the end, and only a couple of instance of reduced movement that were checked. I was more tired than the first time around, but when you are running around after a toddler, that is inevitable. But I also had less time to be anxious and definitely found that time went by much faster.

But in your situation I think it’s important to acknowledge and accept that being pregnant during a pandemic when your life isn’t “normal” and you are having limited social interactions is going to be much harder on you emotionally and psychologically. I don’t think you can compare the two. (Although obviously I understand how difficult it is not to draw comparisons)

I remember my second pregnancy as worse but I don't know if it's because I had less opportunity to rest.

1st was fairly easy, I didn't know I was pregnant until 6 weeks. I did have nausea but only sick once, I had high bp in 3rd trimester and was induced as a result but otherwise the pregnancy was good.
2nd, 1st trimester easy not bad nausea. 2nd trimester was okay until SPD started then they found he was 4 weeks ahead on growth at 28wk scan. 3rd trimester was painful but I still go on fine despite being quite large. Had slow labor of 6 days from when started dilating but only 2hr 19 after they broke waters at 5cm.
3rd was a breeze despite spd again.
4&5 (twins) was tough as I was huge and nausea was awful with them, late on I had swelling where I'd never had swelling before. Hubby broke his leg when I was 26wk (cast off day after birth), I plodded on and powered through the pain because I had very little help, didn't sleep much. All were worth it!!
Currently 11+3 and spd is starting to show again, nausea is bad with this one. I have pregnancy rhinitis which makes me feel congested and I sneeze a lot, I never knew this was a thing lol.

Hi @anxiousannie1988 I feel much the same as you! Sailed through my first pregnancy, just a bit of mild nausea and loved being pregnant. Now 8 weeks and feel physically fine but am so anxious. I can't believe how care free I was with my first. I am working from home too and I have too much time to think/freak myself out by Googling things.

Weeks 5 and 6 were the worst though for me with panic and insomnia and I have settled a bit now. I reckon there is a big surge of hormones at this time, it will get better.

I can reassure you on the vomiting front as well. I was also super anxious about vomiting but so far hardly any nausea at all. I've also read all the stats I could find and that is the most likely scenario for a second pregnancy if you only had mild nausea during the first.

Good luck, you can definitely do this!

Physically my first pregnancy was better than this one. I had horrible constant nausea in the first trimester but once that stopped this one has been fine.
I would say my anxiety was worse in my last pregnancy during the first trimester, as I had a MMC which wasn't picked up until 12 week scan, so I was constantly terrified it would happen again.

Two very different experiences with each both in the first trimester, but now there's not much difference in the second trimester.

Currently 26 weeks with 2nd. Have found both pregnancies quite similar but what comes along with the 2nd defo makes it harder i.e. another child to look after. Covid has also made it alot tougher and i find my anxiety is worse this time round, alot more to worry about logistically this time round with appointments, covid tests and regulations on partners etc.