Has anyone found their second pregnancy harder than their first?

[gonewithtthewind]

First pregnancy I had no morning sickness or any symptoms really but did develop pre eclampsia and GD later on in the pregnancy.

Currently 8 weeks with my second and I'm sick everyday, have nausea everyday, already have PGP, I'm exhausted, it's just really really shit if I'm honest.

Just wondering if I'm the only one in this because everyone I've spoken too seems to find the second one easier than the first!

My pregnancy that resulted in my second child (4th pg as I also had mc) was the worst of all. If someone had told me I was dying instead of pg I would have completely believed them. I was sick multiple times every day until the baby was born, and basically had to completely opt out of everything for the length of the pregnancy.

It meant we didn’t have any more dc! But it was all totally worth it once the baby was here. Hang in there. The memories do fade!

This is my 3rd pregnancy (have 1 dc and 1 mc) and I feel much worse than the other pregnancies . I’ve never had morning sickness before but in the last week or so I’ve had horrible nausea at various times of day and I’m so tired, I’ve also had insomnia some nights. I don’t know if it’s because I am older or if it is because this is an ivf pregnancy (I’m still on a lot of medications) but I do feel much more symptomatic. In my first pregnancy I had no symptoms not even sore boobs until around 8 weeks. And no sickness at all . The only thing is I don’t have as much cramping as I did with my first pregnancy .

Yes. 100%. I've found this pregnancy much harder.

First pregnancy was bad enough as I did have sickness and also got appendicitis around 28 weeks, dental issues throughout (had to get a tooth removed), and I developed pre eclampsia in the 3rd trimester. All during covid.

Now 19 weeks with my second and the sickness and tiredness is on another level. Plus horrendous headaches insomnia and bad back. I'm dreading what's still to come.

I found every pregnancy is different. I had pg with my first two for 8 months straight, this time I’m over 20 weeks and I feel relatively fine - energetic, happy and very much into training (I could only do gentle yoga with my two DC because I was constantly nauseous) But I also have SPD earlier this time and I’ve caught cold 3 times already, I’m constantly sneezing, coughing and clutching my precious hot ginger drinks.

My diet when I was pregnant with DC was truly crap, I would constantly stuff myself with random treats because I could hardly keep anything in. In this pregnancy I eat healthily so I assume this also has to do with feeling better overall.

I have four dc (five pregnancies) and each one was harder. It takes a toll on your body, you’re older, and you have existing dc to look after.

Yes love, it is hell some days!

all those late symptoms came in the first trimester for me

it’s so much harder, plus you can’t just rest like you did with your first.

sending love!

Yes I’m 15 weeks into my second (excluding an early mc) and I now have backache that has started at 14 weeks this time vs 22 weeks with my first pregnancy.

I had preeclampsia from 30 weeks last time and I’m hoping I skip that this time. The consultant said 15% chance of it occurring again which is fairly low odds I guess.

I now have some dizziness which I only had for one day at 5 weeks in my first.

Im tired from 4pm onwards. To be honest I think my iron levels might have dropped because I was like this by 8 weeks in my first pregnancy and it was picked up. This time the midwife never got back to me about the results (so I assumed that meant it was fine) however I asked the consultant and she couldn’t find a ferritin level result in my record even though the midwife said she specifically put in for that as an extra check due to the first time.

I see the midwife again on Monday so it’s on my list to ask.

Yep. I'm older and have a toddler. All the crappy symptoms from last time seem to be arriving earlier and stronger. 16 weeks and the second trimester energy and glow seem to be lost in the post!

I love motherhood but hate pregnancy. I'm glad it's the last time I'm doing it!

Absolutely the same. I glided through my first pregnancy, no tiredness, no symptoms, no sore boobs, nothing. Labour was awful but birth was easy. Now 17 weeks with #2 and it's been totally different, I had horrible nausea, I've been super tired, I ache, I've got back and hip aches.

Number 2 is the opposite gender, though, so perhaps I'm just better at carrying one than the other?! But it could just be that I've got a full-on toddler to look after this time too, and I'm not in such good condition, there's little time for the gym at the moment and I went regularly with my first.

First pregnancy was really difficult at the start (morning sickness until 22weeks) and relatively straightforward at the end (hypertension started the day before i went into labour and a baby tracking low centiles so lots of growth scans but that was it).

Second pregnancy was hugely easier at the start - very little morning sickness at all, for example. But massively harder at the end - uncontrollable hypertension from 36w, preeclampsia at 39w, breech baby, insomnia, exhaustion.

Overall, I think the second time around was harder. The birth was definitely much easier though! First contraction at 5.30am, active labour started at around 9am, baby born at 10am.

Both turned out to be girls so can't even blame the old wives tales 😅

Yes, very much so. Technically my fourth pregnancy but only my second to get past the first trimester and although I’d say my sickness was roughly the same across this pregnancy and my first one with my son, it’s been so much harder to cope with. I think some of it is post miscarriage stress (both physical and mental), some is age, some is having to be in the office more (first pregnancy was in covid) and most of it is having a toddler. I’m so exhausted!!

My second was harder- morning sickness was worse (maybe because a girl pregnancy where first was a boy) and I had a lot of shooting pains when walking I didn't have in my first.

I had worse morning sickness with my second. But what made it truly worse was not being able to relax or nap when you need to due to the 1st child now being in the picture 😆
We played a lot of lying down games when I was pregnant with 2nd just to get some form of rest!

1st miscarriage, 2nd severe pre eclampsia and a teeny 3lb ll ouncer at 35 weeks, 3rd was a breeze although the only one with morning sickness and a weird fish allergy, 4th was lovely, 5th was extremely stressful due to concerns about serious birth defects/incompatability with life, so many tests, appointments and scans (pre NIPT, we refused amnio), thankfully had a very healthy baby who is now an adult, but very stressful with 3 others and a house on the market! Hope you feel better soon OP and enjoy the rest of your pregnancy.

Second was so much harder than my first.

While I did have a bit of nausea and sickness with my first, it did pass around the start of the second trimester. It was smooth sailing from there, apart from the pre-eclampsia right at the end. Induction and labour was ok.

My second was virtually symptomless up until week 10 where I had a tiny bit of nausea. The one symptom I did have in abundance? Fatigue. Pure bone shattering fatigue. That on top of looking after a toddler, and PGP from the mid second trimester meant the TV did more than it's fair share of parenting. And then I got pre-eclampsia at the end again. Oh and baby was breech at the 36 week scan. They did turn on his own, but stubbornly remained back to back. Then the induction was delayed by the best part of a week. Then it all wound up in a C-section when baby remained back to back and got stuck with their head tipped back.

My first was a girl and my second was a boy FWIW.

First pregnancy (miscarriage) I had bad sickness but managed to get out of the house and work shortened hours.
Second pregnancy with my first child I had HG and was sick about ten times a day. Tablets helped a bit. 24/7 Nausea finally went at 30 weeks. I had to stop working for about 2 months and then went back part time still being sick and felt awful but struggled through.

Third pregancy, HG ramped up even more. Had to start on the tablets at 5 weeks and stronger ones at 8. Never went back to work. Only left my house a couple of times in 3 months. Parents had to look after my child. Stopped feeling sick when I gave birth.
So yes got worse each time! I think it’s quite common.