Will the second pregnancy be the same as the first or will it be different? This question is very common for second time parents and most of the time they are in for a surprise. Because of already having an experience most women feel confident in their second pregnancy, but it is very often that their journey with their second baby is a whole lot different from the first in terms of physical and emotional changes.
In the physical aspect, second time mothers may be able to feel the movements of their baby earlier. Some say this is because a mother already knows how a baby moves inside her, but scientifically it is because the uterus has already been well stretched before so it does not yield much whenever the baby moves around. This is also the reason why the growth of the mothers belly is more visible during the second pregnancy.
During the later stages of pregnancy a pregnant woman may also notice that there are more Braxton Hicks contractions that may happen, this is another consequence of all the stretch that your body has already undergone during your first pregnancy.
The stretching that happened in a woman’s body also affected the abdominal muscles, since it has already been expanded muscles become weaker. This makes a woman carry the baby lower than in the first pregnancy. The advantage of this is that heartburn may be less frequent and breathing may be a lot easier. The disadvantage is that the urge to urinate may be more frequent than before and the pelvic discomforts may happen earlier in the pregnancy. To relieve from this some exercises must be done.
In the emotional aspect, the first pregnancy has all the mysteries and excitement. It is not that the second baby is less welcome but knowing what is happening inside the womb may make an expectant mother more comfortable but less excited and eager. It would be better if there will be as much emotional involvement as possible. There are studies that say that babies can already feel even if they are still in the womb, so making them feel welcome by showing more eagerness and anticipation is recommended even if they are still in the womb.
