After your second baby, the uterus has less muscle tone than the first time, and is more aggressive at clamping down as quickly as possible to decrease your chances of bleeding. This results in stronger afterpains, the postpartum contractions that bring the uterus back down to size.
50% gave birth by 38 weeks and 2 days after ovulation. 75% gave birth by 39 weeks and 2 days after ovulation. 90% gave birth by 40 weeks and zero days after ovulation.
Second trimester: Your baby starts to grow in earnest, meaning your pregnancy weight gain should ideally increase so that you add a total of about 12 to 14 pounds. Third trimester: Baby's weight will pick up steam, but yours may start to taper off for a net gain of about 8 to 10 pounds.
VERDICT: As per World Health Organization, a gap of at least 24 months should be there between your first and second child. By this time, the mother's body gets fully recovered from her first pregnancy as she replenishes the nutrients she lost in her first pregnancy.
You'll likely notice the first signs of a bump early in the second trimester, between weeks 12 and 16. You might start showing closer to 12 weeks if you are a person of lower weight with a smaller midsection, and closer to 16 weeks if you're a person with more weight.
During the early stages of pregnancy, around 7 or 8 weeks, the growth of the uterus and the development of the baby, turn the the belly harder.
There's evidence that second babies tend to be bigger than first babies (Bacci et al 2014). But this isn't always the case, and the difference doesn't tend to be dramatic. On average, second babies are about 100g (3.5oz) heavier than first babies (Bacci et al 2014).
But if your first child was full term or even a few weeks early, there's no indication that the second will come sooner. “In fact, babies love to surprise their mothers and then sometimes come late!†she says. “The initiation of labor is a very complex process and doesn't always follow a pattern.â€
Baby bump. It's true — in your second pregnancy, you may show earlier than you did in the first. This happens because your first pregnancy loosened the muscles of your abdomen and uterus.
First time moms, if left alone to go into labor naturally tend to be pregnant for about 41 weeks and 1 day. Women who've had babies before tend to deliver around 40 weeks and 3 days. Only about 10% of women go longer than 42 weeks.
Second babies are easier to deliver than first babies. Why? Lots of reasons: Our uteruses get smarter and figure out how to do the job. All the muscles, tissues and bones have already stretched out making it easier for the baby to descend.
The women produced significantly more milk with their second babies than with their first. And surprisingly, the women who had the most trouble with milk production the first time had the greatest jump in milk production with their second baby. Another plus, breastfeeding took less time for the second baby.
The second stage of labor for a second babyThe second stage of labor (when you start pushing and deliver the baby) usually takes about one to three hours for first-time moms, but often less than an hour — and sometimes only a few minutes — for women who've had children before.
The birth of the second child, however, is more likely to be harder on the father than the mother, when it comes to their feelings about their marital or cohabiting relationship.
Advice from second-time parents
- Share the news with your firstborn whenever you're ready. "
- Try to get your eldest excited about his new role. "
- Know that the extra work of raising multiple children will be worth it. "
- Trust yourself. "
- Reuse an older sibling's bottles. "
- Consider all your child care options. "
Pregnant women carrying girls have a greater chance of experiencing nausea and fatigue, according to the results of a study from the USA's Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. In fact, a mother's immune system is thought to behave in different ways depending on the sex of their baby.
Most second timers are more attuned to the early symptoms of pregnancy and more apt to recognize them. That said, the symptoms themselves might vary from the last time — you might have more or less morning sickness or other tummy troubles, for example, or more or less urinary frequency.
"It's a myth that because you have had one baby you should be prepared and unafraid during your second pregnancy," she says. "The truth is that second pregnancies and second children can be just as nerve-racking as the first." The good news is, most moms soon find that their anxiety, while not unusual, is unfounded.
