Pregnancy and bith second time around

So...I'm starting to think about baby number 2 and may start trying early next year (gulp). All going well DS will be 2 when the 2nd one arrives.

I had a pretty good pregnancy, apart from vomiting for the first 19 weeks - but I had a pretty crap birth, induction, forceps, epesiostimy etc
I know some people have much worse, but to be honest I thought the whole thing was pretty horrific - and I could never imagine wanting to do it EVER again. Here I am 10 months later considering it

Anyway....my question is...How did you find labour 2nd time around? Was it quicker? Easier? (I ask hopefully..!!) And also how did you find those first few weeks at home? Was it easier knowing what to expect? Was coping with 2 easier or harder than you expected it to be??

Thanks in advance ladies

Labour was so much easier, shorter (3.5hrs from first niggle down to less than an hour from first niggle) and pushing was over and done within two contractions. I found my recovery much quicker too.

First few weeks at home were probably the same with both of my girls, although i did feel more confident with the youngest one.

Coping with two was a lot busier than i expected. When the baby slept i still had to entertain the older one. Also for the first couple of weeks, my eldest played up a bit as she wasn't centre of attention anymore but that settled down quickly.

I actually found my pregnancy easier in many ways 2nd time round. I was lighter and fitter so my body coped better. MS was still ass though

PG has been different - harder cos you can't rest and you're toddler-wrangling, but I feel in a much better space at 37 weeks with this one than I did at 37 weeks with DS. It's also been completely different in terms of MS/nausea ...

Birth - will get back to you in a few weeks! It had better be better than last time!

Friends with 2 (and a 3rd on the way) said the worst transition was from 0 to 1. I've heard people say 2 to 3 is harder than 1 to 2. At least with going from 1 to 2, there is still a good adult:child ratio.

That's so true Jazzy - at the end of the day, no matter how hard it was, you would do it again to have that gorgeous wee person in your life

yeah, Flissty - I bet pregnacy is quite tiring 2nd time around. No lying about, long afternoon naps and sleep ins!!

Oh and as for pregnancy 2nd time round, I had more aches and pain....with C I was 19 tho and had more energy.
however this time, baby number 3....I so far haven't had much uncomfortableness at all, perhaps this will be the nicest of my children

My first pregnancy was a breeze and looking back Jackson was a very easy baby (he just didn't want to eat which created all our stress).

This time round pregnancy has been a lot harder in many ways. I am finding it tough at the tail end as I am very tired and getting bad reflux.

I am hoping birth is easier. Jackson's birth wasn't terrible, just very long and tiring. Hoping to have a quick one this time... but not so quick that I don't make it to the hospital!

I am very nervous about the birth, cos I remember how painful it was first time. They say you forget, but that is bollocks!

Anyway....my question is...How did you find labour 2nd time around? Was it quicker? Easier? (I ask hopefully..!!) And also how did you find those first few weeks at home? Was it easier knowing what to expect? Was coping with 2 easier or harder than you expected it to be??

i wanted an elective c section but went into labour and CWH made me wait cause 'there should be heaps of time but i labour fast so nearly had another emergency hmmm.. anyway .. i found both labours awful but the second one was better....:)

first few weeks were hard.. i hadnt really thought beyond the birth and found it hard with DH not being able to visit so much and my first time away from my two year old(2 yrs 4 days between my two)

definitely easier knowing what to expect but fell into the trap of expecting them to act the same..lol..nope.. I have found having two hard.. harder than i thought it would be and its number one needing lots of attention and having number two need it too and also still being up every night.. though number one did want dad at night from 6 months preg so that helped:)

having said all that.. (and my DH had an operation 2 weeks after my c section!) i love it.. my two are awesome together and although it's way harder than i thought it's also awesome..

my pregnancy was harder though i had more problems with number one(pre PE etc) just so much more tired and had low BP instead of high and that wasnt great..and i felt drained the entire time..

lol so yeah for me preg and birth arent very great..but the rewards at the end and seeing my two interact has been worth it.

ElfsMum wrote: both mine posterier in labour not sure if that makes it worse? I find having no rest during day really hard..

I found it just different. Both presentations are tough but I found the prosterior baby was more pain in my back. Couldn't get comfy in labour not that it is ever comfy but I couldn't stay in one position long and needed to move and fidget.

I got induced with both DD and also DS so mine was pretty horrific (intense is probably the right word). Pregnancy was a breeze with DD until like 34 weeks and then I started getting symptoms of pre-eclempsia and then got induced on due date.

With DS, I had 2 days of contractions on and off and they were very intense. Didn't get any sleep so got induced because if they left me I would be too exhausted to push and would end up with a C-section and that was my last resort.

Both labours were quick but DS one was about 2 hrs or so quicker than DD but we had complications after DS was born as he stopped breathing so ended up being monitored for 2 hrs.

Oh and the first few weeks after was actually pretty good as DD was at school the 1st week so it was good timing actually. The only thing was when DS woke up every hour or so .. when we have had 8 - 9 hrs sleep at night.. that was a shocker to our system..lol

Edited by Renee & Lauren