Planning a Second Pregnancy?
Are you terrified of going back to sleepless nights? Worried you can’t love a second child like you love your eldest? or maybe you’re feeling more confident now you know what to expect. Whatever the reason plan to have a second baby if you as a couple want to and not because of family or society.
Few things to consider while planning for a Second Pregnancy:
- Age and Health Condition - It's advised that the mother maintain a gap of eighteen months between each pregnancy to allow the uterus to shrink into its original form. It is also prudent to not get pregnant when you are breastfeeding as your body will have to cater to both your babies. If you are above 35 years of age, you should not delay your pregnancy. Also, you need to recover fully from your first pregnancy.
- Are you prepared mentally and physically? - Mentally because you already have a child who needs your time and attention. Physically because your body has already gone through numerous changes after the first child.
- Your and father’s age - With increasing age, the quality of the eggs reduces, thus increasing the chances of miscarriage or genetic defects in you and same is the case with your partner whose sperms quality also starts decreasing once they turn 35.
- Financially are you ready for a second baby - With the second child planning the costs immediately double. Evaluate your financial state and plan in advance.
- Preparing Your Older Child for a Sibling - You must gradually prepare your elder child for the arrival of the second child. Answer older kids all question. Talk about how awesome it will be to have a sibling and the cool things both of them can do.
- Arrangements for the First Child - You have to make sure that the first child is well-cared for while going through a second pregnancy. Have a friend or family member who would come over in an emergency when you need to go to the hospital.
Based on the data from the National Vital Statistics System, Recent trends in VBAC for women in their 20’s to 30’s are continuously increasing from 12.4% in 2016 to 12.8% in 2017 to 13.3% in 2018.
Second Pregnancy is different from your first in the following ways:
- You will probably “feel” pregnant sooner
- You will probably “look pregnant” sooner
- Your pregnancy symptoms may seem less noticeable because you’re too busy to pay attention to them
- You might feel more tired
- You will potentially have more back pain and other pregnancy aches
- You will probably feel the fetal movement sooner
- You will notice Braxton-Hicks contractions a bit earlier
- You will probably have an easier and faster labour and delivery
- Your after-pains or postpartum contractions may be potentially more painful
Common Questions
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Q. What is the right time to plan my second pregnancy?
A. According to WHO, a gap of minimum of two years should be there between your first and second child. This much gap is required for the mother’s body to get fully recovered from her first pregnancy as she as to replenishes the nutrients she lost in her first pregnancy.
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Q. Is labor easier the second time?
A. Yes, labor will be quicker with the second birth. Latent labor will be faster and contractions will become stronger more quickly which will probably make the delivery of the child much easier.
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Q. Can i have normal delivery after C-Section?
A. Yes , you will be able to have the baby vaginally after the c-section. This process is called Vaginal Birth After Caesarean(VBAC). If you have a healthy pregnancy and the incision in the last c-section was low transverse then VBAC is possible.
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Q. When is VBAC recommended?
A. VBAC is recommended when labor starts spontaneously or when the candidate have a low-transverse uterine scar or when the baby is average size or when the pregnancy started at healthy weight and the weight gain is kept on target.
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