First Pregnancy Vs Second Pregnancy – 10 Differences

When you find out that you’re pregnant again, you might wonder about the possible differences between your first pregnancy vs second pregnancy.

Since my first pregnancy was easy breezy, I was so nervous that my second pregnancy was going to be the polar opposite.

But fortunately for me, it hasn’t been exactly the “polar opposite”. However, it’s had its differences and there are several other things I’ve noticed during my second pregnancy that I think are worth mentioning in this blog post.

Before I dive into the 10 big differences between your first pregnancy vs your second pregnancy, I want to go over a few cut throat questions you may have.

Is the second pregnancy different from the first?

This answer varies from woman to woman. I wouldn’t say two pregnancies are ever completely identical. But they may be similar in many ways.

Or they could be completely opposite or have more differences than similarities.

Is labor faster with the second baby?

Most of the time, yes. Your body has gone through pregnancy and labor once. If you had a vaginal birth the first time around, your body will be well-prepared for it the second time around.

I go more over labor during your second pregnancy below.

First Pregnancy Vs Second Pregnancy

It’s important to note that you might not experience all 10 of these second pregnancy differences.

But the listed differences between your first pregnancy vs second pregnancy are just some common second pregnancy experiences that you may encounter.

1. Your second pregnancy symptoms can be different even if you’re having the same gender as the first pregnancy.

As I said earlier, my first pregnancy was pretty easy. I probably wouldn’t have even known I was pregnant if it weren’t for my missed period and growing belly.

However, my second pregnancy was not as easy. It hasn’t been completely horrible.

But I had a lot more sickness, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. I blame the fatigue partially on having to take care of a toddler this time around.

And on top of being sick and nauseous even during the evening hours, it made it hard to sleep without the help of pregnancy-safe sleep medicine.

My second pregnancy has been significantly different that I honestly thought I was pregnant with a boy (I had a baby girl my first pregnancy). You can read my other post about old wives’ tale gender prediction here.

2. You might not feel as connected with your second pregnancy.

Don’t get me wrong. I was ecstatic to find out that I was pregnant again. My husband and I had been trying for about 6 months.

But the excitement wasn’t as intense as it was for my first pregnancy. I went a little crazy with buying baby books right away, being on top of pregnancy progress pictures, and purchasing baby clothes left and right.

It’s been a little different for my second pregnancy. Once my initial excitement wore off, I felt guilty for not feeling as immensely thrilled about this pregnancy.

I think part of me felt like “how could I ever love this baby as much as I love my firstborn”. And the more I opened up about my feelings with my friends with multiple children, they reassured me it comes naturally and that each baby will be a unique experience.

One thing that helped me get even more excited about my second pregnancy was having a gender reveal party.

3. Things might be a little more laid back during your second pregnancy vs your first pregnancy.

You might have been super uptight and strict about what you did and ate during your first pregnancy.

And you’d be surprised how relaxed you get during your second pregnancy. Maybe it’s because you’re familiar with pregnancy the second time around and it’s not so new.

4. You’ll be extra exhausted during your second pregnancy especially if your pregnancies are closer together.

I think you’ll be exhausted your second pregnancy even if your first kid is in school because you still hold that responsibility of taking care of another little human.

Whereas during your first pregnancy, you had more freedom in your day to sleep and only have to take care of yourself.

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5. You’ll most likely show faster with your second pregnancy vs your first pregnancy.

I started to show pretty close to 25 weeks with my first pregnancy. And closer to 15 weeks with my second pregnancy.

The reason why you show sooner during your second pregnancy is due to stretched abdominal muscles.

And you can think of your body as being familiar with pregnancy so it adjusts accordingly including making room for the growing baby.

6. You feel your baby moving much quicker the second time around.

Along with showing sooner your second pregnancy, it’s possible to feel your baby move sooner than you did your first pregnancy.

I personally didn’t feel my baby move until I was well into my second trimester during my first pregnancy and it could have also been the fact that I didn’t know what that event felt like.

But I’ve been felt my baby move a lot sooner my second pregnancy around the late first trimester and early second trimester.

7. Your labor might be a lot shorter in your second pregnancy.

Your labor being shorter during your second pregnancy is similar to why you show sooner and feel your baby sooner during your second pregnancy.

Your body has done this before and your abdominal and uterine muscles have already been stretched out.

8. You’re going to be less anxious than you were in your first pregnancy.

I talk more about fears and emotions in the next section. But there’s a lot of first-time mom anxiety that you’ll experience because you honestly don’t know what to expect.

And that’s totally okay. If you’re concerned about your baby and motherhood, it’s a good indicator that you care.

Lucky for you, your second pregnancy won’t be as anxiety-filled. You’ll have gained some experience the first time around to help you navigate being a mom the second time around.

9. You’ll have different fears and emotions knowing you’ll have two little humans to care for.

During your first pregnancy, you’ll have a list of first-time mom fears that are inevitable. You’re basically fearing the unknown.

But your second pregnancy fears and emotions will be pretty different. Some of my fears have been worrying about how I’d do everyday tasks with two little babies needing my every attention.

Or how the two girls will get along. And mainly, how my first daughter will react to having a sibling who will be sharing the attention.

10. You might not need to spend as much money during your second pregnancy if your babies are closer in age.

And this is also true if you are having babies of the same gender.

For example, my babies will be exactly 24 months apart and they are both girls. I bought fairly gender-neutral baby toys and kept all of the baby girl clothes just in case we were going to have another girl.

Lucky for us (financially), we ended up having another girl so we aren’t having to repurchase a whole lot of baby clothes.

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Final Thoughts

Your second pregnancy can feel and overall be different than your first pregnancy. But don’t be alarmed if it’s quite similar. That doesn’t mean there’s anything to worry about.

I hope you found this list of first pregnancy vs second pregnancy differences to be relateable! Thanks for reading!