I feel further from having this baby than I did 2 weeks ago. I am a couple weeks away from having my second baby and needed to see some of these things because I do remember a good bit about labor and delivery (haha!). Only you can decide when the best time is to get pregnant. What are the chances the second pregnancy results in an induction? On average, a first-time mom has her baby at 39 weeks and 5 days. The ‘second child syndrome’ can be a remarkable relief and contrast to the first. Yes, it's very common. When pregnancy length was calculated using ultrasound in the second trimester the mean was 280.6 days, standard deviation 9.7 days. BabyCenter is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. Have a longer cycle, and the due date will likely underestimate the real delivery date. The closer you have your babies together the more exaggerated the general aches and pains of pregnancy seem to be, such as a sore back and unstable feeling in your pelvis. The baby seems to be able to turn easier and get itself into an anterior position (baby faces the mother’s spine). He found that first babies were, indeed, slightly more likely to be born late, at 41 weeks or later, compared with other babies (second-borns, third-borns, etc.) You will best know what your needs are. Inductions or doctor intervention are more common for women who go two weeks past their due date. Remember whatever you do it must work for you! If you plan not to have your child there for the birth remember to organise someone who will be on call during the last few weeks of the pregnancy. Your body will also be slightly different second time around. Sometimes the anxiety is in fact worse. I want to give myself plenty of time to get to the hospital! I will say that second-time pregnancies tend to be slightly shorty in length than first-time pregnancies. The reality is the second birth has a very high chance of being uncomplicated. Breastfeeding is also generally not as difficult, particularly if you have successfully fed your first baby. But as always with babies, they will arrive when they’re ready and not a moment sooner. *sigh*. Studies involving women who are allowed to try for a normal vaginal birth after a caesarean section indicate around 80 percent of these women go on to give birth vaginally and around 20 percent have another caesarean section. Make sure you have a support person organised for the child so they can be taken out of the situation if it distresses or bores them. That difference is partly … Parents can also find it hard to imagine that they could possibly find room in their hearts to love another child as they do the first. Use this calculator to find your due date. On average, second babies are about 100g … You are likely to feel more tired during the second pregnancy, especially if your first child is still very young. You need to try and bend at the knees when you do these things rather than bending at the waist to reduce potential problems. Traditionally, babies born as much as three weeks before their due dates, or up to two weeks after, have been considered full term. Women having their second baby are often surprised at how early they begin looking pregnant compared to their first experience. The second time around you realise this is an impossible task and you follow your instincts and draw on your own experience. Women having their second baby are less likely to attend parent education classes than they were with their first. The average first mom will give birth at 41 weeks and 3 days (10 days late). There are of course plenty of exceptions to this rule and second time around you could get the more challenging child! I am 9 weeks away from DD with second. Even when the second child is carefully planned, anxieties will surface and questions will need to be answered. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Thank you! Second time mothers are bending over picking up toys and lifting growing toddlers and this adds stress to vulnerable backs, joints and ligaments. For some mothers there are feelings of guilt prior to the birth of a second child. This is probably due to the fact that the abdominal muscles are not as toned as they were with the first and tend to allow the uterus to lean forwards a bit more. They feel they are somehow being disloyal to their first-born and that the special relationship they have with them will be altered. It is a myth that breastfeeding while you are pregnant is harmful for either the breastfeeding child or the unborn baby. The decision to have more than one child is not an easy one for many parents. Have you thought about where you might choose to give birth? An unplanned second pregnancy can cause great turmoil, particularly if your first child is still a baby. The second problem, bias, is far more concerning: The average actual delivery date is later than the one predicted by Naegele’s rule. If, however, you have put on a lot of weight with the first baby and not lost it by the time you are pregnant again then the added weight gain can make you more prone to stretch marks. Will I have a bigger baby? Be sure to talk to your health care provider about your due date. Some people saw the "due date" like a deadline... if the baby hasn't arrived yet, it's late, it's time to freak out. You’re not going to let her be an only child? Kids are usually between 6-9lbs, although some are … Laura-Jane, Great article.. Please remember that your due date is only an estimate. If there's a problem with your baby or you still haven't delivered 2 weeks after your due date, your doctor will probably induce labor. Second time moms' average delivery date is 40 weeks and 3 days—that is an entire week earlier! Most women, but not all, will deliver their babies within a week on either side of this date. Some hospitals run short, refresher, parent education courses for second time parents. Don’t be surprised if the sight of you breastfeeding your new baby doesn’t rekindle memories and interest and even a little jealousy in your toddler. The dates are kind of fuzzy within two weeks on either end of the spectrum, early, or late. Your body is more experienced the second time around — and certain parts are, well, let's just say, a little laxer, allowing for a potentially faster passage and speedier process. Please whitelist our site to get all the best deals and offers from our partners. Its normal for a baby to come after its due date. There is no reason why you cannot continue breastfeeding. Concerns about harmful hormones in the milk or stimulating premature labour have not been supported by research. Here you can read about pregnancy and birth the second time around. Hannah Dahlen The normal distribution based on and, however, would predict less than 3% of babies are born prematurely (.03% and 2.7% respectively). On the other hand some women feel quite resentful over this huge demand on them. You also tend to listen less to all the ‘experts’ second time around and listen more to yourself. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. What a wonderful positive article! Have a shorter cycle, and the due date may overestimate it. My first was late a week and a half and was induced. 3rd baby was 14 days late and was halfway between the two at about 9 hours. Pregnancy is harder but goes by faster. If you plan to have them present at the birth you need to start preparing them early. Penn Medicine, The Three Stages of Labor, January 2017. Second time around as a parent you are suspended somewhere between a novice and an expert, and a dreamer and a realist. Learn how your comment data is processed. You've probably heard by now that your baby's due date is just an estimate based on the first day of your last period. This is most likely due to the fact that all the stretching needed for subsequent pregnancies has already been done with the first baby. Discuss this with your care provider. For 66% of the mothers, the estimated due date was moved up to an earlier date, while for 34% of the mothers, the date was moved back to a later date (Declercq et al., 2013). This does not mean you will have no anxieties. I have been having some anxiety about it and this put my mind at ease. If you had problems with your first pregnancy such as high blood pressure or premature labour you are at more risk of this occurring again and so will be watched closely for any potential problems. Many second time parents have actually found the opposite with baby number and they tend to arrive an average of 3 days after their due date. Remember, a due date is just an educated guess based on the last menstrual cycle and the size of the baby. Your due date is set at 40 weeks and many care providers emphasize that anything after 38 weeks is considered full term.Frankly I don't … “When are you going to have ‘number two’? Where would you feel most comfortable? Then, when actual labor kicked in the night after my due date, I was totally in denial as I Googled “Did my water break?” (Spoiler: It did.) As I neared the end of my second pregnancy almost three years later, I figured I was an old hat at this having-a-baby thing. © 2021 Everyday Health, Inc, "I keep hearing that a woman's second baby comes faster than her first. Breastfeeding can be a great way to make your toddler feel less threatened by the new baby and able to share your attention. With the first baby you journey through a great unknown. Modern technology has changed how society values due dates. Is it normal to go beyond my expected due date? We have less time to navel gaze when chasing a demanding child around the house. This is great news for mothers embarking on a second pregnancy, particularly if they had to have assistance during the birth of their first baby. Women having their second baby tend to feel the baby move earlier than women having their first baby. If you deliver on your due date, your baby is actually only 38 weeks old, not 40. Many a second time mother has gripped my arm in labour and said “its all coming back to me now”. First the CDC has found that 9.6 % of babies were born before their due date overestimate. More tired during the second birth helps to heal any disappointments they have... 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