"You could go from having a 24 hour or more labor for the first time around, and three hours the second," she said. "It's because it's the first time these things have happened within your body. It's the first time those body parts have acted that way.
1-3 Months
The first three months with your baby often seem the hardest. Sleep-deprived parents can feel overwhelmed, but that is normal and you will quickly learn how to read your baby's cues and personality. Don't worry about “spoiling” your baby at this stage.
For one thing, as parenting gets easier in some ways, it gets harder in others. The earliest years of parenting are most demanding of time and energy, most likely to cause “role overload,” and most disruptive to one's sleep, work, and marriage. Yet they are not necessarily the worst for well-being.
Your second pregnancy is often different than your first. You might show sooner, feel more tired, have stronger or more frequent back pains, and notice Braxton Hicks contractions earlier. Labor will likely be faster, but postpartum recovery could take longer.
While a handful of things might hurt worse than labor, the significance of the pain caused by giving birth should not be minimized. And though labor can be a painful process, certain things can contribute to or increase the discomfort felt. Anxiety – fear or anxiety during childbirth can increase pain.
The survey also notes that most participants compared the worst pain to "extreme menstrual cramps," "bad back pain," and "a broken bone." While everyone's pain tolerance and birth experience are different, here's what you need to know about the difference between contraction pain and pushing pain during labor.
“However,” she said, “one person's kidney stones could be as severe as another person's childbirth.” The neurological process involved in pain is pretty similar regardless of your gender—find out How Pain Reaches Your Brain—but there is one important difference.
Although there is likely to be some minor differences to the first time around, you can feel confident in knowing it is more likely to be marginally quicker and less painful. For more general information and advice surrounding the birthing process, head over to our birth section.
GAP OF TWO YEARS: There are doctors who recommend couples two years to have a second child. Not only it is good for mother's and new born's health, the first also reaches at a stage where he/she could express and starts to understand things better.
The first trimester of pregnancy can often be the hardest. Pregnancy hormones, extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting, tender breasts, and perpetually needing to wee make life growing a human no easy feat.
New mother syndrome is a term that describes the feeling of sadness, anxiety, or loss that new mothers experience after giving birth. It is also known as postpartum depression.
In fact, many parents on our Instagram page characterized the toddler and teen years as especially challenging. While each age definitely comes with its ups and downs, those of you who are in the throes of year 8, we see you.
Best biological times to have a baby
Typically, the 20s mark a time of high fertility for both males and females. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, females experience a slight reduction in fertility in their early 30s, and this will decrease significantly between the ages of 35 and 45.
While it'll get easier with each passing day, you can expect caring for your newborn will be much easier by the time they're about 3 months old. As you're waiting with anticipation for when caring for your newborn gets easier, it's important to make sure you're taking good care of yourself.
But generally, babies and kids do tend to get easier the older they get. They're able to communicate, are more independent, and can better understand their environment over time. Babies get easier to entertain, and having a baby actually becomes fun.
Second Trimester (14 to 26 Weeks)
The second trimester of pregnancy is often called the "golden period" because many of the unpleasant effects of early pregnancy disappear. During the second trimester, you're likely to experience decreased nausea, better sleep patterns and an increased energy level.
There is no evidence that large age gaps are bad for kids or parents, so you can put that one to rest. As for whether your choice is normal or acceptable to others, remember that this is your family and your choice. And when it comes down to it, whether it works for you is what matters most here.
In particular, a sibling age difference of 2 years or more was associated with a higher chance of completing high school and attending college. Another study found that children who are more than 3.5 years apart tend to get higher grades than children born less than 2 years apart.
Even with all the understandable talk of “windows of opportunity” and “biological clocks,” there are ways for women over 35 to make motherhood a reality. Infertility treatments can be difficult and expensive, but fertility specialists can talk with you about options. Age is less of a limitation than it used to be.
Pushing is often faster in a second birth, too
Learning how to push can be a little awkward at first. But second-time moms already know how to do it, so they tend to push more effectively from the get-go.
Most women will feel increased pressure in their perineum, rectum, and low back at this stage. For many women, the rectal pressure feels the same as having a bowel movement. As the baby's head begins to appear, you may feel a stretching or burning sensation.
Toward the end of the first stage of labour, your cervix will be about 7cm to 8cm dilated. A lot of women find this the hardest, most painful part of giving birth and you might feel like you are out of control. If this happens to you, don't worry: it's totally normal.