You Start Panicking About The Laundry
Good thing little kidsâ clothes are cute, because itâs the only thing that kept me sane in dealing with double the amount of laundry once I had a second kid. The panic crept in before my second kid was born, as I started to pull his older sisterâs newborn outfits out and I realized Iâm going to be changing this babyâs clothes at least three times a day, on top of keeping his sisterâs clothes clean. This is why I wore the same shirt for a month after the birth of my son.
With two growing kids, the laundry is only increasing. But I see the light at the end of the tunnel teaching them to do it themselves. I canât wait.
How Long Should You Wait To Get Pregnant Again
It is crucial to give your body enough time to recover after your first pregnancy. You should wait for no less than 18 months to carry another pregnancy. That means that your firstborn will be about one and a half years old already. This process is called pregnancy spacing. It reduces chances of complications like premature birth and low birth weight in your second pregnancy.
Its Harder To Connect To The Baby
When it comes to a second pregnancy, its already harder to schedule appointments, keep track of medicine, update your pregnancy app etc. when youre focused on caring for the family already.
With a second pregnancy, many women are simply too tired to enjoy pregnancy and take the time to connect. We cease to track what vegetable the baby is measuring up against or take weekly pump pictures. Its almost just another chore.
In all honestly, I loathe bumpdates but I do wish I had a few more memories of my second pregnancy. At 27 weeks, I had taken a total of 1 belly picture. I didnt even take any during our babymoon in Paris.
What you can do about it
You may not have time or be into tracking babys stats in an app or taking bump photos, but set aside five minutes a day to talk to the new baby. Consider a pregnancy journal, and continue to write in it after delivery.
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What To Do If Youre Having Trouble Getting Pregnant A Second Time
Its easy to assume that getting pregnant a second time is a cinch. And often, it is! But more couples actually experience secondary infertility infertility that shows up after youve already had at least one baby than primary infertility .
More often than not, secondary infertility is caused by the same factors that can make it harder to get pregnant your first time, such as being overweight and being older, as well as conditions like endometriosis, uterine fibroids or polycystic ovary syndrome . The advice for coping is the same: See your doctor if youre under 35 and havent been able to get pregnant after a year of trying. If youre over 35, see your doctor if you havent been able to get pregnant within six months.
The issue can also be the result of a problem that occurred during an earlier pregnancy or delivery, like a birth trauma that damaged the uterus or other uterine problems. If thats the case, its worth talking with your doctor before trying to get pregnant a second time. She can give you an idea of what your chances are for conceiving naturally, walk you through any possible risk factors of a second pregnancy, and let you know if and when you should seek fertility assistance.
Male Factors Affecting Fertility
Sperm issues
A mans fertility can change over time, and health issues or medications can affect sperm quality or quantity. Even if you are with the same partner, male factors contributing to infertility must be investigated with a semen analysis. If youre seeing a fertility specialist they will order this test or you can visit your local GP for a referral to a fertility specialist.
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There Is Less Time To Enjoy It
When I was pregnant with my first, I daydreamed a lot. The majority of my pregnant days were spent pondering questions like, what gender would our baby be , what names I liked, and how weâd spend our days as a family. With my second, I didnât have the brain space to accommodate all that rumination. I was too busy figuring out what to pack my toddler for lunch at daycare, when we had to schedule our flu shots, who was taking off to cover childcare over the holidays, and what baby crap did we need to pull out of storage for the new arrival.
The Chances Of Getting Pregnant Without Protection
Many teenagers and adults make mistakes when it comes to rushing into a relationship or into bed with someone. Of course in the heat of the moment, it’s entirely possible to forget about protection.
However, if you don’t use birth control, it’s very easy to fall pregnant or contract a disease or infection. The following information is written for anyone who has had unprotected intercourse and wants to know what the chances are of pregnancy.
These questions are answered in this article:
- Can I get pregnant if the condom breaks?
- What are the chances of getting pregnant after sex with a condom?
- What is the most fertile time for a woman?
- What are the symptoms of pregnancy?
- How long can sperm live?
And remember, next time use contraception!
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Getting Pregnant A Second Time
You know what to expect this time around. But that doesnt mean youll feel exactly the same. Every pregnancy is different, and in fact, second pregnancies differ physiologically from first ones in a number of ways.
But before dealing with any of the ups or downs of growing a baby the second time around, youll have to get pregnant. For some coupes, conceiving baby number two happens just as quickly and easily as baby number one. But there can also be some speedbumps, which takes many couples by surprise.
Mental Health And Pregnancy
If you previously experienced a mental health condition such as postnatal depression, postpartum psychosis or PTSD, talk to your doctor before you try to get pregnant.
You may have experienced a birth trauma and are anxious about having another baby. Your doctor or midwife will listen to any concerns you have and can personalise your care.
Find out more about getting pregnant if you have a mental health condition.
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Youre Way More Stressed
Constantly running after a toddler and holding down a job often equals two very frazzled parents.
We know that stress disrupts the function of the hypothalamic pituitary-ovarian axis, which can throw fertility hormones out of balance, says Dr Venkat.
In fact, a recent study by the University of Oxford suggests that stress makes you 12% less likely to conceive.
Feeling under pressure puts your body in survival mode and restricts blood flow to the ovaries, says holistic GP Dr Sohère Roked. Acupuncture, reflexology and calming activities such as yoga help offset this by improving blood supply to the reproductive organs. This can increase the thickness of the womb lining, which is needed for successful egg implantation.
How Long Is Too Long To Get Pregnant
Just because youve been trying to get pregnant for longer than a year doesnt mean youre infertile. Remember, even for people with average fertility, seven percent of couples wont get pregnant within a year. And if you do discover a condition impacting your fertility, it doesnt necessarily mean you need medical intervention to conceive, Mukherjee says.
When youre trying to get pregnant, the components that matter are quality eggs, regular ovulation, healthy sperm, and a healthy uterus and fallopian tubes, Mukherjee says. If theres a problem with two or more components, the odds are higher that a couple will need medical intervention to make a baby. But if theres a problem with only one of those components, the chances are good that a couple will be able to get pregnant without assistance. Itll just take more time.
For example, polycystic ovarian syndrome is a major cause of irregular periods, impacting 6 to 12 percent of women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with PCOS often take longer to get pregnant because they tend to ovulate less often. Instead of 13 opportunities per year to conceive, you might be down to six or seven, Mukherjee says. But in the long-term, women with PCOS conceive at the same rate as women without PCOS.
The problem is, not all couples have time. If you start trying to get pregnant at 35, you cant afford to wait, Mukherjee says. But if youre in your 20s or early 30s? It might just take patience.
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Focus On Your Overall Health
Make lifestyle changes to get as healthy as possible and put yourself in the best position to be pregnant. If you dont have regular periods, diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle can help your body to get in a better alignment.
You can actually meet with your OB-GYN before attempting to get pregnant to talk about any existing health problems and get screened for any genetic problems. Some suggestions for ways you can change your lifestyle include:
- working toward or maintaining a healthy weight
- avoiding caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs
- finding ways to manage or decrease stress
How Can I Test My Fertility
Your doctor will give you a pelvic exam. They may also use an ultrasound to look at your ovaries and uterus, and give you a blood test to check your hormones. Sometimes youll need to start tracking your ovulation patterns by checking your cervical mucus, taking your temperature, or using home ovulation tests.
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Youre A Woman Over Age 35
Its probably no surprise that one of the most important factors that influences a womans chance of getting pregnant is age. Changes in hormones and risk for certain diseases also increase as we age, and both can impact fertility, she says.
Woman in their mid- to late-30s and older are more likely to experience secondary infertility since eggs are lost as we age, says Dr. Detti.
But if youre in your mid-30s and are still waiting for a second child, dont despair: Just because it might take you longer to get pregnant doesnt mean you wont get pregnant again it just means you have less time to work with, she says.
Tips For When You’re Trying Again
Cut back on caffeine and alcohol
Both reduce fertility in both men and women: one study showed that drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day can halve your chances of conceiving.
Get your balance of essential fatty acids right
Many of us consume too much omega 6 at the expense of omega 3, which causes an imbalance in the body. But omega 3 is what reduces inflammation, which means the body is in a more optimal state to conceive. Two portions of oily fish per week will help.
Take the right supplements
Initial studies on conception and pregnancy formulations containing folic acid, iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D showed that the women who took them were more likely to get and stay pregnant than those who just took folic acid.
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Are Second Pregnancies Easier Than First
Not necessarily, but there isn’t much research into this question. Kathleen M. Rasmussen, a nutritionist with the Nancy Schlegel Meinig Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition at Cornell University says that whether the second pregnancy goes smoother depends on a few things.
“It depends quite a bit on the amount of time that has passed between the first and second pregnancy and well as on the complications of the first pregnancy,” she says. “The womans health at each conception also matters, and it may differ between the two.”
The Odds Are In Your Favor
First of all, rest assured that the odds are definitely with you. About 85 percent of all couples will get pregnant within a year, but it’s also wise to have some realistic expectations. The average time it takes to conceive, for instance, is about six months, and women under 35 should wait until they’ve tried for a year before they consider calling their doctor or a fertility specialist with concerns, says Dr. Stillman.
For older women, the picture changes. Not only could it take longer to conceive, but there are fewer chances of succeeding.
“Women 35 and older who think things aren’t quite right, maybe their menstrual cycle is off, should bring that to someone’s attention fairly quickly — within three months if they’re not pregnant yet,” says Dr. Michael Zinaman, director of reproductive endocrinology at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. “If things seem absolutely fine, then they should contact someone after six months.”
The problem is that many women nowadays who are postponing children until later in life for a variety of reasons often don’t realize until it’s too late about the reduced odds, says Dr. A.F. Haney, chairman of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Duke University Medical Center.
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Is It Harder To Get Pregnant The Second Time Around
We consulted with an expert about Kim Kardashians recent conception concerns.
Kim Kardashian and husband Kanye West have been working on adding a baby to the family , but Kim is finding it much harder to get pregnant this time around, she told the DailyMail.com at the E! International Press Junket this past Friday. It begs the question: Is Kimye just having some bad luck, or are sophomore pregnancies really more difficult?
According to ob-gyn Alyssa Dweck, M.D., Kim’s problem is one plenty of women face. Secondary infertilitya.k.a. trouble conceiving the second time around when you had no issues with the first pregnancyis more common than primary infertility in women, she says. Here are a few reasons why Kim might be seeing the delay and what to do to speed things along.
AgeObviously, time will have passed between trying to get pregnant the first and second time, and Dweck says that when it comes to trying to conceive, time is on none of our sides. “Starting from age 32, fertility begins to decline slightly, then more rapidly by 35,” she says. “At 40, it takes a plunge.” Additionally, with age come certain chronic illnesses that may have gone unnoticed in the previous pregnancy, such as diabetes or thyroid issues, both of which decrease chances of pregnancy.
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You May Have Less Nausea
Not everyone is so lucky, but for most women, nausea and morning sickness involved in a second pregnancy is not nearly as bad. Some doctors have suggested it’s more psychological, since you might experience the same level of nausea, but are better able to handle it. Or you might just be to busy with your first child and work, to pay much attention to how nausea makes you feel.
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Your Labour Is Shorter
Thats a well-established medical fact, confirms Coolen. The uterus and cervix have been through this before, so all phases of labour, right through to pushing, are shorter for second-time moms. One study shows that first-time moms average nine hours of active labour and an hour of pushing, while second-timers spend an average of six hours in active labour and half an hour pushing.
How Common Is It
Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to conceive, or carry to term, another baby following the birth of one or more biological children. It affects around one in seven UK couples, according to Mr Raef Faris, consultant gynaecologist and IVF specialist at The Lister Fertility Clinic.
“Typically, the women I see are between the ages of 36-44 and have been trying to get pregnant again for six months or more. There are several reasons a woman may have trouble getting pregnant second time around. It may be to do with her age a decline in the number and quality of eggs can be a factor. There may be scar tissue in the fallopian tubes or uterus following a Caesarean section or other abdominal surgery that prevents the egg from either reaching the uterus or implanting. Sometimes there may be existing issues such as endometriosis that was present when the first child was conceived but is only proving problematic this time around.”
Stress, chronic tiredness and simply not having enough sex are other common factors than can delay the patter of tiny feet, according to fertility specialist Zita West.
Fertility experts have long suspected that stress hormones makes it harder to conceive, with a 2010 study by researchers at Oxford University finding that a hormone called alpha-amylase was consistently higher in women who struggled to become pregnant.
“I felt I had no right to moan to friends who were still trying to get pregnant with their first baby”
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Record Menstrual Cycle Frequency
A woman who wants to have a baby should monitor whether the first days of her periods tend to occur the same number of days apart every month, which is considered regular. Conversely, her periods may be irregular, meaning her cycle lengths vary from month to month. By tracking this information on a calendar, a woman can better predict when she might be ovulating, according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine. This is the time every month when her ovaries will release an egg. There are also some apps that can help with the tracking, such as GlowOvulation period tracker .
A woman’s egg is fertile for only 12 to 24 hours after its release, while a man’s sperm can survive in a woman’s body for up to five days according to the American Pregnancy Association.
