Pregnancy Advice After Baby Number 1

When you're having your first baby it seems everyone has advice for you. Everywhere you turn someone is telling you what to do- or what not to do- during your pregnancy and once your baby arrives. However, where does all that help go once you've had your first baby? It seems everyone just expects you to know exactly what to do and what to expect once you've had one. They don't tell you that your second pregnancy might be nothing like your first or that your third can cause complications you never had before or that on your fourth, you might feel better than you did non-pregnant.

Here are some things they don't tell you about multiple pregnancies.

No Two Pregnancies are Ever the Same

No matter how many babies you have, you don't know for sure what will happen. Having gone through it before will give you the experience but the truth is that every pregnancy is different. You may find that your second pregnancy is exactly like your first one or you may find things happening that freak you out only to be told by your doctor "it's normal".

You May Not Feel Beautiful

Everyone tells you that pregnancy is such a beautiful thing, that you're glowing and that you look fantastic. The truth is you may feel far from beautiful. Some days you won't even feel in the ballpark of beautiful and there's nothing wrong with that at all. Your body is changing rapidly and you may feel like you're being taken over. Or maybe you were miserable the first time around but Baby Number 2 has you feeling like a goddess. If the latter is true, then soak it up and enjoy it but don't feel bad if you don't feel all that beautiful; while you're pregnant.

Pregnancy is Not an Excuse to Eat Everything You Want

Although you may have gone back to pre-pregnancy weight after the first baby, each additional baby makes this more difficult. If you're on the 2^nd, 3^rd or even 4^th or more pregnancy, you need to be cautious of diet. If you have concerns about what you should be eating or how much, be sure to talk with your doctor about this.

Every Labor is Different

Just because you pleaded for an epidural with your first child doesn't mean you will need one with your next delivery. My water did not break with babies one, two or three and when it happened with pregnancy four, I wasn't sure at first what it was. Of course, I knew it happened but it had never happened to me before. Maybe you have had multiple natural labors but then you have one with excruciating back labor and you opt for medication to help ease the pain. Every labor is different and you never know exactly what you're doing to get until you're in the moment.