by Leigha Dobson

Created on: October 28, 2009

I have always heard that every pregnancy was different and that many times your second one is easier and flies by faster. However, in my case it is the total opposite. Our first child will be eleven years old when our second is born. I am not even out of my first trimester yet and have had significant differences than my first pregnancy.

I am gaining weight in places I did not gain weight in the first time. I have definitely started expanding faster this time. My breasts have already grown quite a bit when I didn't even notice changes until I was half way through my second trimester in my first. My body itself is way more sensitive to touch and temperature. I get hot faster, cold unexpectedly and have horrible nights sweats that I have never experienced before. All of the things that I worried about before started already. I go to the bathroom more than I ever thought possible. I get up at least two times a night and usually at the same time every night. I have troubles going back to sleep but am plagued with horrible fatigue. I don't know if being younger the first time around helped with having more energy but this time I have none.I get winded when I vacuum and I am in good shape.

During the first pregnancy I didn't have any problems eating and now I either have a huge appetite or none at all. My tastes have even changed drastically, things do not taste the same. I have never had a problem with red meat in fact I love it but just don't want it. My hormonal change is very prominent also. I catch myself being very moody and having attitude about little things that don't even matter. I don't shave my legs as much or have the yearning to do so, when I gave birth I was upset that I had not shaved before my water broke. I even put make up on in the car on the way to the hospital, now I have horrible acne and do not wear any unless I am going to an appointment. I started nesting earlier and worrying about not having everything done even though I have seven months to go. My emotions are on a roller coaster and I cry at the drop of a hat, never had that problem before.

All of my senses are either heightened or have changed. I tend to need my glasses more than I ever have. Foods that I crave do not always taste like I remembered them. I have a hard time with spelling simple words that I use daily. I forget things right after they are said or written down. I am a huge klutz and can't do anything without dropping, bumping in to or breaking something. I can smell everything, things I point out that no one else can smell. My anxieties about everything are higher than usual and are once again about little things or things I can't control.

I now believe that every pregnancy is completely different. I am not as young as the first but am still young but do not feel it. This baby is totally different than my first who was an easy pregnancy that seemed to fly by. I am happy that we are having a second child but it seems like I sit and watch the minutes as they slowly tick by. As I experience totally different things I find myself asking my OB/GYN if this is all normal. Of course I am told that everything is and that this time things are just happening earlier than the first. I had no idea though that my second pregnancy would be so much different than my first. Every bit of it is worth bringing another bundle of joy into our lives, but it has totally opened my mind to the differences your body will experience with another pregnancy later on in life.

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