Pregnancy the second time around

Contemplating the differences
It's likely to be one of the first questions that runs through your head when you find out that you're expecting another baby: how will this pregnancy be different from my first?

While you'd need a crystal ball in order to predict exactly how your mind and body will react to this second stroll down Maternity Avenue -- every pregnancy is different, after all! -- it's possible to make a few educated guesses about how things will play out between now and delivery day. Here's what to expect.

• You may find that you're less preoccupied with your pregnancy this time around. It is, after all, a lot more difficult to find the time to luxuriate in the fact that you're pregnant again when you're busy chasing a toddler or preschooler around the house. If you find yourself feeling guilty for letting the busyness of everyday life distract you from your excitement about being pregnant, try to cut yourself some slack: you'll have plenty of time to bond with your new baby after the birth.

• You may find yourself worrying that you won't love the new baby as much as you love your older child -- or that you're ruining your older child's life by bringing a sibling into the picture. While there may be a few rough patches during the early weeks and months of your new baby's life, you'll no doubt find that you're able to scratch these two items off your worry list relatively quickly. You'll adjust to the new baby's arrival and so will baby number one!

• You're likely to feel extra tired this time around. Remember the good old days when you were able to succumb to the fatigue of early pregnancy by heading to bed at 7:00 p.m. or flopping out on the couch on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in order to catch up on your sleep? Well, that's all ancient history if you've got a toddler or preschooler to look after. Even if your partner goes to heroic lengths to ensure that you get your rest, your mommy radar may make it difficult for you to relax and unwind if your toddler is playing in the next room. Add to that the fact that you are likely to find yourself on night-time parenting duty from time-to-time and you can see why sleep may be nothing more than the stuff of which dreams are made at this point in your life.

• You may start showing sooner. Because your uterus has already been down this road before and your abdominal muscles might not be quite as taut as they were the first time around, you can expect to start showing sooner than you did during your first pregnancy. Some second-time moms find, in fact, that they're into their maternity clothes long before they reach their second trimester.

Page 1 of 2 -- Why you may find afterpains more unbearable the second time around on page 2.