What Can You Do to Prepare for Your 2nd, 3rd+ Birth?

Uncategorized Sep 19, 2023

Show Notes:

[2:00] Our Reviewer of the Week, mad-dog98, said "I’ve only listened to a couple episodes, but I really love how every story is told. I love the educational side and the emotional side of the episodes. This has helped me feel “heard” in a way but also realize that I need to keep learning. Love this podcast!"

[2:58] This week's podcast is about preparing for that second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. compared to how we prepare for that first one. The best part about having a baby again or having several later on down the line is that you have done this before! As you work through those subsequent pregnancies, you're like "Wait, I recognize this" or "When is this part coming?", or "Oh, my favorite part was . . ." and you have something to look forward to. If the first pregnancy did not go how you had hoped, you'll be able to look back at the things you want to change or do things again that went really well.

[5:41] What is the average weeks pregnant for a second pregnancy? Oh, you're going to love and hate this all at the same time because the truth is there's no way to tell. There is nothing that's going to indicate to you or to anyone else that this baby is coming at any specific time just because your first came at X amount of weeks. The problem is every pregnancy is different. Every mother is different. Every situation is different. They do say that, on average, moms as they have subsequent babies tend to go into labor a little bit earlier.

[12:41] What are some tips on caring for your first-born while prepping for labor for your second? Have communication with your family ahead of time and then have a backup because that person could get sick, have to go to work, etc. Just having a plan makes it way more comfortable.

[18:00] What might be different in the second pregnancy? You may notice your symptoms earlier like Braxton Hicks! One of my favorite things that happens to our bodies is your body releases this hormone called relaxin, and it literally allows ligaments and things in your body to relax so you can stretch farther than you've stretched before! By doing the Three Free Exercises, you're creating good habits and it's working correct muscles which can help you carry your baby in the right place and take some of that tension and strain off of your lower back or lower abdomen, even your upper back.

[24:57] Can 2nd births lead to a faster delivery, faster pushing time? Generally, yes, because you've done this before! You kind of know what to expect, even though things can be all kinds of different with the sensations that you've worked through, particularly for moms who are educated and really planning, working with their bodies, they're learning how to relax, they're learning about what happens during labor and how to work through those things.

[26:47] If you don't have an extreme case of prolapse, where it needs surgery, or you have to meet with certain special specialists or providers in order to take care of it, I highly recommend and encourage you to meet with a pelvic floor therapist. They can touch, feel, test, and talk to you about what you're eating and how you're using those muscles when you're sneezing or moving. That is going to be your main go to person because there are things that you can do to avoid and/or decrease prolapse.

[29:11] Are there benefits for having babies closer together? I think some women do well having their babies close together. Other women are going to have a harder time. Again, it's one of those things that's going to vary from pregnancy to pregnancy. I think this question is one of those that could go either way as well. Everything in me wants to give you a solid answer, but I think that it's going to have to be personal.

[32:23] Are C-Sections more common with first births/less common with first births that were vaginal? According to cesareanrates.org, the Cesarean birth rate was as high as 28% in the United States, reaching its peak in 2009. Unfortunately, 86.2% of women with a history of a previous cesarean birth have a repeat C-section, as many hospitals and doctors offering maternity services do not permit women with a history of cesarean birth to give birth vaginally at their facility. So, the tricky part here is, if you've had a cesarean birth before, your struggle is not going to be, can my body do this again and can I have a vaginal birth next time? Your struggle is going to be, can I find a provider that's going to support that?

[36:11] Will I have pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes again in my subsequent pregnancies? I get this question a lot, a lot, which tells me a couple of things. First of all, if moms are coming to me to ask this, they probably weren't given, in my opinion, good information early on to know how to prevent it in the first place. And second is they're preparing for, they're getting ready for this next situation and they want to know what to do now, which is like the best thing ever. If you are either concerned about having preeclampsia or gestational diabetes or you've had it before, the number one thing that you can do to prevent both of these is to have a high protein, well balanced diet and doing 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day or at least several times a week, you know, four to five times a week.

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What Can You Do to Prepare for Your 2nd, 3rd+ Birth?

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