First vs Second Pregnancy: Difference and Comparison

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey that a woman experiences in her lifetime. Here, we are asked to differentiate between the terms first pregnancy and second pregnancy.

Even though there are many similarities between both pregnancies, at the same time, it allows the woman to experience many different feelings and emotions each time.

There are major differences between the first pregnancy and the second pregnancy.

After being pregnant the first time, one is not aware of the experiences in the initial stage of the journey of motherhood, but slowly and gradually, in the second pregnancy, one knows what is going to happen, but sometimes in the second pregnancy, it is unpredictable.

Key Takeaways

1. First pregnancies have a longer gestation period than subsequent ones.
2. Women experience quicker and more intense labor during their second pregnancy.
3. Physical and emotional changes tend to be more pronounced during the first pregnancy.

First Pregnancy vs Second Pregnancy

The difference between the first and second pregnancies is that both make the woman feel different mentally and physically. In the first pregnancy, the woman is comparatively less mentally and physically prepared. On the other hand, in the second pregnancy, the woman is more prepared and is aware of things, even though the symptoms, experiences, etc., are different from the previous pregnancy. Also, pregnancy differs from woman to woman; hence, it is sometimes unpredictable.

Generally, it is termed as in the first pregnancy, the baby bump or the stomach portion of a woman during pregnancy takes time to get big. It takes longer because of the stomach muscles, which enables the muscles to slowly and gradually stretch.

Also, the woman feels the movement or the baby kick comparatively late. Also, in the first pregnancy, a woman experiences a lot more painful labor pain as well as contractions.

On the other hand, generally, in the second pregnancy, the baby bump or the stomach portion of a woman shows a little sooner.

This is because the stomach muscles have already experienced the enlargement of the muscles in the previous pregnancy, and therefore, it eases the muscles sooner and faster.

One more major change that women have seen or felt is the movement, or the baby kick shows up earlier. Also, in the second pregnancy, the labor pain is comparatively low and barely.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	First Pregnancy	Second Pregnancy
Belly Size/Baby Bump	In the first pregnancy, the belly size or the baby bump takes a bit longer time to show up. The baby bumped gradually and slowly stretched the stomach muscles.	In the second pregnancy, the belly size or the baby bump shows up early as compared to the first pregnancy. This is because in the first pregnancy, the stomach muscles are already stretched, and hence it takes comparatively less time to show up.
Duration of Labour Pain	In the first pregnancy, it is said that the labor pain takes a bit longer time, approximately eight hours.	In the second pregnancy, it is said that the labor pain takes less time, approx five hours or so.
Birth	In the first pregnancy, the birth of the child takes more time, and at the same time, it is comparatively more painful.	In the second pregnancy, the birth of the child takes less time and is considered less painful than the first pregnancy.
Movement of the Baby	During the first pregnancy, the women have noticed that the baby’s movement or the kick takes time to happen.	During the second pregnancy, women have noticed that the baby’s movement or the kick takes less time, and therefore the baby starts making movements from the early stage itself.
Fatigue/ Low on Energy	In the first pregnancy, women are not as low on energy as compared to the second one. Being fatigued is common, but it’s less in the first pregnancy.	In the second pregnancy, women are mostly exhausted and low on energy. The feeling of fatigue is comparatively more in the second pregnancy.
Braxton Sickness	During the first pregnancy, the pregnant woman experiences Braxton Hicks contractions very late and around the 16th week.	During the second pregnancy, the pregnant woman experiences Braxton Hicks at an earlier stage.
Complications	Generally, in the first pregnancy, women have some complications, such as preterm labor, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Therefore, it varies from woman to woman.	Generally, in the second pregnancy, women-only experience severe complications if they had any complications in their first pregnancy. But, if no complications are seen in the first one, then the woman doesn’t experience anything in the second one.
Morning Sickness	In the initial stage of the pregnancy, women feel nausea, and therefore after a few weeks, these feelings completely vanish. But, in some cases, the morning sickness remains throughout the journey of pregnancy.	If a woman experiences morning sickness during her first pregnancy, it is said that she is bound to have those morning sicknesses again in the second pregnancy as well.

What is First Pregnancy?

First pregnancy means being pregnant with the first child. The first pregnancy is a very special and crucial time for both parents. Being pregnant for the first time engages a lot of time, effort, care, excitement, etc.

In short, a bunch of joyful as well as sensitive moments. In the first pregnancy, the woman not only experiences a bunch of new experiences, but she has to go through a lot mentally and physically.

There are a lot of physical changes in the woman’s body, such as weight gain, acne, allergies, stretch marks, etc. There are many such instances that we are going to discuss here.

The changes included in the first pregnancy are such as the size of the belly increases and there are back pain as well as body aches, headaches, fatigue, etc.

In the first pregnancy, the size of the belly, or in other words, the baby bumps, slowly and gradually increases, therefore, it takes time as the stomach muscles in the initial stage experience a new change.

Also, it is said that a baby takes time to show any movement in the belly. In the first pregnancy, the labor pain and contractions are severe since it is the first time for the woman to give birth.

One more thing that is noticed in a woman is that the first delivery period is approximately eight hours or so.

Low energy, fatigue, and morning sicknesses are more points to be noted. Generally, the mentioned problems are experienced in the initial or first trimester of pregnancy.

But, in some cases, these problems are experienced throughout the pregnancy journey. Medications and proper medical guidance are very important in this period.

Also, some complications arise in some women, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, preterm labor, etc. And after giving birth still, the woman has to take medications for the complications.

What is Second Pregnancy?

A woman who is bearing her second child in her womb is known as having a second pregnancy. The second pregnancy is more intense, and the changes are different from the previous pregnancy.

Maximum women have experienced changes or differences in the second pregnancy, including labor pain, body pain, symptoms, complications, etc. In the second pregnancy, it is noticed that the baby bump shows up early.

The reason behind this is that in the previous pregnancy when the stomach muscles stretched, the body adjusted itself to that, and hence when the baby develops itself in the second pregnancy, the baby bump shows up early.

In the second pregnancy, women are seen that their labor pain is quite less. That means the labor pain only lasts for five hours or so. The delivery of the baby takes less time and is considered less painful.

Because after the first delivery, the vaginal muscles are extended to some extent, which helps the woman to push out the baby with less pain and time. The movements of the baby are also caught early in the second pregnancy.

There is no such complication in the second pregnancy, but if a women experience any complication during the first pregnancy, then she gets the same set of complications in the second one, also.

The complications are high BP, diabetes, etc. Also, morning sickness tenses the woman. Due to severe morning sickness, there are high fluctuations in mood swings.

If the morning sickness is severe for the first time or lasts throughout the pregnancy, then in the second pregnancy, the same sort of morning sickness is seen.

Main Differences Between First Pregnancy and Second Pregnancy

1. In the first pregnancy, the belly size or the baby bump takes a bit longer time to show up. The baby bumped gradually and slowly stretched the stomach muscles. On the other hand, in the second pregnancy, the belly size or the baby bump shows up early as compared to the first pregnancy. This is because in the first pregnancy, the stomach muscles are already stretched, so it takes comparatively less time to show up.
2. In the first pregnancy, it is said that the labor pain takes a bit longer time, approximately eight hours. On the other hand, in the second pregnancy, it is said that the labor pain takes less time than approx five hours or so.
3. In the first pregnancy, the birth of the child takes more time, and at the same time, it is comparatively more painful. On the other hand, in the second pregnancy, the birth of the child takes less time and is considered less painful than the first pregnancy.
4. During the first pregnancy, the women have noticed that the baby’s movement or the kick takes time to happen. On the other hand, during the second pregnancy, women have noticed that the baby’s movement or the kick takes less time, and therefore the baby starts making movements from the early stage itself.
5. In the first pregnancy, women are not as low on energy as compared to the second one. Being fatigued is common, but it’s less in the first pregnancy. On the other hand, in the second pregnancy, women are mostly exhausted and low on energy. The feeling of fatigue is comparatively more in the second pregnancy.
6. During the first pregnancy, the pregnant woman experiences Braxton Hicks contractions very late and around the 16th week. On the other hand, during the second pregnancy, the pregnant woman experiences Braxton Hicks at an earlier stage.
7. Generally, in the first pregnancy, women have some complications, such as preterm labor, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Therefore, it varies from woman to woman. On the other hand, generally, in the second pregnancy, women-only experience severe complications if they had any complications in their first pregnancy. But, if no complications are seen in the first one, then the woman doesn’t experience anything in the second one.
8. In the initial stage of the pregnancy, women feel nausea, and therefore after a few weeks, these feelings completely vanish. But, in some cases, the morning sickness remains throughout the journey of pregnancy. On the other hand, if a woman experiences morning sickness during her first pregnancy, it is said that she is bound to have those morning sicknesses again in the second pregnancy as well.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07152.x
2. https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1985.tb01064.x

Last Updated : 11 June, 2023