15 Surprises You Learn During Your Second Pregnancy

By Lauren Levy

Even though you've been through the joys and hardships of carrying a baby doesn't mean that things will be the same during your second pregnancy. Your first experience will certainly prepare you for some of the things you can expect while carrying baby number two, but being pregnant while already having a child is definitely a game changer. From second-child syndrome kicking in way before birth to suffering from baby brain to the extreme, these are the 15 surprising things you'll learn during your second pregnancy.

  1. You'll spend a considerable amount of time worrying how the second one could be just as cute as the first.
  2. Your body can function on even less sleep than it did the first time (no more sleeping when baby sleeps!).
  3. Even if you don't suffer from attention deficit disorder, you definitely start to feel like you have ADD trying to focus on the needs of both your child and unborn baby.
  4. Just because you've finally figured out how to successfully make it out of the door with a baby doesn't mean it will make it any easier when you're pregnant and preparing for two.
  5. Your original concerns and fears from your first pregnancy still apply; they just resurface mixed with an unpleasant combination of both newborn and toddler anxiety.
  6. Things expand in different places, at different rates, at what feels like weeks earlier than the last time.
  7. You just don't sweat the small stuff as much this time around because you don't have time to!
  8. Second-child syndrome definitely exists, even if you swore it would never happen, and it kicks in before they are even born. Forget about documenting every doctor's appointment and monthly bump shot — you're just grateful to show up anywhere on time!
  9. You get lost imagining these two perfect beings that you created growing old together and the relationship they'll have.
  10. The sheer amount you can actually get done with multiple humans — one attached to you and one still in you — will blow you away.
  11. Even if you thought you had all of the baby gear you could possible need, you still somehow need more.
  12. You quickly realize how aggressive your sweet toddler can be when it comes to showing love and frantically practice being gentle with dolls long before the baby arrives.
  13. While you spent your first pregnancy eating for two and indulging your cravings, it's now amazingly difficult to have time to get a meal in, especially one that doesn't consist of your child's leftovers.
  14. Your firstborn will notice the bump and start to embrace their new table, seat, and place to rest their head. Pregnancy boobs happen to make for a fantastic pillow.
  15. Even though you feared it wouldn't be possible, your heart will expand more than you could ever have imagined.