Keith Eddleman - Your Second Pregnancy

YOUR SECOND
pregnancy

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Drs Keith Eddleman and Joanne Stone

First e-book edition published in 2012 by

Carroll & Brown Publishers Limited
20 Lonsdale Road
London NW6 6RD

Managing Art Editor Emily Cook
Photography Jules Selmes

Copyright Carroll & Brown Limited 2010

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-907952-22-7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner, except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher.

CONTRIBUTORS

Keith Eddleman, MD is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He is also the Director of Obstetrics at The Mount Sinai Hospital on Manhattans Upper East Side. He is board-certified in OB/GYN, maternal-fetal medicine and clinical genetics. He was consulting editor for The Pregnancy Bible and was co-author of Pregnancy for Dummies. In addition to practising medicine, he teaches medical students, residents and fellows. Keith also was involved with the acclaimed Pregnancy for Dummies series on the Discovery Health channel.

Joanne Stone, MD is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City as well as the Division Director and Fellowship Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. She was consulting editor of The Pregnancy Bible and co-author of Pregnancy for Dummies and was also featured in the Pregnancy for Dummies Discovery Health series.

Penny Preston MB ChB, MRCGP, qualified as a doctor in 1989 and worked as a general practitioner for some years before becoming a health writer. She has contributed to numerous titles covering all areas of health and medicine, while having a special interest in pregnancy and child health.

Dr. Richard Woolfson, PhD, FBPS is a child psychologist and an honorary lecturer at the University of Strathcylde. He works with children and their families. He has written books on child and family psychology, and contributed both to Your Pregnancy Bible and Your Babycare Bible. He writes a weekly column in The Herald on parenting problems and family issues, appears regularly on radio and television and runs workshops on child development.

Contents

Introduction

Stretch marks, sore nipples and swollen feet followed by diaper changes, sleepless nights and potty trainingso you are thinking about doing this all over again? Really?

Are you sure you are ready again for the complete and utter joy of holding a newborn baby next to your body, with that wonderful baby smell unique to newborns, and feeling the immediate love for another human being and the unconditional love you get in return. Of course you are. There are few things in this world as incredibly special as having a baby. However, this time around, you have even more to think about: how a new baby will impact on your firstborn, how it will affect your work and marriage and how things might be different medically from your first pregnancy.

In The Pregnancy Bible, which we wrote with other contributors, we helped many expectant parents navigate their first pregnancy. The tremendous positive feedback received from readers, patients, and even other doctors and midwives prompted an additional book addressing the specific need for information regarding a second pregnancy. There are many issues that uniquely pertain to a second or further pregnancy, which are not covered in sufficient depth in books geared to first pregnanciesmost obviously, how already having a child may impact on the experience!

There are physical changes, which are more dramatic in a second pregnancy including the greater fatigue some women feel since they not only are pregnant but have to keep up their energy to care for the child at home, and emotional worries such as how the birth of a second child may affect the feelings and behavior of the first.

Many lifestyle issues may need to be considered, like the ideal timing to become pregnant, how to juggle caring for two (or more) children, and the financial implications. There are also some important medical considerations. If, for example, you had a cesarean delivery the first time, should you try for a vaginal delivery and how a second labor might differ from the first.

Your Second Pregnancy also contains comprehensive information on exercise and diet, getting your home ready for a new child, and strategies for using your time most efficiently. More than anything, it will serve as a guidebook, resource, and companion for any questions, issues, and concerns you may have the second time around. We hope this will give you encouragement, guidance, and good advice and keep you on a positive and productive track toward your expanding family.

Finally, just to reassure you that second pregnancies and their resulting offspring are generally easier to manage, wed like to leave you with a few observations from pregnancytoday.com about the likely outcome.

Being pregnant

1st baby You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed.

2nd baby You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.

3rd baby Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

The layette

1st baby You pre-wash the newborn clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in babys little bureau.

2nd baby You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.

3rd baby Boys can wear pink, cant they?

Preparing for the birth

1st baby You practice your breathing religiously.

2nd baby You dont bother because you remember that last time, breathing didnt do a thing.

3rd baby You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

Worries

1st baby At the first sign of distressa whimper or frownyou pick up your baby.

2nd baby When your babys wails threaten to wake your firstborn, you pick your baby up.

3rd baby You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Activities

1st baby You take your infant to baby gymnastics, baby swing, baby zoo, baby movies, and baby story hour.

2nd baby You take your infant to baby gymnastics.

3rd baby You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.

At home

1st baby You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.

2nd baby You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isnt squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.

3rd baby You spend a little bit of every day hiding from your children.

Going out

1st baby The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.

2nd baby Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.