Worse symptoms in subsequent pregnancies?

[Jacksmommy2b]

I was 25 through my first pregnancy and minus the usual aches and pains and some sciatica, I felt fantastic and loved my body.


I was 28 with my second and suffered through some bad m/s in the beginning and then went on to have a great pregnancy (still the usual with sciatica) and again felt amazing and loved my body.


This time I am 30 and just miserable. I am exhausted, my skin is the worst it has ever been, I am sick and the hormones are killing me. Usually I don't really even get PMS and now I am a crazy woman! I am so short tempered and I cry at the drop of a hat!

Is it normal for subsequent pregnancies to be harsher on your body?

(FTR, my first two were boys!)

[KLD313]

Well, idk, this is my pregnancy but when I read what you're describing I thought she's having a girl. Lol. Obviously no scientific answer but that's how I was in my first pregnancy. This one seems a little better, I had morning sickness but I'm not crying at everything and all crazy.

[Jacksmommy2b]

Well, idk, this is my pregnancy but when I read what you're describing I thought she's having a girl. Lol. Obviously no scientific answer but that's how I was in my first pregnancy. This one seems a little better, I had morning sickness but I'm not crying at everything and all crazy.


LOL, DH is completely convinced this one is a girl. I'm 11 weeks today and had to drag him out of BRU this morning as he kept picking up little pink things.

I think they'll have to shock him back to life if this one is another boy!

[zukeypur]

Girls will kill you, now and later. Congrats, it's a girl!

[hellokitty]

I defy all your theories. If I had less pregnancy symptoms, I would have thought maybe I was having a girl. I have three boys. My first pregnancy at 30, and it was awful, due to hyperemesis, 2nd pregnancy at 31 and my hyperemesis was worse, plus I had horrible back issues. My 3rd pregnancy was at 36 and my hyperemesis was so bad this time that it started, BEFORE I found out I was pregnant (I also had a UTI, which made me suspect I might be pregnant, since I usually only get those when I'm pregnant, the pregnancy test at the doctor's was negative, but the wk after it was positive, I requested to be given meds safe for pregnancy and they just trusted me on that one, even though the HPT was negative). I was on zofran pretty much as soon as I figured out I was pregnant, due to the hyperemesis. Plus, I had some freak episode btwn my first and second trimester where the baby was sitting in a way that I couldn't pee and I had to wear a foley catheter. It really sucked. Luckily, it was only for a couple of days.

So, I am definitely a believer that pregnancy symptoms get worse with each subsequent pregnancy. I could feel my body falling apart a little by little each time.

[kellij]

I think a lot of stuff gets harder with each pregnancy. Especially Braxton Hicks and the amount of pee that leaks out.

However, I think my first and now my fourth are the hardest one and the most similar. I was 30, 31, 35 and now 37. So maybe it's different from in your 20s to 30, but I'm convinced it may have more to do with the lack of sleep and how exhausted I am in this pregnancy being pretty tough, like my first one. The first one I was working full-time. This time I have 3 kids, 2, who are really busy with school and activities and one, who is one-going on two. The first, 3rd and 4th and boys and 2nd is a girl. I'm a crazy hormonal wreck this time too, and I don't really think I have been before. Pregnancy is so weird.

[citymama]

Yes, yes, yes. IME they get worse - make that a lot worse. I'm sure age has a lot to do with it, but you are younger in your third pregnancy than I was with my first, so it's possible that it isn't just your actual age but the toll previous pregnancies have taken on your system. I had worse morning sickness, exhaustion and varicose veins (that still haven't gone away), and as a bonus, new symptoms like heartburn and acid reflux - and the symptoms lasted two trimesters instead of just the first. Ugh. Otoh, childbirth was easier the second time around!

As for girl or boy, I knew it was a girl both times based on feeling awful, but that's totally unscientific as my friend with two boys felt just as bad as I did!

Eta - you had a vbac with ds2, right? I remember your helpful email/PM to me when I was pregnant with DD2! Exciting that you are cooking up a new one!

[swissair81]

I was 21, 25, 27, and 29 with my previous pregnancies. The first one was a dream. I had some fatigue, but I was a full time nursing student and worked at it until past my due date. The second was a nightmare. I had crippling fatigue, dreadful nausea, heartburn, symphysis pubis dysfunction and preterm contractions from 31 weeks. I thought I was losing my mind. My first 2 were both girls. My 3rd was easier. Less nausea and no preterm contractions with the added fun of a shortage of amniotic
fluid. 3rd was a boy. My current preg and the last were more complicated. Progesterone deficiency, subchorionic hematomas with both, terrible nausea and fatigue. Also pelvic problems both during and after my last pregnancy. I'm already almost 14 weeks and I'm still sleeping all day. I'm definitely feeling my 'age'. My 4th was a girl and I don't known if I plan to find out this time. So I guess we'll see.

[Melaine]

In a lot of ways I have felt worse this time even though the first pregnancy was twins. My nausea has been worse. Even the BH have been worse (although I got them super early also with the girls). I did not have the varicose vein issue last time and that has been a pain. Don't get me wrong, this pregnancy is definitely easier, but I agree with subsequent pregnancies are worse.

[egoldber]

Not always worse in all ways, but my m/s got worse with each pregnancy. I actually felt the best, by far, with my second pregnancy. I was in the best physical shape of my life at that point and that pregnancy was very easy on me.

[Canna]

My two pregnancies with my DDs were very similar in terms of most symptoms. I was 32 when DD#1 was born and I had very little morning sickness and generally felt very good, but I did have a lot of stress from work and a long commute. I had more sciatica with that pregnancy.

Pregnancy #2 was 3 years later and if anything I felt better. I had a similar level of morning sickness (very little) with DD#2, and as I was now a SAHM, I was in a better position to get the rest and exercise (a lot of walking with a stroller) that I needed and I think I was a lot healthier.

[barkley1]

I had a boy first when I was 31, felt great. two Yrs later, when pg w a girl, felt. Like. Crap. Horrible immune system. The works...maybe you're having a girl, too!!

[mom3boys]

Well, age yourself 5 years for each pregnancy and you are basically describing what I went through. I was 31 for the first, basically felt fine the whole time. No m/s, no other complications; 2nd at 32 (baby born just after I turned 33), first trimester of 2nd pregnancy was very similar to the first pregnancy, not much m/s, nothing else complicating, I was tired but perhaps since I had DS1 to deal with I just kind of dealt with it. The end of it was harder though (lots of lower ab pain). Third pregnancy (at 35, baby born after I turned 36)--I had m/s including vomiting, which had never happened with the others, and I was absolutely exhausted the first trimester, I would spend the whole day in bed, and I was just more tired and ill the whole pregnancy. Originally I thought maybe it was because I was having a girl, but we found out at 18 weeks it was DS#3 (after that I mostly blamed my age). So tell your DH to wait on those pink items . . .

[ast96]

This is my fourth, and every pregnancy has been worse, with stronger symptoms. I don't personally believe in gender dictating symptoms. I think age and hormones have a lot to do with it. My first three pregnancies, all boys, were all very different and worse each time. I was 27 with my first, 29 with my second, 33 with my third. This one has been very bad but only a stair-step worse than my last. It is a girl, but I am also now 37 and I think the ten years and fourth pregnancy parts are bigger factors than the baby gender.

[daisymommy]

Oh yes. Everything is harder on my body, the symptoms come earlier and last longer. I keep saying "I'm getting too old for this!" but I'm only 35 ;)

Morning sickness lasted a full month longer than usual.

Painful abdomen "tearing" feeling started a full trimester earlier this time.

Feeling exhausted in 2nd trimester, when that's usually my "power" trimester to get tons of prep done, and then I'm tired in the last trimester.

BH and some real contractions starting in mid second trimester versus 3rd trimester.

Yep, I'm sad to say it gets harder with each pregnancy! Part of it is age , part of it is having more kids to take care of and more responsibilities.

Hang in there!


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[sweetsue98]

Doesn't everything get worst with age. Lol!

[queenmama]

My pregnancies have been very different...

First time I was 22. Had m/s for the first trimester and then I felt fantastic.

This time I turned 34 around 10 weeks. No m/s but I did have nausea for about a month and a horrible cough for a month after that. I've noticed waaaay more round ligament pain this time and I'm also experiencing Braxton Hicks, neither of which I recall during the first pregnancy.

I'm blaming the age/fitness level more than the gender difference. ;)

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[Sopamanda]

I read about all the nasty symptoms with first pregnancy, at age 32. At 38, I've experienced all them plus a few other nasties thrown in for good measure.

And it's a girl this time.

Best of luck!
Amanda

[Nechums]

I was just wondering this. Not sure if it's age related, because I'm still young (younger than thirty). I'm feeling nauseous and am exhausted all the time. I felt nothing my last pregnancies to the point where I actually complained that I would never know if something went wrong early on because I had no symptoms to lose.

First two were boys. Really early on with this one, but maybe that means there's some pink in my future...

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[jjjo1112]

I definitely think things get worse with subsequent pregnancies. My first 3 pregnancies were ages 23, 25, and 27. They were all easy- barely any nausea, felt great until the end. Honestly, I'm a L&D RN and never quite understood the women that had a hard time moving around, getting out of bed or putting shoes on. I felt fantastic and did everything normally, carrying kiddos, even working on the floor at the hospital until my due dates. This time around, I'm 30 and almost 31 weeks pregnant and feel lousy. I'm super tired but even worse is that the pelvic pain is so bad that I have a hard time walking around. I even had to cut my hours down at work because the 8 hours running around was impossible to do. I'm having a hard time believing that I still have 9 weeks (at least) to go in this pregnancy while in my others my due dates came and went with no issues/pain. So this has been rougher for sure- even my husband keeps saying- "things weren't like this with the other ones." Boy/girl hasn't played into it for me since #1 was a boy and #2,3,4 are girls.

[brittone2]

I was nauseous and had food aversions with my first pregnancy, but never vomited. It went away around 10 weeks I think? It was a boy, fwiw.

With my 2nd I was much more nauseous and vomited once a day or more, mostly in the evening. By around 9-10 weeks it peaked, and then suddenly stopped which kind of freaked me out (I was thinking it would taper off a bit, but just as it got really bad, it ended, thankfully).

With my third, I was very, very nauseous, but only vomited maybe 2-3 times. It was a boy.

My sacroiliac joint was a problem in both pregnancy #2 and #3. That was probably one of the more challenging issues. I also had some symphysis pubis dysfunction and pain in my third pregnancy.

[klwa]

My m/s is FAR worse this time than the previous two times. (Not horrid even now, but I'm ready for it to be done.) I'm far more tired & much more likely to lose my temper. My pregnancy with DD was almost identical to the one with DS. So, I don't think it's a boy/girl thing.