Second pregnancy

Nuala1284

Hello.

My daughter is six. My husband and I would like to have a second baby. Last time I was 32. I'm now 39 and would be at least 40 by the time the baby arrived. I have spastic diplegia and use a walking frame, though I don't need it indoors. I can walk quite long distances with it, but if I overdo it I get bad cramp. My main form of exercise is swimming, and with my daughter I was able to swim up to two days before delivery. Last time I was surprised by how well my body coped but I was younger and lighter. I'm not overweight but I was quite thin then. I'm worried about losing mobility and not getting it back and also about joint pain. Has anyone had a second or subsequent pregnancy and found that their mobility was ok during and after the pregnancy? And how did you manage while pregnant? Admins - is this in the right category?

Rachel_Scope

Hi @Nuala1284. You're in the right category 😊

I'm currently pregnant with my second child but there's a gap of 14 years! I'm the same age as you and have Rheumatoid Arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have similar concerns to you although you are much better than me and are actually exercising by swimming! It's definitely a worry now that we're older and our body may not 'snap back' to how it was as quickly as before. I'm in my second trimester now and I'm trying to be kind to myself and rest when I need to. I still take regular paracetamol but stopped my other medication and luckily I've not been too bad. Have you talked your concerns through with your husband? Communication is essential so you can get the support you need 😊

Nuala1284

yes. He is being supportive. In fact we got the morning after oil this morning (very surprised pharmacist struggling to process request from obviously disabled woman,) because I didn't feel I was ready. I do very much want a baby - I'm just worried about the physical consequences. (And the many other consequences, which we're also discussing, but I think the physical ones scare me the most. )

Rachel_Scope

I completely understand. It's hard to know exactly how it will affect you. There are so many things to consider when having a baby, it's very overwhelming. My friends told me that if I didn't have a second child I would most likely regret it, and although she isn't born yet, I'm so glad I listened to them. I may think differently though once she's here! The age difference from your first child isn't too big so your body might surprise you. I'm definitely not as slim and full of energy as I was when I was 24 but I think it'll all be worth it 😊 It's wonderful that you have such a supportive husband. If you decide to have a baby you can put things in place to make sure you're supported.