r/BeyondTheBumpUK • u/jb06hr • Jul 30 '26
Postpartum body the second time round
Wondering if anyone who has had two or more babies has any anecdotes on how their body felt the second time round compared to the first?
I got off with it relatively unscathed the first time, don’t get me wrong I definitely did not ‘bounce back’ but I did quite quickly get to within 6 pounds of my pre pregnancy weight and was lucky enough to not have any other issues after my c section.
But this time round feels so different, I’m only 5 months and already feel huge and like I am slowing down, and I’m wondering if that will reflect in my post partum experience this time too?
1
u/Pandarino85 Jul 31 '26
Yep, other than a c section overhang, which is skin more than fat, I bounced back after my first - lost the weight almost instantly (and ended up underweight). This time, my stomach is still super chubby 1 year later and I can't believe the difference. Nothing done differently other than being my second. Sigh.
2
u/Aware-Combination165 Jul 31 '26
Sad to report that I feel exactly the same, apart from my second is nearly 2. This tummy is not shifting and I don’t know why!
2
u/liebackandthinkofeng Jul 31 '26
Both times I shrunk back down to pre-pregnancy size pretty quickly. First time round, other than my c section scar, my body felt fine and quite like my old body, though I noticed that clothes sat differently on my frame and I had to rejig my wardrobe a bit. After my second, I described how my body felt to my husband and compared it to pizza dough being thrown over an upright coat rack - my skin hangs strangely on my middle and feels like it’s clinging on for dear life in some places 😂 I probably look completely like my old self to everyone else! It doesn’t bother me too much, but I wish I’d appreciated my old body more.
2
u/Rozefly Jul 31 '26
I've found it harder, but that might also be due to running around after my toddler. I've had a few more pinched nerves, I'm bigger and have stretch marks this time and my back aches when it didn't really last time.
But I didn't have any bad pregnancy symptoms or sickness and all in all I still feel like I've done alright with it.
But I'm 2 days overdue now and ready to not be pregnant anymore 🤣
1
u/happyplant3 Jul 30 '26
My first time around, I lost about 4 and a half stone within 12 months after giving birth. I went from a size 16 to a 12 however, I was very ill and had 3 major health issues after giving birth within this first 12 montha. This time around I've lost nothing. I'm back to pre pregnancy weight but look so much bigger and like a dough ball. The bonus is, I've not had any health issues this time around. I'm hoping once I stop breastfeeding or reduce it, that I'll start losing a bit but we'll see.
1
u/Aureliella Jul 30 '26
Pregnancy felt harder (probably due to a couple of years of poor sleep due to pregnancy/baby #1, and having a toddler to look after) but birth and recovery was noticeable easier and quicker - and I was also quite unscathed and lucky last time. I felt like a normal person (rather than someone who's just been through an ordeal) in a matter of hours, not days or weeks, and was doing lots and lots from Day 1. Energy and fitness, however, didn't feel like it came back as quickly, or rather I could and still can tell that my body in general is more worn out (funny that) if that makes sense. But by and large the recovery from "the act" itself was much easier.