My second pregnancy was easier than my first, so I've always wondered if the more pregnancies you have, the easier they get? Maybe, over time, your body just learns to sort of go on autopilot … or maybe the physical stress of multiple pregnancies catches up with you, making things harder instead.
Lauryn Hill just announced her sixth pregnancy, and I'm guessing the expectant mom's anxiety level must be way lower than it was the first or second time around. By the fifth or sixth baby, you've probably dealt with every symptom imaginable: Braxton-Hicks? No problem! Sciatica? Whatever. You know the drill, it's just a matter of managing the discomfort when you have a bunch of other kids running around. I would imagine childbirth becomes less of a shock to the system, too. In fact, a friend of mine who's the oldest of nine children told me her mother drove herself to the hospital when she went into labor for the eighth time.
On the other hand, a woman like Michelle Duggar put herself at serious risk by having 19 kids in rapid succession. Experts recommend spacing out pregnancies by at least 18 months, and women are more at risk of developing complications like pre-term labor, postpartum hemorrhaging, and even heart problems after their fourth pregnancy. So maybe if you're looking to have a big family, four evenly spaced kids are the safest bet. (Cause, you know, life is so easy to plan out like that.)
Do you have a big family? Did your pregnancies get easier or more difficult over time?
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