Model Chrissy Teigen has been revealing intimate details of her second pregnancy on social media, sharing everything from gaining 38lbs to coping with headaches to almost peeing her pants.
The 32-year-old revealed Monday that her baby boy with husband John Legend, 39, is due in June.
The candid mom of 18-month-old Luna, born April 2016, has used her Twitter account to record the highs and lows of her second pregnancy and ask for advice from fellow moms.
Teigen’s experiences highlight some of the typical differences between a woman’s first and second pregnancies.
Model Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend (left) announced in November that they’re expecting sibling for 18-month-old daughter Luna (right). Teigen has been very candid about intimate details of her second pregnancy on Twitter
How a woman’s second pregnancy is different
1. You get bigger faster
On November 26, when Teigen would have been between around two months pregnant, she tweeted asking her followers if it was normal to get bigger earlier during one’s second pregnancy.
‘Can someone just be honest with me and tell me if it’s normal to get bigger, faster with second baby? because I am getting big, fast, and everyone’s go-to is “it’s that second baby!” but they’re lying. I know it. I can handle the truth just tell me. it’s not normal is it,’ the tweet says.
Soon after announcing that she was expecting on November 21, Teigen asked her Twitter followers if it was normal to get larger earlier during the second pregnancy
Several moms and physicians responded to the tweet confirming that yes, in fact, women are likely to get bigger faster the second time around because their ab muscles are looser.
‘Your fascia, muscles, and ligaments retain some laxity from the first pregnancy and this causes appearance of expansion faster in subsequent pregnancies. Not necessarily tied to weight gain,’ Dr Abigail Bales, a pelvic floor physical therapist, said on Twitter.
Dr Gyamfi-Bannerman , a professor of women’s health at Columbia University, said: ‘Anecdotally, this is usually true. Once an abdominal wall has been stretched for a first pregnancy, it becomes much more lax in the second pregnancy.’
First pregnancy vs second: A side-by-side comparison of Teigen at approximately three months into her first pregnancy (left) compared with around three months into the second (right) shows how much earlier she started showing this time
2. You gain more weight overall
Doctors say that while each pregnancy is different, some moms may feel that they are gaining weight faster than they did the first time.
This may be because taking care of the child you already means there’s less time to exercise.
Additionally, moms may be tricked into thinking they’re gaining weight faster because of pounds leftover from the previous pregnancy.
Teigen tweeted on February 13 that she’s already gained 38lbs in her pregnancy
3. You might be more likely to be iron deficient
Nutritionally speaking, the biggest concern during a second pregnancy iron deficiency, Dr Shari Brasner, an OB/GYN at Mount Sinai, told Women’s Health.
Pregnancy in general puts a big strain on the blood’s iron stores, and many women go into their first pregnancy iron deficient.
During the second pregnancy a woman’s body may not have fully recovered from the first one, making the deficiency even worse.
Iron deficiency can lead to low energy levels and headaches.
Luckily, this problem is easy to remedy with the help of iron supplements or by paying extra attention to diet.
As a former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, Teigen is no stranger to eating healthy. On February 11 she posted a silly topless photo of herself making a salad on Instagram.
On February 11 Teigen posted a silly topless photo of herself making a salad on Instagram
4. You might have a higher risk for complications
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the more pregnancies a person has, the higher their risk for complications such as placental abruption and post-partum hemorrhage.
The CDC and the Mayo Clinic both suggest that women wait at least 18 months between pregnancies because if the body hasn’t had enough time to recover from the first pregnancy, there is a higher risk of pre-term birth, low birth weight and growth restrictions.
5. Your symptoms come sooner
Many women find that the side effects they experienced in their first pregnancy show up earlier the second time around, particularly those associated with the third trimester.
Symptoms such as back pain, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids that typically occur during the third trimester can strike earlier and more intensely, according to Dr Brasner.
This is because the first pregnancy weakens your body’s muscoskeletar structure and vessel walls, making it easier for the symptoms to reoccur.
Symptoms earlier in the pregnancy such as morning sickness are not likely to occur earlier than they did in the first pregnancy, but they may seem like they do because women are more likely to recognize them as being related to pregnancy earlier.
For Teigen, the most difficult symptom has been headaches. On December 18 she tweeted that she loves being pregnant but needs ‘witchcraft’ to help her deal with the pain.
Many women find that side-effects such as back pain and varicose veins show up earlier in the second pregnancy than the first. For Teigen, the most difficult symptom has been headaches
6. You feel like you have less energy
Expecting mom’s may feel more fatigued during the second pregnancy because this time around they have the added stress of dealing with a child.
Dr Brasner said experiencing lower energy levels isn’t usually a health concern, but that mom’s should make sure they’re getting enough sleep.
Teigen posted a sleepy video on Twitter on January 28 with the caption: ‘Mom and dad home by 10:30’, indicating that she’s feeling the fatigue the second time around.
7. You feel more relaxed
During the first pregnancy, expecting mothers can feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and number of changes coming their way.
By the second pregnancy, they are more likely to be relaxed because they’ve been through the process before.
‘Anecdotally, this is true, but there is not a scientific reason,’ Dr Gyamfi-Bannerman said. ‘Most women are less fearful of the unknown since they have experienced pregnancy before.’
8. You’ll have a faster labor and delivery
Mothers may experience a quicker delivery the second time around because the uterine muscles are more stretched out so it is easier for the baby to come out.
The funniest details Chrissy Teigen has shared about her second pregnancy
We rounded up Teigen’s most entertaining tweets about her first six months of pregnancy.
1. Her baby sucking the life out of her:
2. Struggling with bladder control:
3. Dealing with nausea:
4. Pregnancy cravings:
5. Changing the family dynamic:
6. Pregnancy sneezes:
7. Identifying stages of pregnancy:
8. Naming her unborn baby:
