Why Afterpains Hit Harder with Your Second Baby: My Story

After my first baby, I only had small cramps. But with my second, I felt like I was dying on day two when the baby latched. Every time he nursed, my uterus cramped like labour again. I was sweating and panicked that some placenta might still be inside. The nurse just smiled and said, “Mama, second babies are always like this,” and placed a warm water bottle on my stomach. That day I learned that once the placenta comes out, it leaves a wound the size of a dinner plate inside your uterus. Each nursing session releases oxytocin, which clamps that wound shut to stop the bleeding. That powerful clamping is what causes the pain. Lesson: Afterpains are worse with a second baby because your uterus must work harder to shrink. Breastfeeding triggers oxytocin, which helps clamp the wound and protect you from hemorrhage.

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