Having two babies in the same calendar year is rare, and the colloquial term for it is “Irish twins.”
Having babies less than a year apart poses risks for both mother and child, whatever the woman's age, according to new research. The authors of a big study of nearly 150,000 pregnancies in Canada say the safest interval between births is 12 to 18 months.
It's technically possible for two siblings to be as close as 9 or 10 months apart. After your pregnancy comes to an end, you'll start ovulating again before you have your first postpartum period.
What's the best interval between pregnancies? To reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and other health problems, research suggests waiting 18 to 24 months but less than five years after a live birth before attempting your next pregnancy.
Compared with babies conceived 18 months to 23 months after your previous pregnancy, research shows that a short gap between pregnancies may mean your baby's more likely to: be born prematurely. have a low birth weight. be small for her age.
Based on the study findings, they suggest the optimal time between giving birth and getting pregnant again is 18 months, with a range of 12 to 24 months. That said, many experts still adhere to the recommendation of 18 to 24 months.
One study estimated a woman can have around 15-30 children in a lifetime, taking pregnancy and recovery time into account. Since men require less time and fewer resources to have kids, the most "prolific" fathers today can have up to about 200 children.
Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5.
However, counting that every delivery requires 9 months, a limit of about 40 pregnancies actually seems probable. But these are mathematically possible pregnancies not safe ones. For one, this means that the woman is getting no time to recover and make up for the loss of iron and folic acid after childbirth.
This is called maternal depletion syndrome. Back-to-back pregnancies can deplete essential nutrients, making mothers at higher risk for anemia and other complications such as uterine rupture, and also putting their babies at risk of low birth weight and preterm birth.
A 2-Year Age Gap
Sibling rivalry is strongest during these years and parents are often already struggling with a toddler who is developing a strong sense of identity and loves to use the word “No!” On the upside, a 2 year age gap works out pretty well as the kids get older.
Studies have found partners with more than a 10-year gap in age experience social disapproval. But when it comes to our own relationships, both men and women prefer someone their own age, but are open to someone 10-15 years their junior or senior.
Couples with an age gap of 1 to 3 years (with the man older than the woman) were the most common and had the greatest levels of satisfaction. Relationship satisfaction decreased slightly for couples with age gaps of 4 to 6 years and continued to decrease for couples with an age gap of 7 or more years.
With the help of doctors at The Children's Hospital of San Antonio, Valentina gave birth to two baby girls seven months apart. The family's extraordinary journey was nothing short of a miracle.
Liliya Konovalova birthed one-in-50 million twins. When Liliya Konovalova found out she was pregnant, she knew her case was special because she was having twins.
Although two fetuses develop simultaneously in superfetation, they differ in maturity, having been conceived days or even weeks apart. Superfetation is observed in animal reproduction, but it is exceedingly rare in humans. Only a few cases are documented in medical literature.
The most fertile woman in history is alleged to be an 18th-century Russian peasant called Valentina Vassilyev. Between 1725 and 1765, she is recorded as giving birth to a total of 69 children – 67 of whom survived infancy. This included 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets.
Mariam Nabatanzi from Uganda gave birth to 44 children (43 survived infancy) by the age of 36. This included 3 sets of quadruplets, 4 sets of triplets and 6 sets of twins, due to a rare genetic condition causing hyperovulation.
"The survey finds that the majority of respondents believe that two children is the 'ideal' number for family happiness, but the majority of respondents also have two children.
In terms of birth weight, summer was the best time to conceive. The team found that mothers who conceived from June through August gained more weight during their pregnancies and gave birth to infants who were, on average, about 8 grams heavier than in other months.
A normal pregnancy typically costs between $30,000 and $50,000 without insurance, and averages $4,500 with coverage. Many costs, such as tests that moms who are at-risk or over age 35 might opt for, aren't totally covered by insurance. Plan to have at least $20,000 in the bank.
The age where a man is most fertile is between 22 and 25 years. It is suggested to have children before the age of 35. After this age, the male fertility begins to worsen. After 35, the sperm might result in pregnancies where mutations can occur.
The man who is thought to have fathered the most children of all time is Moroccan Sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif (1645 to 1727) with a total of more than 1,000, according to Guinness World Records.
Sure. But maybe not that far in the future. Recently, researchers with the Institute of Life in Athens, Greece, announced that a healthy baby boy was born who basically had the DNA from three people. The child was born to a 32-year-old woman who had failed in four cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
According to research, a woman can have somewhere around 15 to 30 babies in her lifetime.