Possible benefits of a 3-year age gap According to some research, you may have the lowest risk of labor complications when you have your second baby around three years after your first. Pregnancy may carry less risk for you and your baby.
In terms of the children's relationships with their parents, sibling rivalry, and their own self-esteem, Jeannie Kidwell, a former professor of family studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, says the best time to have another baby is either when your first is younger than 1 or older than 4.
Medium gap (two to four years)
With this gap, you'll have the lowest risk of having preterm birth and a low birth weight baby . Your body will have had time to get back to normal after round one .
But despite common misconception, they can still have smooth gestations and healthy babies. "It's normal to be concerned about later age pregnancy, and yet women at the age of 35 are generally healthy and can have babies," says Juli Fraga, Psy.
If you are thinking about having a baby in your late thirties or early forties, you are not alone. Women ages 35-45 are increasingly becoming first-time moms. And most healthy women in this age group have healthy pregnancies, births and babies.
Possible benefits of a 2-year age gap
When it comes to how prepared your body is for the next baby, a two-year gap is healthier for you than waiting less time: Your body has had enough time to bounce back from the last pregnancy. It reduces risk of pregnancy complications.
A gap of 3 years or more greatly reduces the chances of sibling rivalry. By this time the older child is secure in him or herself and quite independent. In addition, the mother's body is fully recovered from the challenges of pregnancy and birth of the first child.
If you're already dealing with a tantrum-prone two-year-old, I'm sorry to tell you that having a threenager is even harder.
Here, researchers tracked people over 20 years and found that parents were actually happier after the birth of their second baby. With their first child, life satisfaction dipped for several years, then increased to levels higher than before.
Other research has showed that while parents are happier in the lead-up and first year after having their first child, there are diminishing returns: the boost of happiness for the second child is half that of the first, and by the third, there's no boost at all.
The transition from 1 to 2 kids is not easy but it's not horribly hard, it's just different and it takes time to adjust and figure it out. Handling the second baby feels easier than what it felt when I had my first.
'” While most of the time the second childbirth is a much easier process, Bartos says, it's never guaranteed: There's always the possibility that baby is bigger or in the wrong position, a complication might arise, or things just don't go as expected.
Jeannie Kidwell, a psychologist at the University of Tennessee, found that children had a more negative view of themselves and their parents when their closest siblings were around two years apart. However, once the space between siblings went over four years, the negativity disappeared.
Two children. Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size.
The 4-5 year age gap is definitely the easiest option. Once a child gets to four they suddenly get much easier. They understand everything and they generally have more patience and are very independent, so you've got much more time to look after the baby.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
Modern science suggests only children are exceedingly normal. Studies that go back to the 1980s show there are no set differences between singletons and children with siblings, aside from onlies having stronger bonds with their parents.
In short, research seems to indicate that in many cultures, an age gap of 1 to 3 years is considered ideal — but some researchers suggest even a relationship with an age gap of less than 10 years will bring more satisfaction.
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.
Siblings with more than two years' age difference scored better than children born closer together. This may be because they had more one-to-one time with their parents. Whichever age gap you choose, you're sure to make it work for you and your family.
Women who first gave birth around puberty developed more health problems. The longer the first birth was delayed, up to the age of 34, the fewer the health problems now. After that age, they rose again. Health benefits started at the age of 22, peaking at 34.
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.
Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. The risk of pregnancy loss is higher. The risk of miscarriage and stillbirth increases with age. This may be because of preexisting medical conditions or because of chromosomal conditions in the baby.