The World Health Organization recommends waiting 18 to 24 months between giving birth and getting pregnant again, to reduce the risk of stillbirths, lower birth weight babies, and pregnancy complications.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against getting pregnant within 6 months of giving birth to your little one—and many providers say that waiting 18 months or so after delivering a baby is the “sweet spot” for you to get pregnant again.
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.
Some couples find it easier to get pregnant the second time around (maybe because they are already familiar with their unique ovulation patterns), but for many couples, it takes longer to get pregnant the second time. In fact, secondary infertility is more common than primary infertility.
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 (Zhu, 2005).
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.
Having two children is good for your health
Three different studies looked at thousands of older adults and found the same thing: two kids was the sweet spot for health. The risk of an early death increases by 18% for parents of an only child. Also, the risk is higher for parents of three or more kids.
Yet the newest pregnancy always seems to be harder than the one before it. While every pregnancy is different, it is not uncommon to find your second or subsequent pregnancy more challenging.
First of all, every pregnancy, birth, and baby is different, so history doesn't necessarily repeat itself. Then, there's the fact that parenting two kids is a hell of a lot harder than parenting just one. You only have two hands, one lap, so many hours in the day, and so much energy to expel.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
Only around 10 percent said they were happier after having a second kid, compared with more than 30 percent of women.
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.
You can get pregnant as little as 3 weeks after the birth of a baby, even if you're breastfeeding and your periods haven't started again. Unless you want to get pregnant again, it's important to use some kind of contraception every time you have sex after giving birth, including the first time.
Second born children tend to “bounce off” the firstborn – or the child immediately ahead of them – often developing opposite traits of the firstborn. Because they look to their peers for acceptance, middle children tend to be sociable, friendly and peacemakers.
Sonogram and big smiles
All you need for this second pregnancy announcement is a sonogram photo and your firstborn. Snap a picture of your little one while holding up the photo and you're all set.
However, obstetricians and gynecologists agree that: Pregnant women who give birth to a child (second child) are always easier to give birth than give birth (first child).
You show sooner in your second pregnancy
Because your uterus doesn't quite shrink back to its original size after pregnancy, your body already has a head start. “Your uterus has done this before,” explains obstetrician Jillian Coolen, a mother of three in Halifax.
Second pregnancies can feel different from the first. You may find you have different symptoms after becoming pregnant with a second child. Women have told us that they have noticed the following differences: The bump gets bigger sooner, probably because your stomach muscles have already been stretched out once before.
(Learn how and when to remove this template message) Middle child syndrome is the belief that middle children are excluded, ignored or even outright neglected because of their birth order.
With your first kid, it sort of seems like everything takes forever, but the second go-around, you realize just how quickly time passes, for better or worse. Two kids often means twice as many hard parts, but it also means twice as many magical opportunities to watch the little people you love learn and grow.
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
"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.
Two children. Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size.