Pre-Pregnancy: SiblingsQ.Is it better to have a close or large gap between babies?A.This is a very personal decision. There are certainly some advantages to having children close together - but also significant disadvantages. Get together any group of 10 women and I bet that they will be equally split between having children quickly and spacing births out. One group may argue that having babies close together means that the children will be more companionable; the other group will counter by saying that both children will thereby miss out on individual care. Similarly, the first group will say that having a succession of children together means that the family is equipped and prepared for children emotionally and practically - whilst the second group may feel that it is better for the parents' emotional well-being if there is time between each episode of concentrated baby care for them to focus on each other and other aspects of their lives. Only you and your husband can weigh up all the emotional and social factors involved - plus, of course, the implications in terms of finance, housing, and social support. I will, however, make two suggestions. Firstly, consider asking some young children (8-10 year olds, maybe) their views on the birth interval between themselves and their brothers and sisters. (Ask their mothers too!) And, secondly, think a bit about the possible health implications for your next baby. The results of a study involving 173,205 American babies concluded that waiting 18 to 23 months before conceiving may give the second baby the best possible start. The shorter the birth interval, the greater the problems; babies conceived within six month of the birth of the first baby were 40 per cent more likely to be premature or undersized at birth. The researchers identified a number of reasons for this. These included nutritional deficiencies (not enough time for stores of nutrients to be replenished between pregnancies), inadequate recovery of the reproductive organs (menstrual cycle not yet re-established and so on), and the effect of post-birth stress on the second pregnancy (excessive stress has been shown to reduce the growth of babies during pregnancy - and caring for her first newborn is arguably one of the most stressful times in a woman's life). Incidentally, the researchers also concluded that waiting too long may also be harmful. An interval of 10 years seemed to be linked with a major increase in the risk of premature birth or reduced foetal growth. (All these findings were 'controlled' for the effects of maternal age, smoking, drinking and so on.) I appreciate that waiting 18 months (as this study recommends) may seem a very long time. All the same, I think the basic message is worth thinking about. Second babies have a much greater risk of being born too small if they are conceived within six months of the birth of their older sibling. |
