Are you ready for another baby?
A recent study conducted by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that the optimal gap between births is 18 to 23 months. According to the researchers involved in the study, this results in the healthiest possible outcomes for both mothers and babies. But never mind the experts, are you ready for another baby?
Some women are ready to plunge into another pregnancy while they still have one or more children in nappies, while others do not even want to think about babies until their youngest child is on the school bus headed for kindergarten! Despite such studies being conducted, what they fail to acknowledge is that there is no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ approach to family planning. If the thought of having another baby has even fleetingly crossed your mind, here are some factors to consider:
Mind the gap! In general, you need to space your pregnancies at least 18 months apart to ensure your body has fully recovered from the last pregnancy; this is especially true if you had a previous caesarean or other uterine surgery. However, how long it will take to become pregnant again is not a matter that you will have much control over. If your own fertility and that of your partner is normal, there is roughly a one in three chance of you becoming pregnant each menstrual cycle. On average, it takes couples about 3 to 6 months to conceive, and there is a 15 to 20% chance that you may not achieve pregnancy within a year. One in six UK couples have lower than average fertility and take more than a year to conceive.
How old is your youngest child? If you are still being woken up two or three times a night by a young baby, you might find the physical demands of a pregnancy hard to deal with.
How much attention do your other children require? If the children you have are not yet self-sufficient, have special medical needs or learning difficulties, you would be wise to put off pregnancy and the thought of another baby for the time being as you may find that you have insufficient energy to cope.
Is your relationship stable? Babies don’t bring couples together - the opposite is often true. If you already have ‘issues’ to overcome, having a colicky newborn around is not going to help! Postpone pregnancy until you both feel that you are on more solid ground.
How does your partner feel about having another baby? If your partner feels quite strongly that he is not ready for another baby, respect his wishes and wait a few months before broaching the subject again.
In the money? How will having another baby affect your family’s financial situation? Kids cost money and if having another baby is going to stretch your budget, you might want to delay your pregnancy until your financial situation is looking a little healthier. Weigh up these factors and you should have a pretty good idea about whether or not you are ready for another baby.