How long should I wait to get pregnant again?

Women can increase their chances of having healthy babies by separating their pregnancies at least 18 months from each other but not more than 5 years. Current research suggests that if the time between one pregnancy and the next - the time between the date of birth of one baby and the date of birth of the second baby - was too short or too long, the risks increased. complications such as premature delivery or low birth weight.

The study found that women with pregnancies less than 18 months were 40% more likely to have a preterm birth, 61% more likely to have a low-birth-weight baby, and 26% more likely to be small for their birth. Gestational age and babies of women who were more than 59 months apart had a 20-43% greater chance of an adverse pregnancy outcome.

Planning a pregnancy ahead of time will help both you and your baby get off to a healthy “start”. It is highly recommended that you visit your doctor and solve with him any health problem that may exist, that you review the risk of medications in case you have to take any, update your vaccines, do the necessary studies to determine the existence of any sexually transmitted disease and if you have any medical problems that could affect your pregnancy.

Good habits: eat healthy, exercise regularly, take a vitamin complex that contains folic acid, stay away from hazardous substances and materials and (if you smoke), stop cigarettes, it will help you have a good pregnancy and a baby. healthy.

It is important to know that women who become pregnant before or after this period should not worry too much since with adequate medical surveillance, a delivery without complications can be ensured.

How are the intervals between pregnancies measured?
Intervals can be measured in three ways:

• From date of birth to date of birth. They are easy to determine but do not account for miscarriages and therefore make the intervals appear longer than they actually are. This is the one that was taken into account for this study.

• From date of birth to date of conception- the period from the birth of a live newborn to the start date of the next pregnancy. It does not include the time of pregnancy and is very difficult to determine.

• Period between pregnancies- the period between the conception of the first baby until the conception of the second baby. This interval is the one that is related to the health of the mother since it includes pregnancies that end in abortion. This is important because conceived fetuses, even if they are not born, influence the health of the mother.

What is the ideal interval between pregnancies?
Without a doubt it is a personal option, a decision that is made as a couple, and the main criterion is that the parents are well, that will always be the positive for the children.

However, medically it is already clear that there are some waiting periods between pregnancies that are more recommended than others. Although experts were hesitant to suggest an ideal time, the researchers concluded that ideally a couple should wait between 20 and 48 months between one pregnancy and the next and it is considered that the shortest interval should not be less than 9 months after delivery.

On the one hand, it is pointed out that the mother is responsive, from the physical point of view of its nutrients, after pregnancy and lactation, to embark on a new pregnancy. Also from a psychological point of view, it is important that parents are mentally available to raise another child, and since the first year of a child is very exhausting, it is likely that waiting longer, there is a greater willingness. This recovery time is even more important if the woman had a cesarean section, since the tissues must achieve good healing (the risk of uterine rupture during labor in the next pregnancy doubles when the interval between both pregnancies is less than two years.).

And on the other hand, from the perspective of the baby, the first two years represent a very important time of bonding, especially with the mother, so it is also recommended to dedicate that time exclusively to one baby and then dedicate it to another. Already at that moment the same baby begins to be more independent, to relate to others, walks and leaves the diapers, so it is much easier for another baby to arrive in the family structure.

But there are also other factors that have to be considered in determining the optimal time as there can be a multitude of personal reasons why a different interval between pregnancy and pregnancy is needed:

• If the parents have had an abortion, it may be a good time to grieve and get over their loss, to assess their risks and to work on their fears and anxieties before considering a new pregnancy.
• Some others may have a medical problem that needs to be treated before they are able to start or continue with pregnancies.
• Or a woman may be at the end of her reproductive life and feel the need for shorter pregnancies to achieve the family they have planned.
• Many couples also consider how these intervals affect the mother's work capacity and tend to shorten this time to reach the planned family quickly and decrease the time they are away from work.
• Other couples depend on how easy it is to get help caring for babies

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