baby fever already? am I nuts?

[JackieMarieVDV]

I say if you feel healthy and ready for another a few months down the road then go for it, its your own personal choice. However, my midwives, OB, nurses and other medical experts have all told me to wait until at the earliest a year post partum and you've had a few cycles. Not to say that women who get pregnant before a year pp don't have healthy babies and pregnancies and that if you haven't had your AF yet you won't pg, its just an optimal health recommendation. That way your body is in better physical condition and your hormones have had a chance to regulate themselves. My son is 16 months old and yes we would like another but we're not actively ttc, because I feel my body needs more time (just me personally, since last month was my first pp AF). Not to say I wouldn't be happy with a BFP right now, I would. Anyway, another baby is always a blessing and in the end the decision is entirely yours and your DH's and if you feel physically and emotionally capable 4 or 5 months from now, then you go for it. My mom had 4 kids in 4 years (and she was 31 when she had her 1st), it was a lot of work but she loved it. We were all very healthy babies, we were all bf, cloth diapered and all the preg.s were normal. So its really up to you and how you feel! Every family is different and has different ideas.

[Fashionably Green Baby]

I have had baby fever before we even left the hospital with my last 2. With number one I didn't have baby fever until she was like 2. Seriously though before we left the hospital I was already saying I wanted another. Crazy.

[kushie tushie]

Originally Posted by songbird516 I got pregnant while breastfeeding also, but I don't think that it means that your body is fully ready. Being fertile is not the same as having optimal nutrition stores. Close pregnancies have a higher likelihood of complications and preterm birth. No, not every closely spaced pregnancy will have those issues, but it is common sense that a woman's body needs time to rebuild after building a baby and nursing. Where do all of those materials come from? Nothing is made out of thin air, and especially not babies.

I get what your saying but I certainly dont think a couple babies back to back is that big of a deal. Appearently neither does my midwife b/c we didnt mind that we were preggo again.

Amanda . Blaming my phone for typos and crap.

[songbird516]

Originally Posted by kushie tushie I get what your saying but I certainly dont think a couple babies back to back is that big of a deal. Appearently neither does my midwife b/c we didnt mind that we were preggo again. Amanda . Blaming my phone for typos and crap.

I guess it's about the risks that you're willing to take. Personally I think it's riskier to have closely spaced pregnancies than it is to eat rare steak our drink raw milk when pregnant, but I'm sure that a lot of people wouldn't agree with me. I do put a lot of stock into traditional wisdom, though, and that pretty much unanimously agrees that babies close together are risky for the health of the baby and mother.

[lilbitcrunchy]

Originally Posted by songbird516 I guess it's about the risks that you're willing to take. Personally I think it's riskier to have closely spaced pregnancies than it is to eat rare steak our drink raw milk when pregnant, but I'm sure that a lot of people wouldn't agree with me. I do put a lot of stock into traditional wisdom, though, and that pretty much unanimously agrees that babies close together are risky for the health of the baby and mother.

Are there studies on this?

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[Leighleighbuggy]

I had my first two 13 months apart and now that they are 4 and 5, I love the relationship they have. However, I did have some guilt feelings when they were babies because my oldest didn't get to be the "baby" for very long, and because my milk dried up and I could only nurse him until 9 months old. With my third son, he was born 2 years after my middle, and I like that gap too. My middle ds was able to be the baby longer and I was able to nurse him longer. I did not have any health issues with any of them.

[songbird516]

Originally Posted by lilbitcrunchy Are there studies on this? Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

I will look; I think so, but there is also just research into the customs of healthy cultures, although much of this traditional wisdom has been lost. Child spacing was am important part of fertility practices in many cultures.

[ElsieCayare]

I live in an Amish area and the women have lots of babies spaced quite close. It seems to me that many of the kids are small for their ages and it's common to lose babies. A lot of the moms look very unhealthy (there is one who reminds me of skeletor).
I know (on authority of the midwife) that malnutrition is a problem in the community, but common sense says that growing and nursing a baby takes a lot out if you and it's probably not something that should be done back to back for a long period of time.

I had baby fever right after DS was born but I got over it. #2 will be 21 months younger than #1.

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[songbird516]

Originally Posted by lilbitcrunchy Are there studies on this? Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

Here is a post that includes some links to an article on traditional wisdom in relation to pregnancy spacing, and also some more recent studies on the subject. Here is one quote that I found particularly telling-

Pregnancy intervals less than 6 months were particularly devastating. Younger children conceived only 6 months after the previous child have a 1.4 times great risk of preterm birth, 1.6 times greater risk of low birth weight, and a 1.3 times greater risk for being small for gestational age.

Also here is an article that shows a study that seemed to indicate a higher risk of autism for children spaced withing 2 years of eachother
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ked-to-autism/

[trying4more]

Our bodies are amazing at healing itself!!! As long as you are a healthy person, live a healthily lifestyle, then your probably gonna be just fine!
My great grandmother had my grandmother, then 10m later gave birth to a son, then 11m later gave birth to another daughter! All while breastfeeding! She lived to be crazy old!!

I had baby fever right after the birth of my son!!! My daughter is 8m and we've been trying for another!