What is the Most Suitable Age Gap Between Two Children?
One of the important questions that always occupies parents’ minds is when to have another child after the first one. Many parents may think of having a second child while the first is still growing, so both can grow up together. However, it’s important to realize that it’s not that simple, and the age gap should be determined based on the physical and emotional condition of the mother, as mentioned later in this section ofSelMagzThe mother’s body needs at least 3 years to recover physically and emotionally in order to meet the needs of another child.
Disadvantages of a Small Age Gap Between Two Children
One of the issues that arises in the second pregnancy when less than 3 years has passed isanemia,which affects both mother and child. Symptoms of this condition may remain hidden before the second pregnancy and only surface when the motherexperiencesher second pregnancy.
What are the Disadvantages of a Small Age Gap Between Two Children?
Anemia is one of the common problems in consecutive pregnancies.
Anemia in mothers with little time between pregnancies can lead to excessive bleeding before, during, and after childbirth. This condition in pregnant mothers can causepremature birth.The risk of maternal mortality in mothers whose second pregnancy occurs less than 3 years after the first is 5 to 10 times higher than in other pregnant women.
Anemia can cause mothers with less than 3 years between pregnancies to give birth to underweight babies; this issue may result in infants suffering from motor, behavioral, and learning disorders.
What are the Effects of a Short Birth Interval on theFetus?A birth interval of less than 18 months can lead to premature birth, increasing this risk by 40%, and in 26% of cases, the newborn may have less than normal birth weight. A birth interval of less than 18 months also increases the risk of low birth weight by 61%. For every month the interval between two children is under 18 months, the risk of having a baby with low birth weight increases by 3.3%, and the risk of premature birth rises by about 2%.
What is the Appropriate Age Gap Between Two Children?
What are the Effects of a Short Birth Interval on the Mother?
Some women believe that maintaining a three-year age gap between children is only necessary for those who have hadcesarean deliveries,and that those who have given birth naturally do not need to adhere to this interval. However, this belief is incorrect because the type of delivery is unrelated to the age gap between children. Therefore, mothers who have hadnatural birthsor cesarean deliveries in their first pregnancy should maintain a three-year gap between the births of their children to protect their own health and that of their child.
Other issues that mothers with less than 3 years between pregnancies may face include anemia,calcium deficiency,nutritional deficiencies, and breastfeeding problems. The mother’s body requires time to return to normal after each pregnancy to supply the necessary minerals, calcium, and vitamins for the next pregnancy. Hence, maintaining a three-year gap between pregnancies is essential for the mother’s health.
Consecutive pregnancies also endanger the health of the first child because when the gap between two pregnancies is less than two years, the pregnant mother is still breastfeeding her first child, leading to early weaning. Consequently, the first child may receive less than 24 months of breastfeeding, which may jeopardize the child’s physical health.
If a mother becomes pregnant again within less than three years, she facesa deficiency of vitaminsand micronutrients, resulting in anemia. Therefore, the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus via the mother’s blood can be disrupted, jeopardizing the health of the fetus. If the mother’s body cannot provide the necessary requirements for the fetus to grow and develop through daily intake ofnutrients,much of this nutrition is drawn from the mother’s body’s reserves. As a result, the mother needs three years to replenish her body’s mass, energy, and reserves after pregnancy.
Effects of a Short Birth Interval on the Mother
Disadvantages of a Large Age Gap Between Children
Excessive intervals between pregnancies can lead to numerous complications. If this interval exceeds 5 years, pregnant mothers may experience pregnancy-related toxicity.This condition may present symptoms such as increasedblood pressure,swelling of the hands and feet,and protein in the urine, which endangers the health of the pregnant mother.
