Planning your second child soon after your first?
You’re on the right track. Don’t let anyone dissuade you. But there are a few things you need to keep in mind. There should be a gap of 18 months between your first born and second. Studies suggest that having intervals of less than 18 months can lead to an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, small size for their gestational age, and NICU admissions. Pregnancy is time consuming and takes a lot out of the mother. Every time a woman gets pregnant the rest of her life gets put on the back burner. That’s why having kids within 2 years of each other is a smart move to make. Of course, every move has its ups and downs.
So for starters let’s look at the bright side of having your second kid less than two years after your first:
The cherry on top
With large age gaps, the children might get along well, but won’t play together. When kids are spaced closely, you don’t have to accommodate vastly different priorities and interests since kids growing together are likely to share similar interests. No more fighting over Chota Bheem and Justice League; they will watch the same shows, read from the same book and will share toys too.
Life runs on schedule
Slowly things start to streamline as kids of the same age, tend to have similar timetables when it comes to nap time, play time, feeding time etc.
The boss lady is back!
The baby phase is wonderful, we all agree on that. But the sooner you exit baby phase the sooner you get back to work.
Of course there are some challenges of having your second kid less than two years after your first as well:
You’ll need to multi-task even in your sleep
With the baby duo or trio close in age, things might get out of hand. You would be preventing one baby from bobbing up and down on the couch and pulling the other’s finger out of a door hinge. But don’t panic, this too shall pass.
No older child to the rescue!
Older siblings often play the role of ‘little mummy’ or ‘papa’. They love to look after the baby and are of great help to the mother. Having children close in age makes you the lone ranger. You know your toddlers or babies won’t care less before creating a mess.
Weekends end
The initial years will keep you busy with breastfeeding or being pregnant. To maintain your milk supply you can’t take days away from the baby, so you can kiss those weekend getaways goodbye.
Back to back pregnancies can take a toll
Multiple pregnancies tend to wear you out mentally and physically. With each pregnancy you will see increased hormonal interruption and disturbance and more than your share of fatigue.
So smart mums, do share with us the experiences of raising kids close in age. PS. Any suggestions that you might have for mums who are planning on having their second baby soon after their first are also welcome.
