Is it safe to have a child every year?

[faithfulbird20]

I know sue Radford has and she looks healthy. But is it safe? Just working it out sometimes she's been 2 months post Partum, sometimes 6...but shes just about had one every year. I was always told to wait 18 months before trying again but I waited till my daughter was nearly 3...

I had 3 in 3 years and then 4th within 5 and was fine, I would have liked a bigger gap between them so I could have enjoyed each of their baby years more

Thecheesybakedbean Gosh thats awful! Poor woman .I think having a baby every year is very hard on your body indeed. I had 2 and that was enough .Apart form anything else just looking after so many DC is mind boggling!

It's terrible for your body and your mental health--think of the hormone surges alone, let alone the damage to internal and reproductive organs. Hell on your heart too.

My grandmother had 17 children and I honestly don't know how she coped but she just loved having a full house.

Sue Radford had her first baby when she was 13. Just because your body can do it, doesn't mean it should.
I read a study once that said that the vast majority of kids at Harvard (and presumably other top universities) were first born and they found that the reason for that was the a lot more resources are invested into the first child (tuition, extracurriculars, attention) than subsequent children. I certainly would have been stretched too thin if I had a small gap.

I don't know why there hasn't been medical intervention to prevent Mrs Radford from pushing them out

Having a baby is never safe it has a big impact on a body.

Techniquelly leaving waking up in the morning is never safe.

I have 13 months between my 2 and honestly think looking after the cold once it's here it's harder than while it's cooking 😂

I had a lecturer in university who has studied families in third world countries where there were people still living a tribal lifestyle with little to no access to anything we would consider modern.
The average age gap between children was 4 years, thought to be due to natural term breastfeeding.
I conceived when my first was 17 montjs, 2 months after she self weaned from bf - I don’t doubt though that she would have fed for longer if we weren’t living in 21st century UK!

Sort of proof that we aren’t ‘designed’ to have babies every year.

When I left the maternity ward with baby DD I was waved off with a cheerful "see you next year!"

"No you bloody well won't!" I replied

Medics cannot stop a woman becoming pregnant basically. Other than being sectioned I think.

All the Irish women that were not allowed to use contraception and had families of 11 or more children, the older children did most of the childcare! Plus the mother did not generally work outside of the home. And they died younger.

The single most empowering thing a woman can have/do is have the ability to space her pregnancies to what works for her life.

I don't think it's safe, especially after having her poor stillborn baby. I've had multiple losses and only tried again after the OK and support from my doctors. I don't know how any doctors would be encouraging her to keep going.

My mum had 14 babies (and two losses) and is still going at 95, but i am sure she had some very difficult times, mentally and physically, as well as financially. She didn't have the choices that people have now, i cannot understand why someone would willingly do that to their body.

@claymodels

Physically or mentally?

Mentally she is absolutely not ok, I'm not sure she ever had been

claymodels why do you say this?

Ideally you shouldn't just wait at least a year between pregnancies, but also between stopping breastfeeding and the next pregnancy (and yes I know some women tandem feed but that doesn't mean it's good for their bodies).

claymodels why do you say this?

Because she isn't mentally ok? Because she doesn't recognise she was groomed, abused and raped and had been kept in her place as a baby factory ever since?

I’ve no medical expertise but I’ve got to believe that it must impact your body having that many children. I mean some people have life long issues after one, so even just statistically speaking going through 20odd pregnancy must leave a physical impact.

I also think there is something happening psychologically thats leading her/his need to keep having babies, I remember one documentary they said they were both adopted and that they wanted their own big family.

Considering they suggest you wait 3 months after an early miscarriage before trying to conceive again, I can't imagine full term consecutive pregnancies are much fun.

I remember one documentary they said they were both adopted and that they wanted their own big family

That’s the Radford family that op mentioned. They were both adopted.

My surgeon asked me very politely after my second c section not to have any more children. I have so much scar tisssue, endo uterus lining, inflammation etc. It would break me. And my womb just isn't up to it.

Thankfully he said it very very sensitively and I am done having kids anyway.

She’s not pregnant again is she?

It always gets deleted, but I will never stop banging the drum that Sue was abused by her husband as she was 13 when she conceived their first child. He was an adult.

@folkybythesea

It always gets deleted, but I will never stop banging the drum that Sue was abused by her husband as she was 13 when she conceived their first child. He was an adult.

Yep, and it's worrying how many people, sue included, that can't see it for what it is.

I have 10 1/2 months between my kids - not planned, but I don't take pregnancies to full term anyway (I go into labour around 33 weeks) and we'd taken 6 years to have DD1 so decided to leave it to chance with any second kids.

I love how close they are now and it's lovely having them so close - but I couldn't have done it again.

I had 4 in under 5 years, I’m glad I did because of where we are now with the 4 DC we have, but it damaged my kidneys, I developed gall stones (which they believe could have partly been caused by multiple pregnancies) my hips never really recovered and cause me regular pain. I wouldn’t recommend it tbh.