How did you and your body deal with tiny age gap?

[Alyssum34456]

Have a 7 month old and waiting for my second period to arrive since having him 😅 they were pretty irregular before so who knows. Got me thinking as to how on earth I would manage if I was actually pregnant now!

So if you have had a small age gap:

How was pregnancy with such a small child?
Any changes with breastfeeding?
How was sleeping situation when they arrived (lo still in our room!)
How on earth did you cope with 2 babies?
Also wondering about birth! I had an emcs so don't know how that would affect my body. I'm assuming I'd need an elective.

I've used contraception and dtd a grand total of twice btw, so all unlikely but got me thinking about you ladies!

I was told before my Caesarean to wait two years before getting pregnant.

The problem is I am 40 already so we hardly have time to wait. Would be interested to know if anybody has had a small age gap after a Caesarean.

I've definitely heard of smaller age gaps. I was actually told a year, but I think that's if.I wanted vbac.

I've just found out I'm 4 weeks pregnant. I have an 8 month old we needed to have an elective C-Section for due to him being 10lb 1oz and stuck.

I had tried for many years to get pregnant and conceived my DS via ivf so this pregnancy is a complete shock!!!

Nothing to contribute, purely wanting to know other people experience.

Also, I hadn't been on contraception due to being told we had no chance of conceiving naturally. We initially planned to wait 4 years before having ivf to conceive a 2nd

I have a bigger age gap but friends with smaller age gaps. The main advantage is that once you are through the first two years it is easier as your children tend to get on better and are able to do and enjoy the same things. Makes family activities, holidays etc and everyday life better. On the other hand I guess those first two years are more difficult but in answer to how you do it, you just do because you have to. I have heard that a one year age gap is more difficult than twins as they each have differ t needs.

I have a 17 month gap between my youngest 2. So DD was 8 months when I got pregnant. I was still breastfeeding and continued for about 4 months DD then naturally weaned. Birth was easier much quicker (but natural birth and child 3 so think that's expected). I love having them close got an extra lot of mat leave while DD was still small and as you are very much in the baby routine you just do both nappies at same time, both baths extra. Much easier than juggling my older DD needs who is 7 yrs older

There's 18m between my two (and my second was a surprise pregnancy after IVF the first time).
As Risotto says, it was much easier than I expected as we were already in "baby" mode. DC1 stopped breastfeeding a couple of weeks into my second pregnancy but feeding DC2 was so much easier.
Yes, I was tired but I think I'd have been just as tired juggling an older child and a baby too. At least this way I didn't have deadlines such as school runs, brownies, homework to worry about.
A friend told me to write off the first 6 months for anything other than baby stuff and she was right. One or other of them was always either napping or feeding which could make it tricky to make plans. But after that it was back to normal and no extra hassle over having one toddler to have two (although you do have to move fast to keep them both out of danger at the same time!)

I was pregnant within 4 months of birthing my second. Second labour was so so easy without even needing paracetamol, think my body just 'remembered' well. Honestly think it was the best thing I did as I've managed to get everything out of the way all at once and they're both at the same level, have the same routine, always have someone (almost) their age to play with.. which means I can have a brew in peace while they entertain eachother every so often. I think it's been easier in some ways than if I'd have left more of an age gap. Like a pp said, I was already in baby mode. Worrying more now they're 3 and 4 and now expecting my third and literally seem to have completely forgotten what to do with a newborn.

Within 4 months of birthing my first* I meant.

Reading with interest as im pregnant with baby 2 and the age gap will be 19 months.
Spent the first week after getting bfp freaking out about how I'll cope & felt so guilty for ds having to share the attention so soon. Feel better about things now though. Good to hear lots of positives about small age gap.

My ds is just about still breastfeeding but supply is low and expect he'll stop soon. Seems to be losing interest.

I found out I was pregnant with number 2 the day after number 1's first birthday. I don't really have anything to compare it to, I guess it's fine?

My first stopped breastfeeding when I was pregnant as my milk dried up. She restarted when my second was born and I am now tandem feeding nine months later. If you are or have been breastfeeding you should consider how you'll respond if your first wants to feed again. Pregnant and tandem breastfeeding group on Facebook is a useful resource.
I found Sarah Ockwell Smith's Second Baby Book helpful especially in terms of preparing the eldest for being a sibling. It was very reassuring about things I was worried about too.
Labour the second time round was a walk in the park - less than an hour after my waters went baby was out, I only pushed for six minutes and we were home the same day. Sorry I don't have any experience of c section.
We coslept with my first and she's still in our bed. She swapped over to my husband's side while I was pregnant. At some point they'll go in their own room but I think I'll move them together. No rush though.
A sling is the single most useful purchase I made so I could keep up with my toddler. I was very daunted when my husband went back to work but I have a friend who, when I text her with 'i will never be able to bath them both/get them both in or out of car' or whatever', would give me a step by step of how to do it rather than the usual 'oh you'll be fine' or 'you'll figure it out' which I never found helpful. I needed 'put a blanket by the front door. Put baby on blanket. Put toddler shoes on' etc.

Oh and it's worth spending your pregnancy getting the toddler as independent as possible. Mine learnt to sit on a step for me to do her shoes so I didn't have to hold her, and how to remove her shoes putting her foot between mine like a boot jack - think about what's hard when you're pregnant and you can't bend down as the same things will help when you have a newborn on your arms or sling.