How soon is too soon to get pregnant again?

[Artemy]

We had our little girl in January and she is doing well. We are thinking about a second but how long should we leave it ideally, and how son is too soon?

Also the health visitor told us that I cant get pregnant while breastfeeding. But checking online it seems I can. Any ideas who is correct?

It depends what age gap you want really, so personal preference (unless complications with birth which might dictate a longer period between). My baby was born in April and we’re going to start trying again after christmas, we always wanted a small age gap if possible and this works for us.

You can fall pregnant while breastfeeding, but pregnancy will cause your milk supply to drop x

most women can’t get pregnant whilst bf exclusively. Once solids or bottles are introduced its entirely possible to get pregnant

I breastfed my first through 3 miscarriages and a successful to term pregnancy, then tandem fed a short while, and still breastfeed now my second born (16m). My supply did drop and I did start to suffer some aversions during pregnancy though so be prepared for that.

You can totally get pregnant while breastfeeding.

You can definitely get pregnant while BFing - I have several friends who did (one who was counting on it as contraception!). I think the point is that BFing can/does suppress ovulation in some women for a time, but once your cycle is back (and you'll know because you'll be getting periods again), then you can get pregnant.

As for your first question - I was told that pregnancy depletes your stores of minerals and vitamins and that at least a year between pregnancies allows those stores to replenish and your body to be in the best health to support another pregnancy. Of course, many women have a shorter gap than that, so 'in an ideal world' is just a guide.

Was it a vaginal birth? If you had a c section they say to wait a year before conceiving, lowers the risk of uterine rupture.

You can fall pregnant when bf, so ignore the person who gave you that terrible advice.

Do it when you feel ready, there aren't rules

I was told 18m between pregnancies.That time frame didn't work for us in our family planning so we didn't wait that long...every body is different. You know your body.

Good luck!

12 months before conceiving again is advised, and longer if you had a C section. You definitely can get pregnant whilst breastfeeding especially after the first 6 months

Thanks all. Had a normal birth, not too much trouble but seems like it might be a good idea to maybe wait at least 12 months between. Don't want to wait too long though as I am already 38.

Even if you did have a C-section it's 12-18 months birth to birth not birth to conception

12-18m is recommended to reduce complications to you and baby in second pregnancy. You can become pregnant when breastfeeding, but it will depend on your body. But if breastfeeding is important to you, you should plan for the worse regarding milk supply (mine completely went by 16 weeks of pregnancy, but it was ok for us as CD1 was 16 months when we conceived. Anything under 12 months and you'll need to be prepared to supplement or completely switch to formula if your milk supple drops/goes completely).

Wait till she is about 18 months x

I got pregnant with dd2 8 months post c section. None of the doctors/midwife's batted an eyelid !

Also the health visitor told us that I cant get pregnant while breastfeeding. But checking online it seems I can. Any ideas who is correct?

if that’s exactly what she said and not something a bit hedged like ‘very unlikely’ I’d be putting in a complaint about that or at least a word to suggest better training. it’s complete misinformation and potentially damaging
yes, you can get pregnant while exclusively breastfeeding - as soon as you ovulate which will be two weeks or so before your period returns meaning it’s possible to get pregnant before you realise you can.

Can I ask how that went? Was all ok? Did you go for vbac? Sorry just I'm 5 months pp after c section and 6 weeks pregnant 😬 I've had 3 other vaginal births before the c section, only had the section because induction failed

I was told 2 years for my c section. My SIL at a neighbouring trust was told a year after her c section.

A vaginal birth I think you're good to go once your cycle returns.

The ideal GPs etc will share is 12 months for vaginal delivery and 18 months for c-section. Of course women do get pregnant sooner than this. If you don’t have health complications, didn’t have a c-section, and feel up for putting your body through it again so soon, go for it.

For context, we started trying 9 months after I had my first and conceived 12 months after the birth. My second pregnancy (twin) was MUCH harder — I stupidly thought it would be easy like my first. Had I known how it would feel, I would have spent those 12 months between getting fit to make it easier on my body.

Your health visitor is completely wrong. It’s amazing how ignorant some of them are!!

This is a good point — I had to wean my baby at 13 months (well before I planned) because my supply had dried up by the time I was around 6 weeks pregnant.

I can't believe your HV said that, what terrible advice! Yes you can get pregnant while breastfeeding, it's less likely while exclusively BF but as soon as you start weaning and dropping feeds then your periods can return and you will ovulate before having a period so you won't know when you're fertile again!

Most midwives will say wait 12-18m before getting pregnant again especially if you had a c section but in reality a lot of people get pregnant sooner than that.
It also depends on your age, if you're older it's probably best not to wait too long if you're ready for a second!

I’ve got 10months between dc2 and 3 and 18 months between dc3 and 4 😳 so had 3 under 2.5 at one point. dc 3 was a section and dc4 was a vbac. I’m not advocating for small gaps as I’m now aware of increased risks with small gaps - but I’d say 18months gap was a lovely one. Small enough to play together but also enough of a gap to instill a Good routine with the first!

So with gaps of 12-18 months. Is the recommended 12-18 months after birth date, or 12-18 months after the previous conception?

I waited a year after my first child was born to TTC again and conceived on the first cycle, so have a 21 month age gap. It's a really lovely age gap.

You can get pregnant whilst breastfeeding if you are ovulating. If you haven't had a postpartum period yet then you are probably not ovulating. If your periods have started again then you are ovulating and can get pregnant. I had to cut down breastfeeding to twice a day in order to start ovulating again, but I carried on breastfeeding until I was about 4 months pregnant.

Thanks, that does sound lovely. Not had a period yet but am still breastfeeding probably around 5-6 times a day and also expressing some milk for my partner to feed via a bottle.

I fell pregnant when my first baby was only 7 months old! It did take us 2 years to conceive our first so we thought we would get a head start. Literally 2 weeks later I was pregnant! 16 months apart and they are the best of friends. It is hard don't get me wrong but gets the baby stage/nappies/childcare bill out of the way quicker

A year then a year and a half, so three under 2.5 here. Second and third conceived while exclusively bf. As a pp said, if period back then a good sign it's possible...
Oh and I was 35, 36 and 38 when I had them. I would get cracking straight away when you're ready at 38...

Yes that's what I had assumed. But period not back yet. Keen to get going as soon as possible as I have so many friends of similar age who are having trouble conceiving right now.