Is becoming pregnant soon after giving birth bad for your health?

[MintChocCat]

Is it bad to fall pregnant when you’re post partum?
I’ve come across a few online threads where posters are pregnant very quickly after their first child. In one instance, a lady said she was 7/8 weeks pregnant with a 4 month old. That means she conceived 2 months after giving birth. Surely that’s risky and not good on your body. I feel you should be recovering. Don’t think I could be thinking about sex that soon after childbirth!

They say 6 to 8 weeks recovery. After my stillborn I fell pregnant with my son 2 months later . He was due on the exact same date. Very straightforward pregnancy and a healthy 18 year old now.
I think it depends on the individual circumstances, the recovery after birth, health conditions etc

I had a school friend who was 10 months older than her next sibling. Her mum went on to have a total of 5 children. She’s in her 90s now, fit and active, still goes swimming in the sea. So I don’t think it did her any harm!

I got told, by the doctor, I shouldn't give birth within the year after c section as it could be dangerous.

It can be.
If you're healthy, active, had a spontaneous vaginal birth with no tearing, you eat well and sleep well, chances are you'll be fine.
If you had a cesarean, extensive tearing, slow healing, or a medical condition such as diabetes (gestational too), then its risky. But that's why we have whole teams to get mother and child through it safely.

It’s not going to be easy on your body. Even if everything went smoothly with pregnancy and birth it’s very likely you’ll be deficient in some nutrients and it takes time to build the stores up again especially if breast feeding. Plus the hormonal changes. It’s a lot. But it’s also not a disaster.

After c section the scar beds time to heal and having the uterus start expanding again before that healing is complete is obviously risky, that has the potential to go badly wrong so I’d definitely try to avoid pregnancy within 12 months of a section. 6 at the absolute soonest. Straightforward pregnancy and vaginal delivery it would be better to wait a little while but I personally wouldn’t worry about it too much and would trust my body to decide if it was ready.

I think with modern healthcare most women that do this will get away with it but the risks will be higher.

My MIL fell pregnant again extremely quickly after having her second child. There are 9/10 months between her second and third and this was in the early 80s when maternity care wasn't as advanced as it is now.
Both babies were fine and were born healthy.

There is evidence of low birth weight and prematurity when mum gets pregnant almost immediately after giving birth. It’s a big strain on her body too. Whilst most babies are born ok - it’s still something that should be considered.

After a C-Section your risk all kinds of shit and should be avoided!

I think the dads need to leave mum alone for a while she recovers properly tbh

It’s not ideal, the general recommendation is over 18 months between births.

I've noticed people using the term Fell Pregnant , does this mean it's an accident?

I'm absolutely judging the hell out of men that pester their partners for sex so soon after birth.

It's not recommend because pregnancy puts a huge toll on your body and it takes time to recover, especially if you had a c section, including rebuilding vitamins and minerals which pregnancy can deplete

I was told waiting a year at least before falling pregnant again is advisable, especially after a c section.
However lots of women do fall pregnant earlier than that and it’s all fine (there’s only 18m between me and my brother and my mum survived to tell the tale!).
I think repeated pregnancies very close together is worse than just 2 babies with a small gap - gets riskier each baby you have basically

No, it’s a commonly used term in the UK

Recovery to have sex, not get pregnant.

My DGM’s biggest reason for becoming a lapse Catholic was watching women she knew from church die after having a baby a year for longer than their bodies could cope with. She told me that the Parish Priests were often heard telling them to use contraception to avoid killing themselves as it was a forgivable sin.

Are you asking because you’re considering trying again quite soon after having a baby?

Generally the advice is to wait a minimum of 12 to 18 months before starting to try for the next (ie not 12 months between births but between pregnancies), because falling pregnant quickly is known to increase some of the risks for you and baby (higher chance of anaemia for you, growth problems for baby, and complications like placental abruption). The risks are highest if you fall pregnant within six months and interestingly start to go up again after a gap of five years or more. Obviously those risks have to be balanced against what is right for you and your family, and any considerations around age/fertility etc. There isn’t generally a right or wrong answer but falling pregnant very quickly is tough on your body, so if you can give yourself a chance to recover fully before go into another pregnancy that’s always going to be beneficial.

www.nbt.nhs.uk/maternity-services/after-birth/post-birth-contraception/birthpregnancy-spacing

Same here!

No, no. I’m pregnant for the first time, but joined some baby groups, and I’ve noticed some women sharing they’re pregnant 2-3 months post-partum. I was in shock. I’m not trying to shame anybody as what’s done is done, but I’m just very surprised by it. I don’t think I’d be wanting sex tha soon after having a baby, and I agree with others, your body needs to recover and replenish nutrients etc! I think 12 months is absolutely fine and the bare minimum for me! I also want to breast feed (hopefully) and enjoy time with newborn.

and by 12 months, I mean 12 months between last birth and becoming pregnant again.

I fell pregnancy 4 months pp with third baby, second is currently 11 months and 18 months between first 2, currently 32 weeks pregnant with DC 3. Literally no hcp batted an eyelid as I didn’t have a section and said it’s extremely common. Birth control failed for me for this surprise baby!

Ive had severe iron deficiency all three pregnancies, and really bad pgp my first two pregnancies (crutches from 20 weeks both pregnancies). I’d say this has been my easiest pregnancy.

I know someone who fell pregnant when her baby was a couple of months old and her next pregnany was twins! She spent most of her pregnancy on bed rest because her pelvic floor wasn't strong enough to cope with a twin pregnancy. Not the best way to spend baby's first year.

Oh wow! Yes. I think this kind of scenario is worth bearing in mind. Yet again, another person in one of the groups I’m in has said they’re pregnant after 7 months and hasn’t even gone back to work yet. I am somewhat disapproving but that’s my opinion!!!