3) Mental Health
A woman’s physical health is not the only issue when pregnancies are too close together. Her mental and emotional health can also suffer. Having a baby is hard and trying to juggle an infant while maintaining a healthy pregnancy can be very stressful. Stress is harmful to a fetus and can result in high blood pressure or even miscarriage. There can be additional stress on the mother if there are financial difficulties or if she doesn’t have a good support system in place.
While there are certainly advantages to having your children closely together, there are very real advantages to waiting a year or two in between pregnancies. Not only will waiting be safer for your fetus, but you’ll be better able to handle an infant if you’ve fully recovered from a previous birth. Give yourself a break and enjoy your baby; wait a year or more if possible before conceiving again.
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Khamsi, R. (2006, April 19). Close pregnancies linked to premature deaths. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9015-close-pregnancies-linked-to-premature-births.html