Letting the Body Recover Between Pregnancies

I was pregnant within a year after I had my first, and same with my second. My body did well. The only thing that was less comfortable was carring a toddler while pregant, but as far as the pregnacy itself, they all went smooth.

Hi S.,
I think that it would be a great idea to continue taking your prenatal vitamins, if your are interested in getting pregnant again right away. This would help to build up your body.
My husband and I decided to get pregnant again when our first son was only six months old. I got pregnant right away and gave birth to girl/boy twins.
So, we had three babies under sixteen months! I was so excited and then very exhausted.
I believe that you can have your babies close together. Just eat healthy, as I did. Don't forget to request help from others to give yourself the needed breaks!
I am thrilled that my children are so close in age as they are still each others' best friends.
Blessings to you on your decision.
K. M

Ok, I was someone who mentioned that the body stresses should be considered. :) First of all, your OB can give you the best list, and I had no problems initially between the first few so, they are not "for sure" but they are things to consider. Pregnancies close together can cause calcium and other minerals to deplete from your body faster than they can be replaced this can cause problems with your teeth or contribute to osteoperosis later on(if you know you want to get preg. than I would reccommend continuing prenatal vitamins between)Adding unsweetened oats (oameal, oat tea, etc) to your diet can help your body remineralize too. (Sugar destroys the chemical in oats that helps the body with this.) Also, with each preg. your abdominal muscles will stretch more easily, and if the muscles associated with pregnancy haven't had a chance to tone up properly between pregnancies, they can make pregnancy more uncomfortable, and labor more difficult. Again, this is just my experience personally. Each pregancy and each mom is different. I just thought it might be worth talking to your doctor about. My OB with the first few was male, and he NEVER mentioned it to me. It wans't until I switched to a good female OB that I was informed of a few of the potential (not necessarily likely) complications that close pregnancies can cause.I wish now that I had been advised to take better care of myself, not that I'm *so* bad off, but I am having problems with my teeth due to the mineral depletion, and also regaining muscle tone due to the repeated abdominal stretching. I just thought I'd offer a practical consideration :) Not trying to be doom and gloom :) Like I said, my first few didn't seem to effect me at all.

My daughters are 9 days shy of 12 months apart. I unexpectedly got pregnant when my daughter was 3 months old. I was taking the pill and oops! So congratulations for taking the steps to ensure that you and your next baby will be healthy.
I had preeclampsia with my first and was still on blood pressure pills when I got pregnant plus birth control. I was able to get off them by my second trimester. I felt like I had a pretty quick recovery after my second c-section but taking care of two babies so young was very difficult. I didn't have a whole lot of energy and found things really difficult for awhile. My body has not been the same since having the girls. I hadn't gotten back anywhere near "a" shape when I got pregnant again and I am having a harder time now especially since I don't sleep very much with both girls waking.
I would say, yes, take prenatal vitamins, rest up and prepare yourself for a tiresome but rewarding adventure. Good luck.

I have 15-mo-old twin boys and am 8 mos. pregnant. Owen (bun in the oven) was a big surprise for my husband and I but we're thrilled. We always wanted kids close together, too.

As for your body...I had a C-section with the twins so I had very little stomach muscle built back up. This has led to me showing sooner with Owen than the twins, being in maternity clothes by 12 weeks, and lots of back aches. Nothing traumatic, just typical pregnant stuff alot sooner.

This time around excersise is even more important, but harder to do...the biggest and most obvious difference btw. the first and second pregnancy is you have a baby to take care of!! No more bad days where you can put your feet up and relax on the couch. There's going to be a ton of things your baby is going through over the next 9 months that you have to deal with no matter how bad your morning sickness or back aches are. This is the toughest part. However, I think it's well worth it to have the kids close together. I grew up with a brother 12 years older and sister 8 years younger and I hated it.

Stay on prenatals, drink a ton of water, and see answer is in your heart. The good news is your baby will probably be a little too young for the massive sibling jealousy that can occur. Good luck!

My children are 16 mos apart and I had no problems with my body. I think this would be a great question for you to discuss with your Dr if you are concerned about it.
I was 30 when I gave birth to my son and 31 with my daughter. I worked out, before during and after both pregnancies, and was back in my regular clothes fairly quickly.
Mary

Well first, why do you want the kids so close together--your daughter is probably not even moble yet? My kids are 21 mths apart and it was HARD. Will your family members be able to take care of 2 kids so close in age while you work, or are you planning on being home with them? Either way, be sure whoever will have them majority of the time is ready--two are fun, but the first 2 years after #2 is born can be a physical and mental challenge. My arms used to be killing me by the end of the day from holding two kids.

My Doctor told me that I should wait at least 1 year between pregnancies--I don't know the reason why.

Good Luck!

Hi S.,
If you want to get pregnant soon I would start taking your prenatal vitamins again. If you are breastfeeding you should still be taking them anyway. After both of my pregnancies I bounced right back. I felt great by six weeks. A couple of my friends had much harder times. It took them months before they felt back to normal. One friend said it took her 6 months before she felt completely healed. You know your body best and if you feel like you could handle it go for it. Good luck.
Chris

I say go for it! You'll know if your body is ready. Some women say to wait until you get your period. But I had my first period two weeks after giving birth, both times. I don't think I was ready but going by that logic my body was telling me I was. My boys are 2 1/2 and 8 months. I LOVE that they're so close together. I'm not saying its easy but they're only babies so long so it will be eventually. Good luck!

I had NO issues at all having my children close. I would think if you are in shape and have no medical issues it shouldnt even be a concern.

I have an 11 month old son and I am 6 months pregnant. Some people have told me that I'm crazy and some people have told me that I'm smart to have them so close.
We didn't plan to get pregnant again so quickly, it just happened, but I am glad it did because I'll be 35 in Oct. and I wanted to be done having kids by the time I was 35. Thankfully my husband is very supportive and takes care of our son like he's the mom, LOL! He gets a lot of flack from his friends for being such an involved Daddy, but I wouldn't/couldn't have it any other way.
As for body changes, I had a c-section with my son, but my doctor said I healed quickly and that I should have no issues, with this baby and other than more than usual morning sickness and being tired a lot, this pregnancy isn't that much different from the first. If you and your husband want another child and think you can handle it, I say go for it!
The infant stage isn't the hardest part, it's when they become toddlers that it gets harder. But take heart in the fact that that only last a few years and as a mom you should already know that time goes by at lightning speed when you have a baby. I can't believe my son is almost one already! Good luck!