Conceiving In Less Than 12 Months After A Baby’s Birth

5 min read

Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

closely spaced pregnancies

When that second blue line appears on the pregnancy test stick, you ought to get ready for motherhood. But what if you are already holding a tiny tot in your arms? Well, Your second pregnancy does differ from the first one in many aspects. But, what if conceiving in less than 12 months after a baby’s birth? If this pregnancy is not an “accident”, then you are already aware of the pros and cons of this pregnancy.

Likewise, you and your partner have enough energy and time for the baby in your arms as well as the baby in your womb. But in most of the cases conceiving in less than a year after the previous delivery will be an unexpected affair. When you conceive unexpectedly you will get confused and naturally some questions may arise, especially if your periods have not returned. Find out everything about conceiving in less than 12 months after a baby’s birth.

In This Article

How Is It Possible To Conceive Before The Periods Return?
What Are The Factors That Affect Ovulation After Delivery
How Can Breast Feeding Suppress Ovulation?
Why Can’t I Rely On Breast Feeding As A Birth Control Measure?
What Are The Disadvantages Of Spacing Pregnancies Too Close Together?
The Risk Factors Of Too Closely Spaced Pregnancies?
What Are The Risks Factors Of Closely Spaced Pregnancy After A Caesarian?

How Is It Possible To Conceive Before The Periods Return?

Periods are not a sign that indicates that you could conceive. It is the ovulation that decides your pregnancy. The woman can ovulate before the period returns after her delivery. You could miss the cue of ovulation as you relate ovulation with periods. Therefore, it is possible to conceive before the period’s return.

What Are The Factors That Affect Ovulation After Delivery?

There are mainly two factors that determine ovulation after delivery.

Breastfeeding: Exclusive breastfeeding is found to delay the process of ovulation by delaying periods
The hormonal pattern of the mother: Hormonal changes that take place after delivery affect ovulation. Each woman’s body will respond to the hormonal levels differently

Read When Will I Get My Periods After Delivery here.

How Can Breast Feeding Suppress Ovulation?

How Can Breast Feeding Suppress Ovulation_

A signal is sent to the pituitary gland and the pituitary gland will release a hormone called prolactin when the baby suckles the breast. The prolactin suppresses ovulation. As the frequency of the sucking increases, the level of prolactin also increases. The higher the level of prolactin, the longer it takes for ovulation.

Why Can’t I Rely On Breast Feeding As A Birth Control Measure?

The accuracy of not ovulating during the period of breastfeeding is about 98%. Some other conditions are there which also should considered, like:

No bottle (even pumped breast milk), pacifiers, or other supplements should be given
Should feed the child at least two times during the night and four times during the day
The feeding gap should not be more than 4 hours during the day and 6 hours during the night

Even if your baby is entirely dependent on breast milk, any fluctuation in the nursing routine (if the baby slept throughout the night without sucking) can cause ovulation. So relying on breastfeeding as a method of contraception is not a good idea.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Spacing Pregnancies Too Close Together?

Following are some of the disadvantages of closely spaced pregnancies:

Exhaustion: Having more than one small child at a given time can be exhausting till they reach a certain age. Actually, it is more exhausting than will twins as the needs of both babies differ due to the age difference.
No recovery period: Closely spaced pregnancies will not give adequate time to recover from the physical effort of previous pregnancies
Chances of deficiency: The stores of the necessary nutrients (for example folate) can be used up during your previous pregnancy and breastfeeding. Entering a pregnancy cycle before replacing those nutrients can affect both mother’s and baby’s health.
Chances of complications: Sometimes swelling or damage caused in the genital tract during the previous pregnancy will not heal completely when the space between the pregnancies is closer.
No prenatal care: Skipping prenatal care is quite common in closely spaced pregnancies which is not appreciable. But due to a lack of time and energy, many women do not receive optimal prenatal care in closely spaced pregnancies.
Insecurity in the first child: Parents’ more attention to the younger kid’s needs may develop emotional insecurity among the older ones especially when the older one is below 1 ½ year.

What Are The Risk Factors Of Too Closely Spaced Pregnancies?

What Are The Risks Factors Of Closely Spaced Pregnancy After A Caesarian_

Following are some of the risks associated with too closely spaced pregnancies:

Sibling spacing can be tied with the autism risk. According to the latest studies the risks of autism in the second child may go up in closely spaced pregnancies.
The risk of placental abruption (completely peeling away of the placenta from the inner wall of the uterus) is increased as the space between the pregnancy decreases.
The post-partum bleeding leads to the low iron content in the mother’s blood. This can lead to anemia. Getting pregnant while anemic affects the health of both mother and the unborn baby.
The risk of placental previa (low lying placenta closing cervix partially or fully) increases, especially if the previous delivery is through C-section.
Preterm birth and low birth weight are associated with closely spaced deliveries.

What Are The Risks Factors Of Closely Spaced Pregnancy After A Caesarian?

After a C-section pregnancy, you are supposed to conceive only after 18 to 24 months as your body has been put through a significant reshuffling as the C section causes twice as much blood loss as normal delivery. Some of the risk factors of getting pregnant soon after a C section are:

Chances of the uterine rupture increase: Scar from your previous cesarean can rupture if you get pregnant within 6 months. Uterine rupture is often a catastrophic complication that is life-threatening to both mother and child
Higher risk of premature birth: This preterm birth is related to a low level of iron in the body of the mother due to the heavy loss of blood from the previous cesarean delivery
The chances of placental accreta increase: During the second pregnancy, the chances placenta getting into the uterine wall, where there is a scar from the previous cesarean exist, increases. This condition, called placental accreta can create complications during the pregnancy and delivery

Before trying for a closely spaced pregnancy, just weigh its pros and cons. When it comes to Conceiving In Less Than 12 Months After A Baby’s Birth, the Cons outweigh the pros. There are several factors to consider before planning a second pregnancy.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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