Tuesday, 17 September 2013

How far apart should you space your children?


By Tabea  Ramatlo
Researchers have tried to tackle this issue and they do not specifically say that every woman should wait two to three years between births. Studies show that Doctors are advised to advice patients to roughly settle on that time.
When is it the best time to have another baby?
According to Dr Peter Modise general practioner at Kamogelo medical Centre in Mogwase (Rustenburg).One of the difficulties of closely spaced pregnancies is that sometimes the mother does not have enough time to prepare herself physically for the challenge. Less than one year closely spaced pregnancy has a risk of low birth, hypertension and hyperactivity disorder. Modise explained that studies have shown that 18 months and not longer than 60 months apart is ideal spacing, to give a mother a chance to rest ,to encourage breastfeeding and improve access to birth control. “Spacing seems to adversely affect pregnancy more significantly if it  is less than six months or greater than five years,” says Modise.
According to Kendeyl Johansen an online writer for baby zone website most married people are ready to consider pregnancy because they are financially and physically stable. Both the partners need to be prepared to put effort into parenting. These are the issues that need to be considered before having a baby:  What is your financial situation: You need financial stability when raising a family. How another baby is going to change your lifestyle, do you have a stable relationship and how old are you?

 Having babies closely together
Babies who are close together fight with each other and when one has a fever; it sets the other one off. They wake each other up when they are supposed to be sleeping. Jealousy is also a problem between siblings because both children need the mother’s attention. This is also a problem when children are spaced further apart.

Physical health of the mother
According to Jackie Keller in her book Body after Baby: The simple 30-day plan to lose your baby weight (USA: Penguin group. Every woman is different from another, so different bodies’ take they own time to recover. Women who want to have their children close together should ensure that they space them more than a year apart, in that way they give their bodies time enough time to heal. It is important for women to take care of themselves between pregnancies so that they increase their own health and avoid stress in the family. Sometimes the contraceptives are a method that affects most women.
Nutritional needs of the mother
A healthy diet is important for a woman to recover from her first pregnancy and to prepare for the second. Iron is the most important minerals the body needs to function because it is the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the mother’s lungs throughout the body. Iron is obtained from eating meat, fish and vegetables.
Emotional and mental health
Having back-to-back pregnancies may be a difficult decision for mothers who had problems with their previous pregnancy and have not recovered physically; In fact it can result in a miscarriage. “The right time depends on how healthy and adjusted the woman is during the pregnancy.” concludes Modise.
Spacing your children close together has so many rewards, but the mother needs to remember to look after herself physically, emotionally and mentally between each pregnancy. The problem of separating children by a decade is that the children do not grow up feeling like siblings. Often the first born of the family becomes a babysitter to the younger siblings.
Further spaced children relate to each other and enjoy each other’s company.                                                                                                                                     
Another positive thing is that the mother has more time to devote to the younger ones needs. But nature does not always go along with the plans of child spacing. So it is important for parents to welcome each new child with love into their home. Women can space their pregnancies to suit their needs.


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