Usually when we consider having another baby, personal preferences factor heavily into decisions around timing — things like budget or sibling dynamics. But it’s rare to consider the health impacts, and it’s even less common to discuss birth spacing with your doctor.

 

Jessica Rolph, your host, welcomes Dr. Alison Gemmill to today’s episode. Alison is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins, in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health. She shares the biological benefits and risks associated with the timing of your pregnancies, with the goal of helping listeners make informed decisions about when to grow their families.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:35] What does the research tell us about the optimum time between pregnancies?

[2:27] What are the benefits of waiting 18 months between pregnancies?

[3:22] What should parents be doing about spacing between a miscarriage? 

[3:58] What about waiting more than five years?

[5:38] What risks are at play in the case of an older mom?

[8:51] What does research show in regard to the connection between autism and birth intervals less than 18 months?

[10:11] What is Dr. Gemmill’s theory on how much the baby takes from the mother’s nutritional reserve and for how long it takes to build that backup?

[11:33] Jessica shares her top three takeaways from her with Dr. Gemmill.

 

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Pregnant with your second? Listen to My New Life Episode 22: “New additions: Bringing home a sibling” with Gabrielle Felman, and you’ll find more insights on sibling dynamics on the Lovevery app. Details at Lovevery.com