How long should I wait between pregnancies?
There is no ‘magic number’ or amount of time to wait between pregnancies that will work for everyone. Talk with your health care provider about the factors that are important for you to think about.
Based on past pregnancies and birth experiences, the spacing between pregnancies can affect:
- baby’s health: a future baby could be born preterm, small for their age or have a low birth weight
- pregnant person’s health: they may have high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia) during a future pregnancy
- the chance of scar tissue on the uterus from a previous caesarean birth (c-section) rupturing (breaking open) during labour
Some of the things to think about when deciding when to have another baby include:
- The health of your previous pregnancy and baby.
- Did you have a term birth with your previous pregnancy?
- Was your baby born preterm (before 37 weeks of pregnancy)?
- Was your baby small for their age or did they have a low birth weight?
- Did you have high blood pressure during your last pregnancy?
- Did you have a caesarean birth?
- You and your partner’s age and health history, finances, wishes about family size, etc.
Talk with your health care provider about your health and family history, medical conditions, your age, whether you previously had a vaginal or caesarean birth, and your reproductive life plan. These are all things to consider when deciding when to start trying for another baby.
