How long should one wait before deciding to have another baby? That is the dilemma that many couples grapple with all the time. The choice to have another baby should ideally be easy and a personal choice, but there are many times when even with a plan, women find themselves getting unplanned pregnancies. 

Experts say child spacing matters a lot when it comes to both the mother’s and the baby’s general wellbeing.Annonciata Mukabalisa is a mother of three children, aged four, three, and nine months respectively. She is expecting another child after she conceived a few months after giving birth.

With the fourth child on the way, Mukabalisa had to quit her job and take on motherhood like a full time job.

"I rarely find enough time to rest, I have to take care of the kids since they are not old enough to cater for themselves, on top of coping with the pregnancy. I am literally always exhausted. I can’t even start telling you about the financial constraints the family is going through because caring for one child is already hard enough,” she says.

Researchers say that infants born to women who conceived less than six months after giving birth had a 40% increased risk of being born prematurely and a 61% increased risk of low birth weight as compared with infants born to mothers who gave birth after 18 months or two years between pregnancies.

Therefore the general recommendation is at least spacing of two years in between births, according to health and family planning professionals.

What the experts say

Dr. Rachna Pande is the Head of Department (Internal Medicine) at the Ruhengeri Hospital. The specialist in internal medicine says that child spacing is healthy for both the mother and the child.

She also agrees with the fact that a gap of two years spacing is essential as this helps the mother’s body to restore its health.

"Perennial tissues worn out or torn due to child birth can be rejuvenated, the joints depleted of calcium can be able to regain normal strength through child spacing and the infection in case of any, can have time to heal very well,” she says

She says that spacing children for at least two years also helps a mother to feed the baby at hand and focus all attention on its care, which improves the baby’s health.

"Usually with the first six months, if a baby is exclusively breast fed, lactation prohibits another pregnancy because of high prolactin levels. However, a woman may conceive as early as four or even three months after delivery,” Dr Pande says.

She advises women to use contraceptive methods like Intra Uterine Device (IUD) which can be used to effectively space births instead of relying on breastfeeding as a birth control method.

On the other hand, Dr. Pande says that there are pros and cons to each situation, an example being that if two children are born in quick succession, arrangements and material used for the first baby can be used for another very well, which saves money as well as time for the family.

"The children kind of grow together and have greater bonding because of the close age gap. If the mother is vigilant about her nutrition, her health and that of her children does not become a problem,” she adds.

She however concludes that the best and healthiest option is to space children.

Dr. Teckle G.Egiziabher, a Gynecologist at Rwanda Military Hospital Kanombe says that various problems would in most cases arise if children are not appropriately spaced.

He says that babies tend to have a condition called intrauterine growth restriction, which is when the foetus is not growing and developing at the expected rate during pregnancy.

"The foetus tends to be small for its age meaning it might be smaller than the expected size for weeks of pregnancy because of the possible problems with the placenta,” Dr. Egiziabher says.

He adds that it can also lead to a premature birth as the baby may have problems because its organs didn’t have enough time to develop, and may not be ready to function on their own.

"For the mother, there can be a uterine rupture; this is a tear through the uterus which can occur as a result of scars from previous caesarean section,” he says

He also pointed out the issue of third trimester bleeding which can sometimes be normal though on the other hand it could be an indication of problems with the cervix or placenta.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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I say: What is the best child spacing period?

Yvonne Nyirahabineza, Teacher

Since parenting is very challenging, mothers should wait for two or even three years to have another child. You get to enjoy every moment with your child before having the next and this helps in creating a bond. This time is enough for a mother to care for the baby as required.

Sharon Harerimana, Teacher

A mother should wait for an average of three to four years. The baby gets ample time with its mother and gets to enjoy quality attention. The mother can also benefit since the older ones are big enough to help her and are more independent to take care of themselves.

Jeannette Uwamahoro, Housewife

One should always wait for more than two years because this helps a mother to regain her strength. The timeframe also gives the mother’s body space to get back together especially for those who have given birth through caesarian section. Babies demand time, so it’s always important that you shower your toddler with all the love and attention before another one is planned for.

Louise Hategikimana, Librarian

I think one should wait for long. Having another baby within a range of one year denies both of them enough care and this affects their health and growth negatively. In my opinion, a mother should take at least 2years before deciding to give birth to another baby.

Christine Mukarusine, Pharmacist

I believe one can wait to have another baby as long she wants. What is important is putting the body and mind in consideration because they both need full recovery after childbirth. I think it would be better to have two or more years break. Mothers sometimes take it for granted that the body actually needs time to first regain the ability to take care of another baby.

Médiatrice Dusabemungu, Housewife.

What works for each family doesn’t work for the other. In my opinion, one should wait for a year to have another child. One year difference gives children a chance to grow up together and create a serious bond.

Compiled by Dennis Agaba