In our environment, it is quite probable that the space between pregnancies is planned and diverse factors are taken into account to decide their suitability. But there are many places where births that are too numerous or too followed threaten women's lives and they represent a large part of the deaths of newborns.
The risks of not leaving enough space between births are given by the reduction of nutrients stored by the mother during the first pregnancy, the hormonal imbalance that occurs after the first birth and the physical stress caused by the care of babies.
The problems that arise from these situations are, among others, risk of premature delivery, delayed intrauterine growth, maternal anemia, premature rupture of membranes, hemorrhages in the second half of pregnancy and intrauterine mortality.
The importance of family planning
Therefore, as UNICEF points out, family planning It is one of the most effective means to improve the health status of women and children, a plan that unfortunately is not available to everyone.
More than 100 million women in developing countries who are married or living with a man report that they do not have access to contraceptive methods.
The access of all, including adolescents, to family planning services, especially in countries where people marry at an early age, coupled with universal access to education, can prevent many deaths and disabilities among mothers and their children.
Two years between births
In this regard, UNICEF points out the following points to consider:
- In order to preserve the health of the mother and the children, it must be produced a two year interval between births.
- From the fourth child, the health risks arising from pregnancy and childbirth increase.
- Family planning services can offer people the right knowledge and means to plan when to start having children, how many they want to have, the time interval between births and when to stop having more. There are many safe and acceptable methods to prevent pregnancy.
- Family planning is the responsibility of men and women: everyone has to know the benefits it represents for health.
In addition, the risks of teenage pregnancies (before age 18, when the woman's body is not sufficiently prepared) and after age 35.
Recent studies suggest that there should be a time interval of at least six months between the birth of a baby and a new pregnancy, and that if this period is more than eleven months, the results are even better, as there are fewer potential risks for the health of mother and baby.
Although there are also other studies that extend the "safety" period at 18 months between one pregnancy and the other and, as we see, Unicef ​​establishes the spacing between births in two years.
And, although in our environment, with adequate medical follow-up, the risks are more controlled, it is true that there are certain communities where there is no family control or planning, and the numerous and upcoming pregnancies do constitute a risk.
Spacing after a cesarean delivery
In the case of caesarean sections, and in an appropriate environment of prenatal control and medical assistance, it is advised to wait at least 18 months for the search for a new pregnancy.
Until recently, it was considered that two years of caesarean section had to pass in order to have a chance of vaginal delivery, but little by little it is becoming clear that vaginal delivery after caesarean section is an increasingly safe option.
Currently, for the following deliveries, not only the time that has passed since the caesarean section is evaluated, but other factors such as the cause of the previous caesarean section, adequate obstetric conditions for a vaginal delivery, baby size, etc. are evaluated.
In short, we see that when talking about spacing between pregnancies and births the recommendations vary according to the studies and the contexts, because a planned and controlled pregnancy is not the same as others that are not, and the risks also increase the younger the mother is and the more pregnancies that occur.
