When to start trying to conceive second after having first at 37

[Anonymous]

Aim for kids 20-24 months apart. I loved that spacing.

[Anonymous]

I’m a SMBC and had my first at 37 and immediately started trying for the second. They are 18 months apart.

I would not wait. The first early years are rough, but manageable.

[Anonymous]

I got pregnant at 36, had a miscarriage and tried to conceive for another year. Went iIVF route and got pregnant at 38. Tried to get pregnant after one year and could not. Went back to IVF again and had another miscarriage with twins. It was so stressful. I was 40. I stopped. We needed a break. By some miracle, I got pregnant naturally at 41 and my beautiful baby was born at 42.

My point is when you are older, you don’t know what your body will be like. Don’t wait if you want another one. Time is of the essence. Each year that goes by, you have less good quality eggs. I got married late in life. I never had issues with my period. I was about 10 pounds overweight. I had unexplained infertility. I never thought I would have issues getting pregnant. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

You baby is 4 months. A newborn is a lot of work. Very stressful for first time parents. I would wait till the baby is about a year. To conceive.

Talk about it in a few more months. It gets better. But don’t wait too long. 18-24 months apart is good. Manageable, it’s hard but they grow fast. It seem daunting in the beginning. It gets better.

[Anonymous]

Had my first right after my 37th birthday. Vaginal delivery. Started trying for a 2nd when he was 8 months old. Found out I was pregnant right before his first birthday. They are 19 months apart, and my oldest just turned 2. Two under two is hard because you have literally no time to yourself, but I think it will be great to have them close in age a few years from now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We've discussed it and we're too overwhelmed right now to have another. We're just going to revisit when our baby is a year and probably start trying then. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, we're happy with what we have.

Good for you! I had my first at 36 and couldn’t imagine having two until I was nearly 39. Took me six months to conceive at 39, gave birth at 40.

You just never know what life has in store. Your baby is still tiny, don’t pressure yourself. You still have time.

[Anonymous]

I got pregnant first time at 37, had a miscarriage. Got pregnant a few months later and had my first child at 38 (unplanned c-section).Got pregnant with #2 and had a VBAC at 40. Two girls that are 20 months apart. It was challenging but fun. Now they are in 9th and 11th grade!

[Anonymous]

I would start trying in about six months. You want to wait til your body is semi healed, but not so long that you lose that postpartum hormone-induced strong desire for more kids. Also, anecdotaly, I feel like it's easier to conceive when the tubes have recently been greased, so to speak. I had my first two about two years apart, no trouble whatsoever, but I waited to try til my second (middle) was 2.5, and had some trouble.

Also, two years apart is a dream for siblings! They are so close, and it honestly wasn't that hard. I think age 3 is a much tougher age to have a newborn with than a 2 year old. At three they're going through tons of transitions that are hard (dropping nap, big kid bed, maybe dropping paci, potty training, tantrums and vocal). But at 2 they are still babyish but big enough to sleep totally through the night, take great naps, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was in your shoes 10 years ago, except I was about a year older. We had tentatively planned on only having one, but we loved the experience so much that we quickly decided to have another. (We were exhausted and had lots of trouble with breastfeeding, etc. but we were high on baby love!)

Anyway, with my Dr approval, we started trying at 6 months pp and got pregnant around her first birthday. They are 20 months apart so I did have two under two. Those first 6 months or so were hard, but not impossible. And they were so cute! I loved snuggling both babies! Now that they are both older, it’s the best. They are two grades apart and are really good playmates.

To put it in numbers: I was 36 when we started trying, 37 when I got pregnant and just turned 38 when I have birth to my first. I gave birth to my second just before my 40th birthday.

Until you start trying, you have no idea how long things are going to take so I suggest talking with your husband and figuring out the minimum age gap you would be ok with and start then. The rest is out of your hands.