Having two kids is exponentially more difficult than having just one. Just when you think you've figured things out, you'll face an entirely new challenge, like trying to feed a baby with a toddler climbing on you, or changing a diaper while your previously potty-trained toddler poops in the corner.
It's easy to assume that getting pregnant a second time is a cinch. And often, it is! But more couples actually experience secondary infertility — infertility that shows up after you've already had at least one baby — than primary infertility (infertility the first time around).
Others, just plain comical. Thankfully a study conducted by an MIT economist named Joseph Doyle confirms what most of us moms with multiple children expected: Second children actually are more difficult than others.
Second child syndrome or middle child syndrome is when the second-born or middle-born child gets uncomfortable with the presence of their siblings. It can be due to the lack of importance or attention when the parents give more attention to younger children and give responsibilities to older siblings.
'” While most of the time the second childbirth is a much easier process, Bartos says, it's never guaranteed: There's always the possibility that baby is bigger or in the wrong position, a complication might arise, or things just don't go as expected.
06/6Verdict. VERDICT: As per World Health Organization, a gap of at least 24 months should be there between your first and second child. By this time, the mother's body gets fully recovered from her first pregnancy as she replenishes the nutrients she lost in her first pregnancy.
Research has showed that, while having one child is associated with a gain in happiness, having a second is associated with a drop in happiness for mothers.
Here, researchers tracked people over 20 years and found that parents were actually happier after the birth of their second baby. With their first child, life satisfaction dipped for several years, then increased to levels higher than before. But a second child steadily increased happiness.
Disadvantages of Having a Second Baby
Your children may not get the best in material things and otherwise. Your children may get undivided attention from parents. Your children have to deal with comparison of siblings. Single child is more independent, but having a second baby will cease that opportunity in them.
Two kids require more time, more attention, and more energy than one, which means you have less of all of those to spend on each other. Date nights, romantic evenings, and even casual conversations are harder to come by. You also have more things to disagree on.
For example, he quotes a study that found firstborns to be “more likely to be serious, sensitive,” “conscientious,” and “good” and—this is my favorite—“fond of books.” Later on, these firstborns can become “shy, even fearful,” or they become “self-reliant, independent.” A second child, by contrast, is “placid, easy- ...
They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
Research suggests that an age gap of 27 to 32 months may be associated with the best health outcomes for mother and child. In terms of sibling relationship, siblings who are closer in age tend to fight more but are also closer which may have positive benefits for social skills.
Grow your family to at least four children! According to a study out of Australia's Edith Cowan University, parents with the most life satisfaction (which means those who are the happiest) are those that have four or more children.
Child number two or three doesn't make a parent happier. And, for mothers, he found, more children appear to make them less happy—although they are happier than childless women. For dads, additional children had no effect on their well-being in his study.
The researchers followed a number of families over a 5 year period and monitored their happiness as their families grew in size. The result that they came up with? Having 4 children is the best way to boost your happiness.
According to some random online survey, the most stressful number of kids to have is three. In fact, having four is supposed to be less stressful than three kids.
MYTH: Only children are lonely. FACT: Only children can have as many friends as their peers with siblings do.
Across several studies, mothers of one appear to be happiest. Research shows that only children have an edge in key development areas. While once stigmatized, “older” first-time moms (and their children) reap benefits women who first give birth in their 20s are less likely to see.
Having Babies After 35 Is Safe
And while it's true that conceiving after 35 comes with an increased risk of complications—like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and even miscarriage or stillbirth—many people go on to deliver healthy babies.
Geriatric pregnancy is a rarely used term for having a baby when you're 35 or older. Rest assured, most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies.