Advice for Having Babies Close Together
- May 22, 2018
- by Melissa Lawrence
Already pregnant with baby number two, a mom of a five-month-old wrote in asking for advice. This mom is afraid of negative, judgmental comments from others stemming from how close her babies will be in age and wondering how to respond.
Having Babies Close Together in Age
Mama, I’ve been there. This is one of those “if I had a nickel” types of situations. I’ve had more inquisitive, surprised, even judgmental comments than I can count, both over the fact that I had my babies close in age and over how many children I’ve had. The comments ranged from “every tried birth control?” and “ever heard of birth control?” to “trying to field your own baseball team?” I’ve ever heard: “Where’s number six” “how do you have time for so many kids” and “how can you be a good parent to so many kids?” In terms of the “spacing” issue, I’ve been told “why don’t you give your body a rest,” “did your doctor say that was ok?,” and “is it healthy for babies to be born so close?” Yup. You name it, I’ve heard it. On a good day, I’ve been able to ignore the feedback. On a bad day, I’ve cried.
Clever Pregnancy Comebacks
I’ve never been the kind of person who comes up with that perfect comment in the moment. When asked about how our children are spaced out, I tend to reply very generally as follows: this is what worked for us; we wanted a big family and did not want to wait; and every child is a blessing. Usually, these statements brought the conversation to a halt.
Anyway, for more thoughts on having babies close in age, watch my video. Thanks so much for tuning in and see you next time on Cloudmom.
Melissa
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