While you might love to pop another baby out immediately or have a little gap between your children, there are factors you need to consider. Most importantly health.
Prioritizing health in your family planning journey makes you responsible and caring. Oh yes! (You’ll see reasons why as you read this post).
Seeing the need for careful consideration and timing when it comes to planning your next child, the ‘When to Have My Next Child Calculator’ can come in and predict appropriately the best time to try and conceive for your next child.
In this post, let’s take a detailed look at this ‘When to Have My Next Child Calculator’, the guidelines it follows, and how you can make use of it.
What is the When to Have My Next Child Calculator?
The “When to Have Your Next Child Calculator” is a specialized tool designed to assist individuals and couples in making informed decisions about the timing of their next child based primarily on health-related factors.
This innovative calculator employs a medical approach, considering various aspects of health-related issues and well-being to provide personalized recommendations for your family planning journey.
Not to complicate things, the calculator simply determines results based on the date of birth of your last child. This means it uses the time frame to predict the right time you can start trying for another baby.
You might be wondering what these health-related aspects are and the appropriate time. Check the next section for details.
Guideline the When to Have My Next Child Calculator Follows
It is medically advised that women should wait 18 months after the birth of their last child before getting pregnant again. This health-related rule and medical recommendation is the basis on which the calculator operates.
Why this time frame? Here are some of the reasons why women are advised to wait for 18 months:
1. Maternal Recovery
After childbirth, a woman’s body undergoes significant changes, both physically and even hormonally (the estrogen level decreases after birth). Waiting for 18 months allows the body to fully recover from the demands of pregnancy and childbirth and allows the body to return to the pre-pregnant stage. This waiting and recovery period will also help to reduce the risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies.
2. Premature Birth
Research has shown that pregnancies spaced too closely together can increase the risk of premature birth, which can harm the child. Waiting for 18 months helps to reduce this risk and promotes a mature pregnancy.
3. Low Birthweight
When you wait for about 18 months before getting pregnant, you reduce the risk of low birth weight in your next child. Babies born with low birth weight are more likely to have health complications, both in the short and long term. So, avoiding it all together is best.
4. Health Problems in the Long Run
Due to the health conditions, we’ve mentioned above, the baby is at a higher risk of developing long-term health problems like developmental disabilities, asthma, hearing loss, and infections. Not to mention the high risk of death as well.
5. Now, let’s focus on your well-being.
Pregnancy, childbirth, and of course the early months of parenting can be physically and emotionally demanding. However, allowing sufficient time between pregnancies can be a support to you, your emotional state, and your mental well-being.
All these details are the concerns the calculator looks into. So, it’s beyond just determining a time frame whichever way the calculator chooses.
How Does the When to Have My Next Child Calculator Work?
Adopting the guidelines we’ve discussed in the previous section, the calculator simply adds 18 months to the date you gave birth to your last child.
This means, if for instance, you gave birth to your last child on September 13, 2022, the calculator predicts Wednesday, 13 March 2024 as the safe time to try conceiving.
With that in mind, let’s see how you can use the calculator to predict appropriately.
How to Use the When to Have My Next Child Calculator
The when to have my next child calculator is easy and straightforward. All you need to do is follow the following steps below.
- Enter the Date of Birth of Your Last Child
Your last child’s date of birth provides the calculator with the correct spacing needed between children. So, start by entering the date of birth in this format; month, day, and year. While you can input this information manually, you can choose to make use of the calendar provided. Simply click on the field and it will appear.
- Your Result
After entering the information needed, the calculator simply calculates the right timing for you to start trying to conceive. It gives you the exact date in this format; the day of the week, month, and year. And that’s it, you are good to go.
Please note: If you’ve had a miscarriage or stillbirth before, it’s best to consult your doctor on the appropriate time you can start trying to conceive.
The Bold Step You Need to Take
The ‘When to Have My Next Child Calculator’ definitely helps you along the way, ultimately, the decision and steps are yours. We hope you can take such steps in love, care, and consideration for your family’s future.