Irish Twins are defined as two children who are born less than 12 months apart. It is even more incredible to have both of them born in the same calendar year. Both new moms and veteran moms alike probably have vastly different opinions on this topic.

An exhausted new mama sitting at home with a brand-new bouncing bundle of joy may panic at the thought of having another so soon. With pregnancy and childbirth fresh in her mind, it is not easy to forget the tiredness that seems to seep into our bones — or how uncomfortable it is to try to sleep when we are nine months pregnant and feeling like a whale.

Let’s not forget the unrelenting pain of contractions and actually giving birth to a child. It may be beautiful — and it sure is a miracle — but it definitely hurts. Then, a few months down the road, maybe that precious baby is finally sleeping through the night. Maybe we have perfected our daily routine at last, and feel like we have finally regained control of our life again.

Right around the time we feel like we are supermom and can conquer anything is usually the exact time the universe decides to show us who’s boss, and challenge that goal.

10 Reasons Not To Have Back-To-Back Pregnancies

15 Good Old-Fashioned Healing

There’s a reason why most doctors will tell women to wait a certain period of time before getting pregnant again after they just gave birth. Carrying a child for around 40 weeks can really take a toll on a woman’s body, and then at the end, they add childbirth on top of it.

The general rule of thumb before even getting busy in the bedroom again is six weeks after bringing that precious little one into the world. Our bodies need time to heal physically from the effects of pregnancy and childbirth.

Plus, a woman won’t feel 100% herself again for a little while either. Not only will her body be healing physically, bringing home her new baby is a pretty big life change, and can affect her mentally as well.

14 Pushing Pause On Prematurity

In addition to your body just not being ready, your newest baby-to-be may be too eager to be born and end up coming into the world prematurely. Recent studies have shown that when mothers have babies close together – less than 18 months apart – there could be a higher risk of going into early labor with their second child.

Any woman who has been pregnant knows how scary it can be at times — even with zero complications — and there can be even the smallest bit of anxiety involved in growing a healthy baby/ Keeping that bun in the oven until it is the right time for him or her to come out is important to all mommies. Any mother who has had a premature baby knows the terror involved, and it is not something anyone wants to go through twice.

13 Teeny Tiny Babies

One thing that can go along with premature labor and delivery — that can also happen to full term babies — is low birth weight. Little ones born to mothers who have fallen pregnant six months or less since they last gave birth are at risk for being born at a low weight for their gestational age.

This can cause even more added stress to parents of a new little bundle of joy. Trying to make sure their littlest one is gaining and growing as they should be would be difficult enough, without having another little one running around they are having to care for. This isn’t always something that is going to cause harm to your child down the road, but it also is not the smoothest start to a little guy or gal’s life.

12 Matters Of Maternal Weakness

Another risk for the mother in having subsequent pregnancies back-to-back is that her body has not had enough time to recover and gain back all the nutrients needed to sustain a healthy pregnancy in such a short period of time. This can cause anemia — which is a condition that happens when someone’s blood doesn’t have enough strong red blood cells thereby causing other cells in their body to lack oxygen.

This can also lead to other complications, such as uterine rupture. The more times a uterus has to carry and grow a baby — not to mention contract to get that baby out — it becomes weaker. This can also cause problems with it not contracting after giving birth, which can lead to issues with blood loss and even putting the life of the mother in jeopardy.

11 Nutrient Depletion And Autism

Seven different studies have shown that the longer a mother goes between her pregnancies, the risk of autism in the subsequent child to be born is lowered. The studies did not figure out why exactly this is, but those in charge have offered some possible answers.

One reason may be a lack of folate in the mother — which is essential for brain growth and development in the fetus — due to the fact that levels remain low in post-partum moms for up to 12 months after giving birth.

Prenatal vitamins to be taken by the mother are encouraged during pregnancy. They contain that essential folate moms need. Methylfolate — not to be confused with folic acid, which we now know should be avoided by most expectant mothers — taken before conception and during pregnancy can greatly reduce the risk of autism in the infant. Several studies on this have shown that babies conceived fewer than 18 to 24 months after the last baby’s birth are at an increased risk of developing autism.

10 That Hourglass Figure

Most, if not all, new mothers have experienced some sort of insecurity about their pregnant bodies compared to their pre-pregnancy shape. This is especially common after you have that precious child in your arms, and you look down to still see some semblance of a pregnant belly.

Once you get home and attempt to settle into a new routine with a sweet new baby, you will most likely decide that you are ready to get back into shape. The more out of shape you are before you find yourself with child, the harder it is to lose weight once the baby is here.

So, what happens when you are still feeling large and want to make a change only to find out you are once again carrying a tiny miracle? Your excitement — whether it is immediate or a little delayed — will overcome this at some point, but after this next baby comes, it’s going to be even harder to get back to your pre-pre-pregnancy shape.

9 But Breastfeeding Is Best

It seems to be a common belief that breastfeeding can be trusted as a form of contraception. Unfortunately, that has been proven to be an old wives’ tale for most, since most women do not strictly adhere to the seven ecological principles of breastfeeding.

These unexpected pregnancies surely have surprised a mom or two from time to time. Clearly, women ovulate before menstruating, and while some women know when this is occurring, most don’t. By the time you would get your period and realize ovulation has commenced again, you are already pregnant.

A potential downside to this is the fact that there is a good chance your milk will dry up with a new pregnancy. If your first child is still quite young, you may have no choice but to wean them before you or him/her are ready. You may even have to supplement with formula. The most important thing is a fed baby — regardless of whether that baby is nursed, bottle-fed pumped breastmilk, or given formula. But this situation could be heartbreaking for a nursing mom and an attached little one.

8 Snarky Smart Mouths

“Wow, another one already? Do you know how babies are made?!” is something a lot of moms with young children close in age will probably hear a lot during their pregnancies. If you are toting a little baby on your hip along with a big round belly, family, friends, and even strangers won’t be able to contain their comments or surprise at the happenings in your life.

You shouldn’t ever be ashamed to be pregnant, but perhaps be prepared for the looks you may get — along with stupid questions from strangers and people that know you even by acquaintance. The best thing to do is just let the ignorant comments go. It is your life to live and no one else’s. But be prepared for the ones that just cannot help themselves and have to tell you what they really think.

7 Gargantuan Guilt

Any time you add a new family member to the mix, you will feel a little guilt for changing the lives of your existing children. But when you find out you’re going to be adding a new sibling to the family even more quickly than you may have anticipated, there will be even more feelings of that nature.

You want your child to be able to be little, and you don’t want to force him or her to grow up faster than normal. You will probably feel like you are cheating your oldest child out of your full attention and devotion.

Even having these thoughts during your pregnancy, it may be worse than you imagined at first, but at the very least, it will be difficult until you get a new routine established. With any luck, you’ll accomplish this with only shedding a few tears – yours’s and your child’s.

6 Hey, Where’d All The Free Time Go?

Every mom knows that when you have a house full of young kids, there is always plenty to do. Obviously, the more kids you add to the mayhem, the more work there is. The more work there is, the less hours there seems to be in the day. In most households, the mothers are the ones who are always making sure everything that needs to be done in a day, gets done.

That also means that moms are the ones who end up with the least amount of time at the end of the day — end of the week — end of the month even — to have time to themselves.

It is important for everyone to have time alone, or time doing whatever they may want to while relaxing and recharging at the end of the day. Unfortunately, moms don’t always get that. If you keep getting pregnant and adding more minions to your family, you’ll have less and less time for yourself.

Five Reasons To Jump On The Pregnancy Train Sooner

5 Hand It Down, Baby

All parents know how incredibly expensive all of the gear is for a new baby. It can be helpful to shop secondhand for most things, but it seems that first-time parents usually want everything brand-new.

There is absolutely no shame in that, but the price will quickly add up! When you decide to throw a second offspring into the mix, you will be able to reuse most — if not all — of the big-ticket items.

Being able to recycle those things for baby number two will help Mom and Dad save some money in the long run. Of course, this can mean that your newest little boy is using a lot of pink stuff that once belonged to his slightly older sister, but there are definitely worse things in life than going against stereotypical gender roles.

4 It Takes A Village — Or A Laundromat

When you are already deep in the throes of changing diapers and preparing baby food, alongside coordinating naptimes and trying to establish some semblance of a routine, adding another baby into that chaos can seem pretty easy.

Compared to the gap of having an older child — who may be potty-trained and able to dress him or herself, there will be minimal new baby shock once the little tyke comes home.

When you are already up to your ears in laundry, does it really matter if there is one more load of clothes piled up in the basket next to the washer? You’re going to be sleep deprived for the next 18 years already, might as well not try to draw it out much longer than that, right?

3 Diapers, Darling

Disposable diapers are one of the most expensive parts of raising an infant and toddler. However, just think how nice it will be when you will get to be done with nappies for both kiddos at around the same time! You will be able to avoid diving right back into diapers after the victory of completing potty-training with your first child.

You will be able to toss both kids down at the same time to change diapers, and not worry about having to get one to the potty while changing the other — or vice versa. You may even get lucky enough to eventually have both of your little ones in the same size diaper at the same time, which will eliminate all guesswork in the store —and even just the ease of grabbing a diaper off the changing table.

2 Potty Of Two

With two little tykes near the same age, you may even be able to plan on potty-training them at the same time. This could potentially make things more difficult on you, or it could make things a total breeze! Your kiddos will most likely have fun learning together, and may even end up encouraging each other’s success.

We are certain your little ones would love going to pick out brand new big boy or big girl undies together, too. Furthermore, being able to ditch the monster diaper bag all at once — or downgrade to one smaller one — is a serious perk. You get over the stress of it all at once instead of at separate times, and let’s face it: how cute would two little matching potties be sitting next to each other in the bathroom?

1 Best Buddies

Last but not least, can you imagine giving your precious little son or daughter a built-in little bestie for life? Of course, nobody knows how they will end up as they turn into adults, but in the meantime, kiddos born so close in age will naturally become playmates.

They may even become inseparable. Little ones that are about the same age and who play together all day every day might even be interested in the same things at the same time. This makes shopping for toys and play things that much easier, as well.

In addition to that, as the kids get older and start going to school, they will run around with the same group of friends, too. Hopefully, they make the right choices when befriending others, but either way, it will be easier to keep track of both kids in the same place — and you can always count on them having one another’s backs.

Sources: Live Science