Two Babies?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
In August of 2008 I gave birth to a very health and happy baby girl via c-section. Now 5 1/2 months later, she is the apple of my eye!
I recently started feeling all of the same things I felt while pregnant with my daughter. I took a home pregnancy test and discovered that I am pregnant again.
I am very concerned about the stress my body will endure, especially my uterus and scar tissue from the c-section. I have also read that there is a greater risk of low birth weight and premature babies in back to back pregnancies. Is this true?
Is it safe to have two babies so close together through c-section? Are there serious risks to my unborn child?
ANSWER
It's true (and you should have been told) that it is best for there to be at least 18 months between children when the first is born by surgery. Since that isn't happening in your case, it is more important than ever that you eat a very healthy pregnancy diet, you take your prenatal vitamins every day, you keep up with your exercise, that you do not gain too much weight, and you keep all your prenatal appointments.
If you become anemic, you should take iron supplements as prescribed. Good luck, and hopefully you will have a great pregnancy and delivery.
--Cynthia, CNM> PhD.
Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
