If you are already a family of three, you are probably thinking of giving your child a little brother or sister . It is clear that the situation is not the same as with the first pregnancy. Time has passed (in some cases more, in others less) and you already have a son who demands all your energy. If the idea of ​​becoming parents again is making the rounds, we talk about when to look for a second pregnancy .

A little brother or sister is the most valuable gift you can give a child , but there are many factors that go into deciding whether to go for the second .

Some reasons that can tip the balance to one side or the other are the age of the mother and father, as well as the age of the older brother, the economic situation, family pressures or other decisive personal issues.

mother’s age

As we know, women are mothers at increasingly advanced ages. In Spain, the majority have their first child after the age of 30 and 30 percent have their first child after the age of 35, which means that it is very likely that if they decide to have a second baby, it will arrive after the age of 35.

You might be interested in Why should a maternity leave be seen as something positive when going back to work?

Many women have them before, but the truth is that the biological clock does not stop and the chances of achieving pregnancy decrease significantly the older the woman is. From the age of 35, the chances of pregnancy are around ten percent and from the age of 40, 3 percent.

In other words, the age of the woman is a very important factor , both because of the chances of pregnancy and because of the complications that pregnancy and childbirth can entail at certain ages .

Many couples, after having the first baby, rush to have the second because 40 is already upon them. The argument of some women who have delayed their motherhood and want to have a second child is “I’m old enough, so the time is now or never” .

father’s age

Not only must the biological age of the mother be taken into account, but that of the father is also important. Due to the added risks, just as the mother’s age is taken into account, the paternal age must also be considered when starting a family.

Much is said about the complications of pregnancy and childbirth related to maternal age, but paternal age at the time of conception is also important. Babies born to parents over 45 years of age are more likely to be premature and to present risks or complications during delivery, such as low birth weight.

The energy of the parents

In addition to the biological age of the mother and father, we must not forget the energy . Taking care of a small baby demands a lot of energy on the part of the parents. It is not advisable to face a second pregnancy with a discharged battery. Although we may take less care of ourselves in the second pregnancy , the second baby deserves our attention and care just as much as the first.

And I’m not just talking about the energy we need to take care of a child and a pregnancy because that’s just the beginning. We must also think about the future , five or ten years from now, because the children will continue to need us one hundred percent and in general the energies are not the same at 40 as at 50.