Birth Spacing

Read this article to learn how long you should wait between pregnancies and why waiting is important for both your physical and your mental health.

What is birth spacing?

In Australia, all women have the right to choose:
- when they have their children;
- how many children they want to have; or
- if they want to have any children at all.
Pregnancies that are at least 18 months (ideally 24 months) apart are safer for both mother and baby.
- This is an international recommendation by the World Health Organization.
When a pregnancy ends in miscarriage or a termination, the recommended minimum space to next pregnancy is at least 6 months.
- This is safer for both mother and baby.
The average woman from an English-speaking, Australian-born background has 2-3 children and usually starts having her children in her late 20s or early 30s.
Women can use different methods to prevent an unplanned pregnancy.
- These methods are called contraceptives.
  - See Contraception for more

Benefits of waiting between pregnancies

Spacing your births apart can reduce the risk of:
- having a baby that weighs less than 2500 grams
- having a baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy
- excessive bleeding during pregnancy and birth
- depression related to pregnancy and being a parent
Birth spacing allows breastfeeding mothers more time to restore important nutrients such as folic acid and iron.
- It also gives mothers more time to strengthen their abdominal and pelvic floor muscles before the next pregnancy.

Last reviewed: Jun 2022