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What are the pros and cons of planning babies in a quick succession and then stopping it altogether. e.g: planing one baby per year and then stopping at number three.
Thus Is it a wise thing to get babies quickly without leaving much gaps? The reason I ask this is that the first year of the infant requires constant attention which means all time goes in the infant grooming which makes us to think to utilize this time for another pregnancy thus parallely saving precious time?
Beofett linked to a great answer above. Let me add a few observations of my own:
First of all, what you plan is different from what you get. Many biological reasons can cause it to take a long time, even years, for the first baby to arrive. And there's no guarantee against such difficulties for the following babies, either. Or you might get two or three all at once! So whatever your plans are, be aware that Nature might have a very different idea of things.
One obvious "pro" about quick succession to me is to get those dirty, noisy baby years behind you as quickly as possible. But that also means that this precious, special time will pass very soon.
When kids are spaced a couple of years apart, the younger can inherit things which the older no longer uses - toys, clothing, even furniture! This saves money but may require some storage space. It might also cause some unhappiness in the younger child that never gets anything new. If they're spaced close together, there is bound to be some overlap in age groups that prevent this inheritance scheme.
Quick succession gives you less time for each child in the early years. As you mention, babies require more attention, and it's much easier to attend to a 1yo when the elder sibling is 4 rather than 2.
Quick succession is a mental and physical and financial strain on you because so much happens at once. Spreading it out more distributes the load and the stress. But you'd then have to deal with it longer.
Quick succession may make holiday planning easier because the kids will be in the same schools longer, so there are fewer external organizations to coordinate.
Quick succession lets the children have a closer relationship because they have more in common, but their relative age difference evens out after 10-15 years anyway, unless they're many years apart.
Having back to back babies can take a hard toll on the mom's body. A few months post-partum her body has not had time to fully physically recover:
“Studies show that there is a higher incidence of low birth-weight and premature birth when conception takes places within six months of a previous delivery,” Dr. Debra Wickman, OB/GYN and a doctor with SHE, Sexual Health Experts in Arizona told SheKnows.
“This is likely due to depletion of nutrients and vitamins that have not had time to become replenished and full physical and psychological recovery may not have occurred by six months postpartum,” (1)
Another aspect to consider is how long the mother would like to breastfeed. Babies can benefit from extended breastfeeding up to 2+ years.
Breastmilk still contains immunologic factors that help protect the child even if he is 2 or older. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk that protect the baby against infection are present in greater amounts in the second year of life than in the first. (2)
Many women find when they get pregnant that their nipples become very sensitive and breastfeeding may be painful or uncomfortable. Some women also find their milk supply dries up or is severely reduced by pregnancy. So, very closely spaced children has the potential to interfere with other goals like breastfeeding until 1 or 2 years.
Another thing to consider, relating to breastfeeding, is that frequent breastfeeding throughout the day and night can cause a delay to the return to fertility. Many women do not start having regular cycles until they night-wean or wean entirely. Certainly, there are exceptions, but it's something to keep in mind.
We had our two children four years apart, and that has proven ideal for us, though each was much later what we originally wanted. They are separated enough to not compete, but close enough to be best friends (now 15 and 19).
Plan to be flexible. Many people plan on having children at a particular time, and it just doesn't work out. Sometimes it just takes longer, sometimes it takes medical intervention, sometimes it takes adoption. This can have consequences for a relationship. I'm not saying don't have a plan, I'm saying leave room in your plans and your relationship for the unexpected.
