I cannot find one shred of evidence to support the idea that having children close together is psychological traumatic. Apparently it triples the risk of autism though.

Either way, my kids will come as close together as they decide. I'll not be spacing them out on purpose.

Quote from: samjohn on July 02, 2011, 12:12:06 AM

I cannot find one shred of evidence to support the idea that having children close together is psychological traumatic. Apparently it triples the risk of autism though.

That's interesting.  I'd be interested in reading the cite if you have it.  That kind of indicates that autism isn't genetic, or isn't entirely, contrary to the currently popular view.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/01/10/peds.2010-2371.abstract

However, as my girlfriend who is an obstetrician points out, there is a certain confounding factor here that has not been taken into account. That factor being that breastfeeding is in itself a contraceptive, meaning that the correlation could be between breast fed vs bottle fed rather than actual child spacing.

It is a confounding factor that to be honest would invalidate pretty much every single piece of research on child spacing.

FYI - her opinion is that the bottle fed part is what causes the increased autism risk.

Of course, how silly of me.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12278620

I've read these numbers a few places now. Between 3 and 4 seems to be average, with 44 months as an upper limit on natural spacing of children amongst the !Kung.

I didn't wean to get pregnant the second time, I didn't try to start my fertility cycles in any way, but when I realized I was fertile I did take advantage of it. So if as Warren suggests it is weight that triggers fertility again, maybe I will manage a different spacing this time around with such a different diet.

Great stuff, thanks.

My menstrual cycle started back up after only three or four months.  I was devastated, because my older sister staved hers off for 13!  I blame the pacifier and having to pump for the first three months, but some women just naturally have their cycle come back sooner than others. 

Once it's back, nursing shouldn't cause any problems with fertility, unless, maybe, the woman is prone to miscarriage. I just got pregnant with my second and I am DEFINITELY still nursing the first at 21 months (sometimes I wish I weren't, but this is only in passing).  I've heard that some doctors are concerned that the nursing hormones will cause contractions that could lead to miscarriage, but I know many mothers who have nursed all through pregnancy.  It isn't always pleasant for everyone, and some wean because of nipple tenderness, but it's possible if the woman (and baby/toddler) is willing.

As for the !kung, is it possible they have a taboo against sex with a woman nursing a young baby?  Clearly if they nurse through pregnancy on occasion it isn't a permanent taboo, but I've heard that it IS a common taboo in more primitive cultures that would definitely lead to greater spacing between children.

Breastfeeding is advisable for babies up to 2 years of age. But in my case, I just breastfed foe 9 months.