Birth Spacing as Prevention of Poor Birth Outcomes

What are Poor Birth Outcomes?

Giving birth too early (preterm), delivering a baby that weighs less than five pounds (low birthweight), or the death of a baby before their first birthday (infant morbidity) are events commonly referred to as a poor birth outcome.

The factors that might contribute to a poor birth outcome are different for each pregnancy and have been poorly understood by the medical community. Decades of research, however, have provided insight into what a future pregnancy may look like for a parent who has experienced a traumatic birth event.

One of the most important predictors of preterm or low birthweight births is a parental history of these prior poor birth outcomes. The chance of having a second poor birth outcome can be as high as 50% for a parent who has already delivered a preterm or low birth weight infant. 

Recent research has proven that that birth spacing is both another important predictor of future poor birth outcomes, as well as a highly effective intervention in allowing for future healthy births.

What We Know About Birth Spacing

Birth spacing is the period of time between a live birth and the beginning of the next pregnancy. Getting pregnant too soon after delivering a baby may not give a parent’s body enough time to heal from their last pregnancy. Pregnancy depletes the parent’s supply of vitamins and nutrients that are essential to a healthy pregnancy, as well as their baby’s health. Birth spacing also allows pregnant persons to heal from any infections experienced during a pregnancy, and the inflammation caused by labor and delivery. 

Birth Spacing: How Long Should Parents Wait After a Poor Birth Outcome?

A study conducted by the state of Ohio’s Department of Health found that pregnancies started less than six months after a previous birth were associated with higher risks of poor birth outcomes (i.e., low birthweight, preterm birth, and infant death). This was true for all birthing parents, regardless of race, ethnicity and risk factors like age and smoking during pregnancy. 

While the medical community continues to learn about the advantages of birth spacing, decades of research have shown that a birth spacing period of at least six months is critical for allowing the mother’s body to heal from delivery, and allow for healthier future births. 

It is important to note that results from both recent clinical research and community interventions suggest that waiting more than six months between giving birth and getting pregnant may provide parents with even better odds of achieving future healthy pregnancies. 

Just as carrying a pregnancy to term allows the fetus to fully benefit from gestation, every month counts when waiting to conceive after a poor birth outcome. Research suggests that a birth spacing period of at least six months to 24 months, with an ideal average of 18 months, appears to provide a significant positive impact on future birth outcomes.  

Birth Spacing Can Help Prevent Future Poor Birth Outcomes 

Parents who have delivered a baby too early or that weighs less than five pounds, or who have lost an infant before their first birthday (also called Poor Birth Outcomes) are at high risk for having the same experience with future pregnancies. While contributing factors are different for each pregnancy, birth spacing (waiting a certain amount of time to conceive after a pregnancy ends) is a highly successful intervention that is available to all parents. 

Birth spacing is the practice of waiting a certain amount of time to conceive after experiencing a poor birth outcome. This time in between pregnancies allows birthing parents to recover from the physiological stressors of pregnancy (e.g., essential vitamin depletion and inflammation the birth canal), as well as address any specific medical issues that may have contributed to their previous birth outcome.

Research and community based programs suggest that parents with a history of poor birth outcomes should wait 6 months at the very least to conceive after their last pregnancy, keeping in mind that each additional month may provide added benefits. As no additional advantages have been linked to waiting more than 24 months to start a new pregnancy, 18 months is currently considered to be the optimal Birth Spacing period.

 
Written by Susan Van Etten

Edited by Hash Brown Taha

References

1. Association of interpregnancy interval with poor birth outcomes and infant mortality in Ohio. Ohio Dept of Health. 2019. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://odh.ohio.gov/know-our-programs/infant-and-fetal-mortality/reports/interpregnancy-interval-and-poor-birth-outcomes-2019
2. Fact Sheet: Birth Spacing and Birth Outcomes. March of Dimes. 2015. Accessed August 2, 2024. https://www.marchofdimes.org/MOD-Birth-Spacing-Factsheet-November-2015.pdf
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8. Photo by Pexels from Freerange Stock