Some women come out of labor and delivery and say that they can not wait to do it again, probably because of the immense love they immediately feel when they lay their eyes on their new baby. Others say that they never want to go through that type of pain again. The truth in what women decide later is usually somewhere in the middle. When you go through another pregnancy after birth, things may stay the same as they were, but you may also be in for some surprises. Don't expect each pregnancy to be a carbon copy of the one you had before.
You don't want to rush into a pregnancy after birth right away. You may feel like you want to get pregnant right away, but that is rarely a good idea. Some women do it, but most doctors agree that you should give it at least six months before you start trying again. This is because you may be overwhelmed with the baby you already have, and you could get sick more easily if your body and your life are too stressed. Also, your body needs more time than you think to recover from childbirth. They say to abstain from sex for six weeks, but you want to give it more time than that to truly heal.
Think back to the beginning of your first pregnancy. Were your really sick and really tired? How would you do feeling that way again with your first child still totally dependent on you for everything? If you had an easy first trimester, you have to remember that you may not get that lucky again. Some women report feeling sick and tired for one pregnancy but feeling great through another. Your next pregnancy after birth could be the same as or completely different from the first. You won't know until you are pregnant again how you are going to feel. It might be too much to be sick and taking care of another baby at the same time.
If you had a Cesarean section with your first pregnancy, you need a longer healing time before your uterus can safely begin to expand again. Unlike a vaginal birth, you had an incision into your uterus that may not heal as fast as you would like. Your doctor will recommend a time in which you should wait to have a pregnancy after birth, and this time restriction is for your own good. If your uterus expands again before it is totally healed, you may lose that pregnancy.
There are other things that you may want to consider when thinking about having a pregnancy after birth. Did you gain weight that you still want to get off? Did you have any complications that you may want to avoid? If you had gestational diabetes, you may want to try to get more weight off before you become pregnant again. Did you have severe back pain? Perhaps a check up on your back and some physical therapy would mean a smoother second or third pregnancy. As much as you may want to have a baby right away, a healthier you means a healthier pregnancy and a healthy baby, and that should be your goal.