Pregnant Again After Giving Birth

Can You Get Pregnant Right After Having a Baby?

Yes, it is possible to conceive soon after giving birth, even while you are still experiencing postpartum bleeding (lochia).
A pregnancy becomes possible when ovulation resumes after delivery. Ovulation occurs about 10 to 14 days before menstruation. However, you cannot reliably determine whether your first ovulation has taken place.
It is usually recommended to wait 12 to 18 months after childbirth before a new pregnancy. But becoming pregnant sooner need not be grounds for concern.

Overview

Can You Get Pregnant Right After Having a Baby?
How Soon Can You Get Pregnant After Having a Baby?
Sex Soon After Pregnancy and Birth?!
Pregnant Again After Giving Birth — Now What?
Your Wealth of Experience — Your Greatest Resource
5 Pregnancy Hacks for Staying Strong!

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🤰"Am I pregnant?" — Take the Online Pregnancy Test
📆 How far along am I? — Try our Pregnancy Tracker

How Soon Can You Get Pregnant After Having a Baby?

In theory, you could conceive immediately after giving birth. However, the precise starting point of a new cycle, making pregnancy possible, differs in each woman.

Why is it impossible to pinpoint when a woman becomes fertile again after giving birth?

In this context, it is essential to remember that ovulation marks your fertile window about ten to 14 days before your first menstrual period. But the fertile phase can begin even sooner since sperm can survive in the female body for up to five days, “waiting" for ovulation.

Ovulation, rather than the first period after giving birth, is the first sign of renewed fertility — which usually goes completely unnoticed. Thus, a surprise pregnancy is possible soon after delivery.

Can You Get Pregnant While Still Recovering from Your Previous Pregnancy?

The postpartum period, entailing the first 6 to 8 weeks after giving birth, is also known as the fourth trimester, or, in medical terms, puerperium.

Doctors and midwives recommend that women take it easy during this time. Nonetheless, you may have had an easy birth and desire to become sexually active again soon.

It is essential to realize that becoming pregnant during the fourth trimester is possible. Giving an exact time frame is impossible since every woman is different, as are her menstrual cycles. Some women conceive within a month of giving birth.

Can You Get Pregnant While Still Bleeding (Lochia)?

Postpartum bleeding (aka lochia) is caused by the placenta detaching from the uterus during delivery. It usually stops within 6-8 weeks after delivery.

You can get pregnant during postpartum bleeding, but the likelihood of this happening is very low. Still, this possibility cannot be completely ruled out.

Can You Get Pregnant Before Your Period Starts After Birth?

Ovulation takes place about two weeks before one’s menstrual period. Your fertile window, during which conception can occur, precedes the resumption of your menstrual period.

The exact timing of this cannot be determined in advance. However, knowing that you can become pregnant after delivery without starting your period is essential.

Can You Get Pregnant While Breastfeeding?

Although breastfeeding is widely regarded as a safe contraceptive method, you can get pregnant while nursing your baby! For more information, go to Pregnant Despite Breastfeeding.

Sex Soon After Pregnancy and Birth?!

There is only a brief period after giving birth when conception is not a concern. But what else is there to know about sex after having a baby?

After the baby's arrival, it usually takes some time for the whole family — especially the mother — to regroup and recover. It usually also takes time for sexual desires to reawaken. Tears, sustained during childbirth, need to heal — and it will take a while for hormone levels to stabilize.

Many women also need time to feel okay in their own skin and and to readjust to all the changes. New fathers sometimes also feel apprehensive about physical intimacy while becoming accustomed to their partner’s physical changes.

Once this time of readjustment has passed, many couples soon start seeking physical intimacy. This is when the question arises of how to plan for future parenthood.

Pregnant Again After Giving Birth — Now What?

A second pregnancy within the first year of giving birth can be startling. Many women feel as if their world has been flipped upside-down (again). This may be what you are going through right now. Your baby is only a few months or weeks old, and now you are pregnant again...Many women caught in this situation wonder how to manage another pregnancy and a new baby so soon.

We want to encourage you to keep looking forward and to keep sight of your strengths. Solutions are out there. Let’s find them together!

Your Wealth of Experience — Your Greatest Resource

You already have the most significant adjustment behind you: the birth of your first child. Baby #1 brings significant changes to the parent’s day-to-day life. A new rhythm emerges. When another baby announces itself, the adjustment is less intense than the first. Foundations have already been established. Not everything has to be set up and planned from scratch.

Besides, you possess a great wealth of knowledge — as a pregnant woman and mom, you have already gained much experience! No one can take that away from you.

Motherhood is a busy time, whether you have one, two, or more children. Be confident to ask others for all the help you need to stay strong.

5 Pregnancy Hacks for Staying Strong!

Amid this demanding situation, take good care of yourself! By doing so, you may feel more relaxed, freeing you up to gradually recognize workable solutions.

☕️TAKE BREAKS AND ENJOY LIFE’S LITTLE LUXURIES

Taking an occasional break can allow you to step out of the routine and ruminations. Perhaps you could find a babysitter to have some time for yourself.

Pampering yourself occasionally can work miracles to get you out of a funk. Of course, these moments are also possible while holding a baby: enjoying good music, a hot cup of decaf coffee or tea, or a walk outside... You know what’s needed.

✍️ ROUTINES AND STRUCTURE

Routines help us function by ensuring that our basic needs, such as nourishment and rest, are met. A little one can make sticking to a routine a challenge. Perhaps there are a few things that you want to do on a daily basis because they add structure or enjoyment to your day. Go from there!

💬 ENCOURAGING CONVERSATIONS

Does this title bring a specific person to mind? Can you think of someone who allows you to be completely yourself? And is a judgment-free listener? Sharing your concerns, rather than keeping them to yourself, can be very freeing.

Is your partner someone you can turn to? Perhaps you both anticipated more time for one another as your first child matured. Are there ways to create more one-on-one time, even now?

Would you like to bounce your thoughts off someone outside your social circle? This is where we come in. Allow us to be your sounding board as you determine your next steps.

💡 Dealing with a specific concern? Take the Solutions Finder Test!

😎 LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Do you realize that you do not have to be perfect at motherhood? Mothers often have high expectations of themselves. Your to-do list can wait — and so can your messy house.

A more relaxed stance can help you have a more peaceful outlook. You might notice that some things even take care of themselves, or others start pitching in. Taking it one step at a time will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.

🙌 FIND SUPPORT

Can you think of relatives or friends who would be willing to help? Perhaps someone could do a grocery run or take care of your laundry. Has someone offered to cook for you? Why not ask them to coordinate it through Take Them a Meal, enlisting several friends to cover your first two weeks after you get home from the hospital? Did you know that there are organizations near you that would love to offer a helping hand?

If help is scarce, daycare may be a viable option. Applying for financial aid may also bring some much-needed relief.

We would love to come alongside you as you navigate all the implications of this news. Our judgment-free resources were created with your situation in mind. Our goal is to allow you to find the unique path that works for you.