Just nine months after Maci Bookout welcomed daughter Jayde, the Teen Mom OG star announced that she and fiancé Taylor McKinney are expecting their second child together. “#Makingmoremoneys baby boy coming soon!” the 24-year-old captioned her February 14 post. "Happy valentine’s day!@tmon3yyy #lastbutnotleast”
The tot will arrive at the end of May — the same month Jayde will turn a year old. In fact, they could even share a birthday! Jayde was born May 29.
Bookout— who is also mom to Bentley, 7 —isn’t the only star to jump on the baby bunching bandwagon. Kim Zolciak-Biermann, Jessica Simpson, Tori Spelling and Britney Spears all juggled babies less than two years apart.
“I love the idea of having children close together,” renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp tells Us Weekly. “The kids can grow up to be great playmates and they have a richer, more socially nourishing experience in the early years.” The key to success is being prepared. “If you’re going to have back-to-back babies, make sure you freeze soups and casseroles,” says the creator of the best-selling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block DVDs. “Call in favors and line up support.”
Dr. Nina L. Shapiro, director of Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat at the Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, warns there are dangers to baby bunching. “You have an increased risk of the baby being born prematurely and increased risks of long-term damage to the female pelvic floor,” Dr. Shapiro tells Us Weekly. “A mother’s body hasn’t had time to fully recover if children are born less than 12 months apart.”
But there are also benefits. “You’re already in the ‘baby mode,’ so you don’t miss a beat when it comes to diapering, feeding styles and nap patterns,” explains the author of Take a Deep Breath. Another perk: less sibling rivalry! “Bunched babies may be close emotionally, as the older one doesn’t truly remember being the ‘only’ child," says Dr. Shapiro. “On the flip side, though, parents may not have bonded with no. 1 before they de-focus and set in on no. 2.”
What do you think about baby bunching?
