Second Sibling Syndrome Strikes Again!

Both beautiful girls, the youngest does show signs of (relative) maternal nutrient deprivation.

Just one year apart, these two highly attractive women could almost pass for twins. Still, the younger, Pippa, lacks the powerful dynamic symmetry of the elder Kate whose face features many elements now seen more often in older siblings of closely spaced children: broader forehead, higher cheekbones, wider jaw, and stronger chin (in comparison to her still very pretty younger sister). Pippa does benefit from the “more experienced uterus” phenomena, and has a slightly more feminized lower jaw. For more examples of Second Sibling Syndrome, click over to the celebrity album.

These minor changes can have major health consequences. I recently met a couple of close-spaced sisters in their early 70s. The older one was medication free, and the younger, while still very healthy, was on several prescriptions and since she had been born with a slight twist to her spine (scoliosis), she was dealing with a lot more pain than her healthier elder.

I publish this today not to make anyone feel bad about past decisions. Planning a baby’s health is not something with which our modern culture takes any interest (where’s the profit in that?) Rather, I want to point out that if the mother of a future queen can’t manage to get enough nutrients to refortify her body between babies in such a short time, it’s highly unlikely a busy working mom will do any better.

Please, ladies, don’t let the idea of a ticking biological clock scare you into rapid-fire pregnancies! A better diet makes your hormonal system work so much better, which means you can, in essence, slow that clock down.