[chris (OP)]

Recently I was in Perth for the Science on the Swan conference where I also delivered a public lecture on healthy living, which included a Q&A session. There were some follow-up questions, which I am answering here; this is one of them:

When women want to start families they are given advice to encourage family planning and giving spaces - gaps between children... So, is this for the mother's health benefit, or for the benefit of the children?

If the latter, why is it that when, as an adult, you go to the doctor, you are never asked how many siblings you have, and what gap between babies your mother had...

Also further along this thought: women are encouraged to breastfeed for the health of the baby. As an adult, I have never had a doctor ask me if I was breastfed or bottle fed; does this have much bearing on our adult health condition?

[chris (OP)]

When women want to start families they are given advice to encourage family planning and giving spaces - gaps between children... So, is this for the mother's health benefit, or for the benefit of the children?

Having children is a demanding experience, both physically and mentally. Spacing out the load at least a bit is likely to give families the best balance; there's enough energy and time to devote to each baby, and to each other.

If the latter, why is it that when, as an adult, you go to the doctor, you are never asked how many siblings you have, and what gap between babies your mother had...

Actually, a careful medical history should always include a family history, because doctors can learn a lot about an individual's own disease risk by enquiring about other family members. Specific age-gaps between siblings, however, is less informative and has less prognostic value, so we tend to be less concerned about that, particularly in the time-pressured environment that is modern medicine...

Also further along this thought: women are encouraged to breastfeed for the health of the baby. As an adult, I have never had a doctor ask me if I was breastfed or bottle fed; does this have much bearing on our adult health condition?

Paediatricians will usually ask about this when taking a history in babies. Once individuals are older, the value of - and likelihood of an individual knowing - breastfeeding status as an infant is lower. However, it may still be relevant where diseases like allergy are concerned, because breastfeeding is linked to lower rates of GI disease and allergy, effects probably exerted through an influence on an individual's microbiome.

[evan_au]

As an adult, I have never had a doctor ask me if I was breastfed or bottle fed

This is a question that would be directed at the mother.
As an adult, I have never taken my mother to a doctors consultation.

[Bored chemist]

I can't think of an example where the treatment offered by the doctor would vary, depending on- for example- whether the (adult) patient was bottle- or breast-fed.
So why bother to ask the question?

As for the title of the tread "Are gaps between children for the benefit of the mother's or baby's health?"
What's the difference?
The baby's health depends critically on that of the mother.
The same is true- to a lesser extent- the other way round.