Jason and Brittany Aldean's IVF journey—and reasoning for a small age gap

When Brittany and Jason Aldean announced their second pregnancy earlier this month a lot of fans were surprised because the couple’s son, Memphis, is just 7 months old.

But the Aldeans were definitely not surprised by the good news. Jason Aldean recently told People they actually planned it this way.

“We did IVF with our son, so we had to do that again with this one,” he explained.

“I would much rather knock it out now while we’re used to having one in diapers and formula and all of that,” says Aldean, who also has two older daughters, 10-year-old Kendyl and 15-year-old Keeley, and an understanding of what an age gap like that means for the family.

“I think it’s tougher when you get out of that [stage] and wait a couple years and then have to go redo it all… We just wanted them to be close in age, and we figured we’re already in that mindset now, so why not?”

The Aldeans are far from the only couple to feel that way. Four years ago the Washington Post dubbed siblings born in close succession “cluster babies” and said this trend is the result of the advancing age of the average first time mother in America.

“An unintended consequence of this shift is that some women feel that they can’t afford to wait years between babies,” Kate Andersen Brower, a mother of cluster babies herself, wrote for the Washington Post .

Indeed, the average age of first-time mothers is rising, and more babies are being born to moms in their 30s than to moms in their late 2 0s. The average age of a first time mom is now about 28. Brittany Aldean just turned 30. It’s hardly old by today’s standards, but it is older than previous generations.

She hasn’t said if her own age was a factor in her and Jason’s decision to have a second baby so soon, but she is clearly very excited to put Memphis in his ‘big brother’ onesie.

Unfortunately, Brittany Aldean’s pregnancy isn’t as easy this time around as it was with Memphis, according to her husband.

“With my son, Brittany didn’t have any sickness at all, but with [this] baby she’s been pretty sick for the last few weeks, so we’ll see,” he says. “Maybe she’s starting to turn the corner a little bit, but it’s definitely been a different kind of feel for her this time.”

It’s not easy to take care of a 7-month-old when you’re feeling unwell, so we hope Aldean feels better soon. And we’re excited to see their family grow. ?