Conclusion
Our findings show that delaying the first birth from adolescence to adulthood can improve birth outcomes and reduce mortality of neonates. Delaying pregnancy may allow young girls to mature mentally and physically and improve their social status, autonomy and decision-making, which can lead to better outcomes for their newborns. Additionally, babies born to younger mothers, who are smaller at birth, may experience catch-up growth, reducing some of the anthropometric disparities by 6 months of age. Growth within the first few years of life should be monitored closely to adjust supplements to make up for deficits at birth but not lead to overgrowth, which in turn negatively affects children. Changes in estimates in QBA show the importance of considering the role of biases in examining the effects of interest.