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This paper describes recent patterns in the subsequent fertility of women in the United States by comparing rates of second and higher-order births for women with teen and nonteen first births. We expand upon previous work by paying particular attention to issues related to the spacing of second births. We pose and answer three questions concerning the pace and tempo of second and higher-order births. First, is an early first birth associated with a quicker overall pace of second births? Second, is an early first birth associated with higher second birth rates during the first few months postpartum? And third, does an early first birth or a closely spaced second birth speed the pace of higher-order births? For black women, we find that a first birth before age eighteen speeds the overall pace of second births by about 25 percent, and that part of this overall difference is due to a doubling of the pace of second births in the first 15 months postpartum. For white women, we find no association between a first birth before age eighteen and the overall pace of second births, but a strong positive association between an adolescent first birth and the pace of second births in the 15 months postpartum, and a negative association at longer durations. For black and white women, an early age at first birth is associated with a faster pace of third births, an effect that appears to persist for fourth births. However, a closely spaced second birth is at least as strongly associated with a fast pace of third and later births as is an adolescent first birth. These results suggest substantial spacing effects on second and higher order births that, in several instances, outweigh effects of a teen first birth. We discuss implications of these findings for policies concerning teen childbearing and argue for special attention to pregnancy prevention in the six months immedia tely following a first birth.