16 weeks pregnant with a toddler,EXHAUSTED

[osterleymama]

I am so so tired all the time, I felt great at this stage of my first pregnancy. Toddler is 20 months and still waking once a night, DP and I share the night waking and take it in turns to do the early mornings. He works full time and I do some part time work at home some evening and weekends (its not a steady flow of work or I would hire childcare). Yet I'm absolutely wiped. Normal?

sorry, but I was the same :( started having afternoon naps with DS when I went on maternity leave 2 weeks ago and felt a lot more human for it - can you nap at weekends?

I try to but often have work or DP has to work. He's away most of this weekend working for example and then I have to fit my work in around him being home. Hard to complain as this is the only way we can afford for me to stay home with DS but getting pretty spooked about coping with a toddler and newborn! Glad the super-tired thing is normal for a second baby though.

I am afraid it's normal. Was for me anyway. I am finding a three yo and a baby much easier than being pg with a 2 yo.

Me too! Am 15wks with a 2.4 yr old. Had overwhelming tiredness for a while at about 8 weeks, we're talking having to put beebies on for an hour while I lay on sofa. Then it seemed to improve a little and then today I was back to being exhausted again! DS not a great sleeper either, though this last week has been better. I worry that it doesn't bode well too. I also wonder how I did it first time round when working full time, but obviously a toddler is harder work! Only work p/t now but could do with some me time!

When I was 16 weeks I went to the midwife and cried convinced that I had an iron deficiency because I was so tired all the time. Iron levels were fine, it is just knackering! It does pass though, I'm 23 weeks now staying up later than I have in ages (probably since I was this pregnant with ds!!) getting more done and generally feel "well"

Hang in there!

Yes its normal cos you can't just give in to the tiredness. I found my tiredness threshold changed, and now I get by on 6 hours a night, I just fight it. I reckon that when I am older and the kids have grown up i will have bad sleep habits. I remember having a newborn, a 1 year old and a 3 year old, and my friends laughing at me because I had a double shot coffee, a red bull, and was munching on glucose tablets The first time I went back to work, and had to be professional, I sounded pissed, I just couldn't function.

When you do eventually get some proper rest, you will turn into Superwoman because you learn to adapt on so little sleep, when you get it you feel amazing. Good luck !

My DS is just 21months so it's a similar age gap we'd have

Seems to be a fairy universal experience then. I need to just suck it up and keep remembering this will pass!

Delighted to think dealing with baby and 2.5 year old might be easier than this! I did find having a newborn less exhausting than the last weeks of pregnancy but put a lot of that down to the excitement of meeting baby.
My little sister (21, not that little) is coming to stay with us for four glorious weeks at the end of this pregnancy and after baby comes so I might even get more sleep this time round.

I could almost have written your OP! Except I'm 14+4 not 16 weeks, and DP very very rarely gets up with DD, but everything else is the same.

I have found I really need fresh air and a walk every day, which also helps DD have a good nap or sleep better at night.
I'm also lucky that my mum and PILs can look after DD if I needed them to. They usually do it while I'm working/studying, but I did get my mum to come over once when I felt just way too exhausted to look after DD properly. Do you have anyone who can help for a bit, even if it's just looking after your toddler downstairs while you have a nap?

And have you had your iron levels checked recently?

Feel the same - 16wks with a 25mo DD. Also moving house Can empathise though. I'm a teacher so desperate for the hols...

I'm 29 weeks with DC3, DDs are aged 2 and 4, and we are moving house in 2 weeks. Sooo tired! I agree it's much easier when the baby is here, rather than being pregnant and dealing with the tiredness.

My family live in Ireland and I'm in London so no help until my sister moves here in November (which I am delighted about). I am the only one of my close friends to have kids and my 'Mummy' friends all have their own little monsters to deal with so I really am scraping the barrel for help. It's making us seriously consider moving closer to our families.

My other sister is pregnant with her 3rd and she lives next door to my Mum and two doors down from her in-laws. She's a Mother of two, pregnant, back in uni full time and manages to have a social life, I count a day as a resounding success if I manage to get dressed and take DS to an activity.

Fresh air does help and so does activity but I do feel guilty that I'm not giving DS the best of me as I stumble around bleary eyed!

Moving house? Wow. You're both braver women than I am.