being pregnant aswell as being a mum to a toddler

[Dopolis]

Has anybody else found it exhausting being a mum to a toddler aswell as dealing with the effects of being pregnant?

There's a reason I waited til DS was 3, sleeping through the night and going to nursery before getting pregnant again! I'm in awe of people who manage with less than a 3 year gap tbh.

During my last pregnancy I didn't find it too hard. Dd was born when ds was 2yrs 4mths and he didn't sleep well. I just don't remember being exhausted.

This time I have a 6yr old and an almost 4yr old. I'm absolutely shattered. I'm sore, uncomfortable and I just want it to be over. 8 weeks to go and I can't wait to be able to move around freely. This baby feels like a giant!

I'm 34 wks pg with a 29 month old DD.

Summer was awful. Ms + hot weather + toddler who loves being outside = one poorly mum. I must have been one of the only people glad when it went.

Then SPD kicked in. On top of a quite demanding job too, I've been in agony since about 20 ish weeks. I've ended up going off sick because the commute and a full days work were killing me off.

I am never doing this again. I'm glad I won't have a big age gap, but if you see me on the TTC boards in a couple of years time, give me a slap quiet word in my ear will you?

I'm 14 weeks with a 13 month old :) it's interesting so far :) I suspect it will get harder as I get bigger. The fatigue is the worst bit though.

It makes having a toddler and a newborn seem like a piece of piss!
19m between my two and I felt on top of the world just after ds2 was born (and sleeping 22 hours a day).

DH did practically everything with ds1 when he was home from work, felt very guilty.

Are you just saying that to be kind BobaFeta?

Just downloaded 'Coping With Two' as I assumed it is going to get worse!

I keep telling myself at least I won't be so uncomfortable any more.....

It's harsh. My dd is 22 months and I'm 27 weeks. Thus pregbancy has been so much harder than the last.
I'm really looking forward to not being pregnant!
My dd is a great sleeper (at night) but runs around like a lunatic all day (while I "supervise" from the sofa). Some mornings I feel too tired to move.

Pastandcheese i have heard that a lot from friends and on here that a newborn and toddler is actually easier than late pregnancy and a toddler. For one thing you can catch the toddler when they run

DS1 is 19 months, DS2 due by ELCS 5 weeks next Monday.

I'm tired, there's no denying it, but sleeping better than last pregnancy as we now have a wonderful memory foam mattress that I loves! Deosn't help with that base level, bone deep, tiredness though. DH and I job share so whoever is working is out for 11 hours or so and I don't know which is more tiring, the days at work or the days at home! DH is helping loads with DS1 when he's here which is fab but I confess that on 'my' days at home there is more CBEEBIES than usual

DS1 knows I'm not so quick at the moment too - I'll set up for a nappy change on the floor, lift him over and by the time I've sat down he's backed away just enough so I can't reach him or bend enough to get hold of him. Sometimes it's easier to just sit there and wait for him to eventually come over to me rather than bounce up and down retrieving him

Oh I hope that's the case. My DD is, for the most part, absolutely lovely and I've been worrying she might turn into terror toddler when the baby arrives.

It's gone from a mild worry to genuine concern that we won't have the same relationship when she doesn't get undivided attention anymore :-(

There is nothing quite like the level of sympathy and empathy from a two year old is there northeasterlygale?!

Mind you every so often DD tells me I look tired and proceeds to 'put me to bed' with her muslin and songs which sound like a cat being strangled.

It has occurred to me I must look like a dead dog for a 2 year old to notice!

Yes. I found being pregnant incredibly hard with a 1 yr old. I was rude and horrible to my DH most of the nine months. Thank goodness he stuck by me. In fact, I was probably horrible to most people except DS. I started saying no to workload demands and shocked everyone who thought I was nice, hard working, easy going and unstressful until that point.

Pasta, being honest...urm, honest!
Had no energy most of the pg and I think ds1 suffered from it as there was far, far too much tv and staying in. Throw in being pg during a really hot summer and I felt horrible.

Ds1 is just 2 and Ds2 is almost 6m and it was really easy with him until he was about 3m and then since he's been awake for longer periods, it's more tiring watching them both but it's rewarding to see them smiling at each other and generally interacting.

We had a week over Christmas that they were passing a cold back and forth which was awful but aside from that it's been far easier than the change from 0 to 1 baby!

I'm 8 weeks pg and have an 11 mt old. Oh the sickness. Please god let it be over soon. Also since getting pg I have had 2 weeks of horrific strep throat (took antibiotics in the end), a 2 day vomiting and diarrhoea bug and am now on antibiotics AGAIN for a chest infection after another 2 weeks of misery. Thankfully we are living with my inlaws as we house hunt but I've just started a new role in work (work from home thankfully) and I am an absolute total and utter mess. I can't even cope with a trip to the shop. This is hard.

Yup it's totally exhausting. I spent the whole of my pregnancy with DD feeling guilty that I wasn't running around with DS like he was used to! But you've got to cut yourself some slack.
Come up with some quiet activities toddler can do with you, expect a lot more tv (and in our case iPad!), get as many mates with children as possible to visit (separately - not huge exhausting parties, and don't invite anyone who doesn't help tidy up) and get all the rest you can - nap if toddler does, let DP take Saturday mornings if you can etc.

Good luck - it's tough! But on the plus side pregnancy goes by much much faster with a toddler and in many cases new baby+toddler feels easier afterwards!

Oh good BobaFetaCheese!

My impression would be 0-1 is harder than 1-2. I'm used to sleep deprivation and having no peace at least!

Not mean at all MrsWoolowitz. I'm taking the chance to have a moan here but getting on with it is just about the size of it isn't it and despite the complaints I am looking forward to having another newborn.

I did query the 'get on with it' approach when DD had a tantrum on the way back from the park in the week and I carried her and my 8 month old bump home to the point where my neighbour ran down the close to take her and tell me off for carrying her in the first place!

To think how cautious I was with lifting when I was expecting #1!

I've found the second trimester to be a bit easier - have 2.3 yo and am 16 weeks with #2 - first trimester I just wanted to die, between the nausea, bad smells and exhaustion. Now feeling like I have a bit more energy - due early summer so hopefully have timed it a bit better this time round (October baby first time and we had a heat wave!). Summer can wait til August as far as I'm concerned!!

DP has been great with taking over bedtimes as my poor hips can't cope, and that gives me chance to have a rest or fall asleep at 8.30pm

Still having to field a lot of 'come on mummy' 'sit floor mummy' but bribery beebies helps with that

my DD2 was conceived around DS1's 2nd birthday! im now pregnant with my third and have timed it totally right, DD2 will be staring school beginning of sept this yr and DC3 is due mid september so i will have peace and quiet 9-3 while the bigger 2 are at school.
It was exhausting working full time, looking after DS1 and running a household whilst pregnant - now i have to do the same thing but with 2 DC's to look after! god help me! why do we do it? ha

I found the first trimester awful between the tiredness and MS, changing dirty nappies or cooking/preparing food made me throw up. Felt guilty all the time for not having the energy to interact with DD. Second trimester was lovely once the MS was gone as I had normal energy levels and not too big. As soon as I hit third trimester I suddenly felt exhausted again and now I have been ill for the last 3 weeks (am 34 weeks now and DD is 23 months) so I feel awful. Have had a sore throat almost all of that time and find it so hard interacting/reading with DD as it hurts to talk. I think that it is the guilt I am finding hardest - I am being so much less good a mum compared to normal so every night I feel bad and like I have let DD down. DH has not been much help this pregnancy either so if anything I find weekends harder as there are not so many activities on. Can't wait to get my energy back.

I am 8 weeks and currently lying in a ball, having one of my so hungry faint/eaten too much going to puke days. It's toddler swimming now.......

Thank god it's the weekend. Will it be awful to dump toddler on dh and spend weekend in bed?

I found being pregnant with a toddler much harder than having a baby and toddler.

I've got a v lively 16 mo and am 9 wks with next also due August. It's encouraging to see lots of people saying the pregnant bit is worse than the newborn as that is the period I'm more nervous about coping with. Shld really be going for a nap like ds not on mumsnet!

34 weeks pregnant here and have a 20 month old. It's exhausting. Add working 21 hours a week plus a home to run (I'm a freak who enjoys cleaning and also suffers anxiety with regards to this whole pregnant!) and I'm so bloody knackered.

I love my DD with every bone in my body but my god do I wish some days that someone would take her for a few hours. My screen time rules have become non existent as I just don't have the every to play with her/take her out all the time. We've spent several days where we've snuggled on sofa watching peppa for an hour or so.

I feel so guilty but needs must sometimes.