Second baby tips?

[needacosmo]

Does anybody have any? I'm only early on with Dc2 and really wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be this time round.

I'm struggling with my own health (I'm spinal cord injured) and dc is such a handful, an absolute mischievous into everything tearaway. He has boundless energy and stubbornness and he isn't potty trained yet and I just feel exhausted to a point worse than any point in my last pregnancy. How do I get my energy back?

I don't think there is a way unfortunately. I'm 36 weeks pregnant with DC2 but struggling in another way as DC1 is severely disabled and I have to do everything for him.

I have felt just awful this whole pregnancy. Just get as much rest as possible try and eat well and maybe encourage your son to watch DVDs/read books etc so you can rest xx

Im 36 weeks pg with dc2 and dd is 2.10 now. The firat trimester was awful - I had bad MS and worked stupid shifts and dh had to just step right up. He was shopping for dinner and cooking it each night, bathing dd every nught and putting her to bed, then having to put up with me up and down all night vomming or general pregnancy insomnia. I felt incredibly guilty at how little I could do around the house and with dd.

When into the second trimester I actually felt great! Id forget I was even pregnant.

Now, im big and heavy and tired and have fucking piles and poor dd is just having to plod around with me doing jobs round the house or sit painting or whatever. I dont remember the last time we did anything particularly physical.

Its only a short while though - and im really hoping that ot will all be worth it!

I have two and am pg with number three. The change from one to two was so so so much more challenging and exhausting than I had expected. I kept looking ruefully at people with only one baby who said how exhausted they were as the idea of ONLY HAVING ONE seemed like total bliss and easy as pie. (when of course I had struggled with number 1 just like any new mum!)

When I had DC2 my first was 23 months old and still in nappies. Looking back I expected way too much of my first, putting unreasonable demands on her to be a "big girl" and had very high expectations which I would never ever expect of DC2 now she is that age and older. She was still a baby really but I was so tired U saw all her "bad" toddler behaviour as a reaction to DC2 and done deliberately to hurt me! I was beyond tired for a year. I could hardly comprehend how tired.

But: it gets easier, it really does. I promise it does, until one day, it is easy... even a pleasure having two! Its worth it, so don't expect sleep. don't expect rational behaviour from your eldest. and get a bedtime routine nailed and set. that;s my only practical tip! Good luck x

OH! just seen you are PREGNANT with DC2 sorry! Ignore all that - or maybe come back and read it one you have the baby!!! good luck with the pregnancy, no real tips from me either!

It is harder. I have 3. And that's the thing about 2nd and 3rd pregnancy. You will never, ever get the time and the rest you had with your first. It's just hard. My last pregnancy I was just knackered from start to finish. I am also older so that made a difference too.

All I can say is get your LO to bed early, like 6:30-7pm. Also, lots of baths! Sometimes I would give DC2 like 2 or 3 a day! Lol! I found bubble baths gave me a chance to just sit down on the toilet with a cup of tea and chat to DC2, give her attention without totally exerting myself. We would read in my bed A LOT! She would come home from nursery and we would just sit there in my bed reading stories, sometimes she would draw me pictures or play on her Leap Pad. Lots of telly and films... sorry, but yes! My exhaustion was a danger to us both at times, seriously. I used to think, "If I take her out, I am so tired, I will walk right into traffic with my eyes shut." I'll take square eyes and annoying Disney soundtracks any day. No guilt about the telly. None! But tbh, from start to finish, I was tired and I did feel like I wasn't a great parent to DC2 who was home with me. DC1 is older (now 12) so was no problem in the least, a great help in fact. But I got no down time.
Fast forward to now and it is awesome. The kids LOVE their baby brother. And I feel soooo much better than when I was pregnant. It was almost as if the moment he came out, I felt better.

But to echo others, get a tea/dinner/bed routine nailed down. That makes a huge difference. It really helps. Once baby arrives, everything will fall into place. Good luck!

I felt like 50 shades of shit when I was pg with DS2 and nothing helped, even though it was a completely straightforward pregnancy and I have no complicating factors health-wise at all, so it must be worse in your position. Toddler plus pregnancy plus working FT was an absolute bear. I had a month off work in the second trimester and had to finish work earlier than I had intended just to stay horizontal as much as possible. Just get as much help as you can and try not to beat yourself up too much for not doing as much as you'd like to with DC1.

It got a million times easier once DS2 arrived, despite a c-section recovery. Hopefully it'll be the same for you