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Pregnancy

So tough in 1st trimester with toddler at home

18 replies

Chloris33 · 27/01/2017 15:57

I know loads of us experience this, but my goodness it is feeling so hard!! Nausea all day every day, exhausted, and shivery every day from late afternoon. Add in the hormones that make you short-tempered. Coping with taking care of a really energetic 2 year old, who will not let me sit down without jumping on me unless I put on the TV, means he is now watching a lot of TV! Feeling a bit bad about this, but it's the only way I can get through. We do go out to a playgroup or some sort of activity every day, too, but even so, I can't believe how tiring this is, and am quite scared about how tiring it's going to be with a new baby. We have no family around to help. We've got a little bit of childcare (2 short days a week). How are you coping if you have a toddler and are feeling rubbish in pregnancy? x

OP posts:
TiltedNewt · 27/01/2017 16:06

Urm, like you. Lots of tv. Also biscuits but I'm sure that makes me a terrible mother. And going to bed when he does.

user1480264544 · 27/01/2017 16:06

I'm in the same boat! I suffered so badly with sickness up until this week.. I could hardly get out of bed some days so peppa pig became mummy for a while and I felt awful but it's all I could do.. even making lunch for my daughter was extremely hard! I actually felt guilty for being so ill so I didn't cope well at all! My daughter is 20 months and has her last To teeth coming through so has been particularly miserable to top it off! But it will get easier, I'm 13 weeks and am able to get up take her out.. eat .. do housework which has made us happy again! Good luck it gets easier x

Fluffywallow · 27/01/2017 16:06

Same as you really - more tv than normal!!! I'm just hoping it'll pass in a few weeks and I can get back to doing some good parenting again.

I'm 8 weeks so possibly another month to go. How many weeks are you?

AuntiePenguin · 27/01/2017 16:19

Honestly the tv won't do any harm in the short term, it's the only way to cope with that horrible first trimester exhaustion. It gets easiest once you're in second trimester.

Also don't worry too much about coping with toddler plus be baby - by then your oldest will be older, so hopefully more able to entertain himself, and you've got lots of time to prepare and get organised :)

Pregnantmumma123 · 27/01/2017 16:41

Jumping in to say yes to TV, I too felt terribly guilty about this but remember it doesn't last forever (though it feels like it!) and sometimes you just gota do what you can to get through the day!! Hoping it eases quickly for you! I'm 32 weeks and the nausea has made a sudden unwelcome return. Good luck xx

RedCrab · 27/01/2017 20:48

Going through this a second time - first time Ds was two. This time he's now four and I also have a 22 month old DD. Trust me, the TV time is fine.

The other thing to know/ remember is that it's infintely harder to be pregnant and have young children/toddlers than it is to have a newborn and toddler(s). Pregnancy saps the life out of you, makes you hormonal, makes you sick, gives you aches and pains and insomnia. You're much stronger once youve had the baby, after the initial recovery period, than you are during pregnancy.

mumxof3x · 27/01/2017 23:08

Oh yes I remember this feeling last year exactly this time. I was exhausted, never felt tiredness like it. At that point I had a 7 year old, four year old, 2 year old and 9 month old...TV was used alot. Honestly don't worry, my 5th is now 6.5 months old and it's way easier now than when I was pregnant with her.

flymo79 · 29/01/2017 07:09

Yikes this is me too, and really worried about when baby comes as we live abroad so no family nearby... At the mo I am surviving as it's the weekend and dh can distract / take on some of the tasks, but when he's back at work I'm at square one. 7.5 weeks and nausea has really upped a gear... I'm on the biscuits in bed before getting up and struggling to feed dd any meals without boaking

AllTheLight · 29/01/2017 07:22

For me, being pregnant and having a toddler was the hardest time - even harder than when I had 3 DC under 4. Hang in there OP!

ChuffCloud · 29/01/2017 09:20

Yup tv time is fine if you need a break, in past the exhausted stage now but sometimes you have to come first!

SparkyBlue · 29/01/2017 09:31

It's actually what would prevent me from having a third child. I found being pregnant with a two year old absolutely hideous. It was absolutely fine when the actual baby was born. I had a miserable pregnancy and two year olds aren't exactly easy to reason with and they are so active I found I was constantly drained and feeling exhausted. Then of course there was the guilt for watching too much tv and not doing enough activities with her.

Chloris33 · 29/01/2017 21:29

Thanks for the support and reassurance everyone xxx

OP posts:
Chloris33 · 01/02/2017 10:44

Just had a low this morning - bad bout of pregnancy insomnia last night, and this morning my toddler threw up and was crying all morning, and I lost the plot with DH who has manflu and said he was about to collapse (how dare he?!!) x

OP posts:
sprite25 · 02/02/2017 11:16

Don't feel guilty, do what you need to survive. Peppa pig dvds and the odd treat of crisps and biscuits have been the best thing invented when I've felt nauseous and DD aged 3 has wanted to play. It will all be a distant memory when baby arrives.

Rockandrollwithit · 02/02/2017 11:32

I'm 7 weeks and have a 2 and a half year old, I also work full time as a teacher. It's so tough! Having the day off today as my sickness is just too much, thankfully DS is in childcare.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 02/02/2017 11:37

Same here, 9+5 pg with a 2yo.
TV on much more than normal. Yesterday was an awful day but I did manage a walk to the playground at about 3.30
It's the mornings I find hardest. I'm just waiting for it to go away and the hip and back pain to start Sad

mistermagpie · 02/02/2017 11:44

I feel your pain. I'd like to say it get's easier, but it doesn't really. I'm 31 weeks now and my back is killing me from lifting and bathing 18 month old DS, I physically cannot get down on the floor and play with him and it's exhausting running round after him trying to stop him wrecking the house or injuring himself. I have one who has no interest in TV too, so I can't even plonk him in front of that! It's exhausting, especially when you can't sleep yourself and he has a bad night. I'm running on empty just now and counting the days until the new baby is here!

Disclaimer: I adore my son completely and am delighted to be pregnant again.

EdenX · 02/02/2017 11:52

God yes, so horrible being exhausted and nauseous, trying to look after other children and working too. I'm off work with sickness too this week, and have just started taking cyclizine which is taking the edge off. Can't wait for half term!

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