Any tips for getting through the final 2 weeks of pregnancy (with a toddler)?

[Nomoreafterthisone]

The end is in sight but 2 weeks feels like 2 months. I thought the end would be all resting with your feet up but I cannot get comfortable!

Have noticed stretchmarks appearing. I didn't get a single one either my first, why now? :( anything I can do to halt them?

Bump feels so heavy and unstable like it could peel off my body (sorry for the gross image). Bump band helps a little but gets in the way of weeing every two minutes as have to untuck etc so I end up throwing it off.

I feel like I'm neglecting my toddler as i cant take them out becsuse of lifting, cant comfortably sit on floor and play and i have been heavily relying on tv and chocolate. They have started imitating my heavy sighs! I feel trolled! It's their last 2 weeks as an only and I hate that they're going to be boring and rubbish.

Nothing is comfortable. Nothing is easy. PGP, back pain, braxton hicks and round ligament pain. I have a pregnancy pillow, anything else that might help?

My tips:
Lower your expectations and really big up your small wins. Mine yesterday were making a healthy dinner and playing on the floor with toddler for 20 mins.

Eat nice food. You'll get heartburn and uncomfortably full anyway so it might as well be nice!

Embrace pottering for new baby's arrival. Being intentional about folding the adorable tiny clothes and getting things ready.

Let people help. I'm still working on this one.

Following with interest and sending solidarity as I am at exactly the same stage. I feel utterly enormous with PGP and daily reflux!

DS aged 3 has taken to asking me in a sympathetic tone "what hurts Mummy?" and offering a little hand to help me off the floor, which whilst adorable makes me feel pathetic. I'm finding the limitations of late pregnancy so frustrating and do not feel at all like myself at the moment - I vacuumed and mopped the floor downstairs yesterday and it almost finished me off.

Just trying to make the most of the calm before the newborn/two children at home storm, feet up whenever possible and lots of book reading and the odd cartoon with DS. I'm accepting help from DH and our parents when it is offered and relying on easy food (traybakes / jacket potatoes etc).

Re stretchmarks, I found BioOil, Palmer's Cocoa Butter etc do work a treat if applied daily for a bit. I had them badly last time too and it's a bit disheartening if you catch sight of them particularly after birth, but they do fade quickly - I barely had a trace of them 6 months post partum so there is hope.

Wishing you an easy day today and lots of luck getting through the last few days/weeks x

Also I do like your tips. I've been awake since 5am and am going to treat myself to some chocolate with my morning tea - going to get reflux anyway so why not! My parents are taking DS to a local farm this morning so I am doing some last minute shopping and will get on with folding some lovely tiny baby clothes

You vacuumed and mopped?! I think you might be my hero! I have to take a 5 minute breather after putting on socks! Honestly though, I get the small random bursts of energy that then mean you're done for the remainder of the day.

Have you much left to do before baby arrives? And do you know what you're having?

It sounds like you have the sweetest 3 year old :) mine is 2 and apart from the odd patting of my bump she's oblivious and lives for what she wants and she wants it now!

Yes to the frustration. I am normally such a proactive person and love getting things done. I see so much I want to do about the house I just don't have the energy or will! im having to limit myself to one out if the house thing a day like a local lunch out because it might as well be a mad party night out I'm so exhausted afterwards.

Do you remember how much bigger you got in the last 2 weeks from your first baby. I don't remember but surely its not possible to get much bigger??

I was also up at 5am! Tea and chocolate sounds like a brilliant idea, I think I'll join you, cheers!

I felt like this the second time. Thankfully baby came at 39+2 so didn't go over.

DD1 was 3 at the time and went to preschool 2 hours a day. I tried to clean / sort for 1 hour and rest for an hour while she was gone.

I went to my mother's at least once a week as they would play with DD while I had a sit down. Sometimes twice.

I did try to take DD out most afternoons as I honestly found it easier than trying to amuse her at home. DH would then take over at 4.30pm and I would often nap for 1 hour ISH. I think walking in the day helped labour to start.

Gave up trying to sit on floor to play and played on kitchen table, puzzles / board games etc.

Let her watch more TV than normal.

Good luck. It's so much harder the second time as you get so much rest before baby comes when you don't have another child running around x

My DC1 was over 3 at this point so I can imagine it would be a lot more physically demanding with a 2yo. I used to prioritise rest on the two days a week she was in nursery.

I continued our usual routine of taking her to the same local playgroups we always went to. I could stand next to her or sit on a chair as much as possible to limit sitting on floor/getting up and down off the floor as I had PGP so couldn't do those things much due to pain. She was old enough to understand that though at 3, with regular reminders. At home I usually sat on a chair or played games with her that meant I could lay down in one place or sit in one place. E.g. cafe and I'm the customer, hospital and I'm the patient, she used to love dressing up and singing and dancing so I was in the audience. Or we'd read books together, or shed paint/draw/colour/craft so I could just sit near her on a chair, or play snap or bingo.

My DC2 is 2.5 now though so I can understand it's much more difficult at this younger age, they are a lot less independent in play, have less understanding so can't play games, not as great communication and not as physically able etc.

Give up now, admit defeat and tell your partner you need bedrest for the next 2-3 weeks. Your toddler can come to join you but he needs to do all childcare activities.

Those last 2 weeks are definitely the worst and i went over due by 15days with my first 8 days with my second, was refreshing to have twins born 37 weeks haha and my last one went 9 days over, best tips i can give is don’t beat yourself up that you’re not getting down on the floor playing anymore, do more relaxing activities like watch a movie with some popcorn, or reading books together, go outside n lounge- cloud spotting, i dunno if you guys played it when you were little but Sleeping Lions (basically a game for adults to get some peace) tell the toddler to pretend they are a sleeping lion as long as possible but if they move they have to restart the timer or for more that one child the winner is whoever stays still n quiet the longest haha.
Sod the long prep healthy meals, kids love chicken nuggets n chips anyway lol
As long as its clean it doesn’t need to be tidy, potter around wiping stuff down, do some dishes at your leisure but don’t bother picking up all the toys, hoovering etc till after toddler is in bed, you will be doing it all day, better a big quick tidy up later (that you can go straight to bed after too if it tires you) than loads of little tidy up throughout the day.
Get your partner to watch them for an hour or do the bedtime routine so you can get an earlier night/nap or nice bath or even just resting in bed with some crappy tv/book n snacks.
Don’t be afraid to let your toddler see you are only human- tell them that you’re tired and in pain and need to rest (be careful not to blame the baby though) it’s surprising how much empathy they have really.
hope any/some of this helps xx

I'm 4 weeks PP and also have a 2 year old. 2 weeks really does feel like a lifetime so I feel you. I started bathing with my toddler- hadn't done it before but it was so nice to lie there without back pain while they played around me. I found soft plays good as she would go and play and I could sit down but depends if your toddler is happy doing that. We ate a lot of ready meals in the weeks leading up to the birth I just had no energy.

For stretch marks are you using anything? I used bio oil and mama mio oil both were great. I was absolutely paranoid about them and got one and once I got one I started oiling constantly rather than my usual twice a day. think I got abit addicted tbh but I didn't get anymore!

Sending love. When people told me a toddler and a newborn was easier than being pregnant with a toddler I didn't believe them but it is easier. Being pregnant is so hard with a 2 year old!!

So true! Its surprising how much more energy you have (even with night feeds) pregnancy just sucks the energy out of you!