Making It Through the First Trimester with a Toddler.

I am heading into my 3rd trimester now, but my son was 15 months when I first got pregnant this time too and almost everytime he took a nap, so did I. Many household tasks went undone, but at least I could function and enjoy him when he was awake. good Luck!! It does get better!

Try to rest . . . . (LOL, right?) I recommend having your daughter play on the living room floor, while you rest on the couch. She can bring her toys to you and you can play while lying down. Obviously it won't last, but you should try to rest in the a.m. and again in the afternoon -- esp if your daughter naps. If you end up resorting to the TV glue, then find some good movies you approve of, and let her watch them. At her age, I would go for slow shows -- things without a whole lot of active scene changes. I think TV's rapid response and advertisements and stuff contribute to the vast amount of ADHD these days. We didn't even have a TV when my kids were little, and the next set who had one at an early age didn't watch TV, just children's movies -- so their concentration wasn't constantly being interrupted while they were watching.

Veggie Tales are good and have catchy music for little ones (the old ones, esp, before the company got sold); and the Pooh movies are good -- the original one follows the book by AA Milne, and the newer ones are Disney creations that I don't like as well. I liked his first one because he was true to the author.

Good luck ! You'll find a way to get through this, and it'll get easier down the road ! But you know that already !

b

HI, mine are 18 mo apart. You stressed the active part and the only thing i can think of for that is to get as much exercise, mall walk, walk outside etc as you can stand and as weather permits with your daughter to wear her out and to energize you, hopefully.

My sanity savers were Books on Tape or Cds. We had some from when i was little, but we also borrowed books on Cd from the library, my little guy just liked to listen to it not to bother with the book. John Lithgow has some funny ones. And there are disney ones too.
Even silly music cd's for her to dance to might keep her occupied for a while.

I also strapped my guy in a high chair and let him play playdough or cornstarch and water, or if you feel adventuresome, water with food coloring to pour from cup to cup at the sink.

If all else fails, maybe run her a bath, pour in some bubbles, add all the bath toys you can find and let Calgon take her away. Of course you would have to stay right there in the bathroom, but at least you could tidy up and scrub the toilet or bring in a book and sit on the floor next to the tub and read.

I also kept peppermints with me all the time and that seemed to help the nausea. Get someone else to change her morning diapers!! That was the worst for me.

God Bless you and your growing family.

Hi,

I can feel your pain. I have an extremely active 2 1/2 yr old myself as well as watch my 5mth old niece on a daily basis, on top of all this I am in my first trimester!!

I have been sick before I even knew I was pregnant and so so tired. It has been a troubling 10 weeks. The best advice I can give, is do your best during the day, nap when she naps, just kinda let her do her thing while making sure she is safe. Then when the hubby gets home, its all him!! My husband has been great and that has been our deal. I have been in bed at 7:00 many of nights.

Best of luck to you!!

C.

rest when they rest play on the floor, on your bed, read, let her color as your lying down and yes video. When you have the energy do more.

You know what they say: Any port in a storm! If you're feeling really horrible, don't feel too bad about letting her watch a movie or show for an hour. It will not turn her into a t.v. junkie. Try getting her involved in something & them walk away for a brief rest, sit down or lie down if you can then. Hopefully she is still a napper & that's when you should definitely rest too. Try not to feel the rpessure of needing to get something done around the house while she naps--take care of YOURSELF!

A., speak to your doctor about possibly taking Vitamin B6 50mcg at bedtime. I was so nauseated with my pregnancies that my doctor recommended B6. Well low and behold, I awoke every morning without nausea and what energy! I couldn't believe how ell I felt. Let us know how you make out. God Bless!

I had my first 2 kids 14 months apart. The one thing i can think of off the top of my head is nap. When your daughter naps, nap with her. It helps get you through the rest of the day. Also trying to get her to climb into the carseat herself helps. You are still allowed one-two cups of coffee/tea a day. I had a huge morning sickness pregnancy for the whole 9 months. It is not easy...i do feel where you are coming from. 11 years later i can look back and laugh...i was a mess!!

Sad to say but there were a few disney movie days and coloring in mommy's bed. Don't feel bad, just do what you need to do to get through it.

Hi A.,

When you put your baby down for a nap, You take one too.

Good luck. All the best. D.

My kids are not that close together in age, but I still needed my rest, as I was exhausted. My daughter had just turned 3 and no longer napped, so I didn't even have that time as a break. I hired a mothers' helper or a babysitter occasionally just so I could take a nap! Good luck!

My son was less than a year old wehn I found out I was pregnant with my second child. I would try to nap when he did. I also put him in his crib or pack-n-play when I needed to get some work done. We had a kid-friendly playroom with gates at the entrances so sometimes I would put him in there to play and I would lay on the floor to get some rest while he entertained himself (or I played along). I wasn't able to get sleep but if I needed to lay down because I was feeling queasy, that helped me get through.