Second Pregnancy Questions

Updated on October 11, 2007
P.C. asks from Fort Wayne, IN
16 answers

I'm pregnant with my second child, and I'm only 6 weeks along. I'm starting to get sick and fatigued. (I lost 8 pounds in my first pregnancy because of sickness). I stay at home with my daughter except two days a week when I'm in school. How do other mothers handle first trimester sickness and raising a toddler?

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice. I'm finding that thankfully I am not as sick as I was with my daughter. However, that doesn't mean it's absent. I'm constantly eating something (as some suggested) and I'm finding that helps. The fatigue is still brutal, but I'll take that over sickness any day! I'm forcing myself to rest/nap when my daughter does, that has helped a lot! Thanks ladies, blessings to all!

More Answers

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M.F.

answers from Detroit on

Just hang in there. I had the same dilema. I was always tired and hanging my head in the toilet.

My daughter almost seemed tounderstand what was going on thought. She would pat my back and give me hugs while I was getting sick.

The only thing that helped me was to simply lay down. At the time there was a spare bed in my daughter's room so I would close the door and lay down while she played with her toys. If I fell asleep I knew she was safe because the door was closed. I know how horrible that sounds but it was the only way.

If she needed anything she would wake me up and I would do whatever it was that I needed to do. You play through the pain so to speak. Then when I would lay down again.

I spent the first four months of my second pregnancy laying on the couch or in a bed.

Once the sickness passed I was myself again.

Hang in there. It will pass soon and your daughter can have you back again.

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L.C.

answers from Lexington on

oh my, I feel for you hon. It's been quite a long time for me but there's really no cure all for morning sickness. You just have to bear with it. Try eating a few crackers...keeping something on your stomach at all times. Sometimes you have to find the food that soothes your stomach. Believe it or not with my son...it was watermelon. That was the only thing I could keep down, and that would settle my stomach. Good luck to you!!

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M.L.

answers from Fort Wayne on

The best advice is almost like when you first brought your daughter home, nap when she naps. I know what your going through I had stair steps, (they are now 16,17,18).When I was preg (not to long ago) I lived on cold sandwhiches, one that I could eat was chicken salad. Take advantage of the hot weather with cold meals, One key thing is winter take her to McDonalds, let her run that engery out.

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R.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

I can totally feel your pain!!! I am in my 3rd preg, and I stay sick thru the whole thing with all of them. My secret is getting as much rest as possible, I know it's hard sometimes, trust me mine are 3 and 6 but there were days we had "family movie day" everyone choose a movie to watch... which traslated into me getting to lay down and rest. They actually enjoyed it and thought it was fun. Smaller meals help too, I am in my 22wk and still can not eat big meals, they come right back up. Different things I tried with both boys were Ginger Tea, Ginger snaps, sucking on hard candy and they all worked for a short while it seemed. Right now for me it's citrus Green Tea that calms my stomach. Also it may help to find one food that does not make you sick, and eat it as much as possible. Some things that worked for me in that catergory were applesauce, cinnamon suger toast, waffles, grilled cheese, that's just a couple of suggestions. Just remember to take it as easy as possible, if the dishes sit in the sink for an extra hour, it's not the end of the world, what is important is taking care of you and baby!!!

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S.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

My friend had severe morning sickness with her pregnancies and her doctor told her to take a B6 vitamin and Unisom once a day. I'm almost sure that this is what she took, but I would check with your doctor first before taking.

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E.F.

answers from Louisville on

Hi P.,

I just did that same time last year. It was aweful. I took it one hour at a time. We couldn't do hardly anything for 2 months while I suffered from fatigue and nausea. I just didn't take as of good care of my son and home as I usually did. I did the bare minimum and my husband had to pick up the slack. I let my son watch too much t.v. and he was understimulated and bored. However, he did survive and we've made up for lost time later.

The second pregnancy was very tiring but so is having a newborn and a toddler. My new baby is 2 months old and I'm still looking for relief. It does get a little easier everyday. I believe it will be worth is later to have two kids close in age.

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R.B.

answers from Louisville on

I couldnt eat anything... the smell of Ginger Ale alone would make me sick... i didnt like the idea of taking any kind of prescription med during pregnancy.... the solution was very simple.... SEA BANDS!!! You can get them at Rite aid or Walmart. They are bracelets that help with motion sickness. WOW!!! What a world of difference if you read the instructions and place them properly. Best of luck to you!!!

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H.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

I understand! My 2 are 15 months apart (so I had a 6 month old and was preg again), and we were just passing a major colic stage when I found out I was pregnant again. All-day nausea/vomiting plagued me for the first trimester of both pregnancies. You ask, "How do you handle it with a toddler?"

My answer - - Zofran!! Oh, and one day at a time! :)

Ask your OB for a prescription for Zofran for the nausea if nothing else works - completely safe during pregnancy and also completely helpful! Yes, it can be a bit pricey, but as my husband said "It's worth anything to get my wife back!"

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K.G.

answers from Fort Wayne on

During my second pregnancy, I didn't gain a pound until 21 weeks because I was so sick. My doctor, who was a VERY highly regarded OB/GYN in Chicago put me on Zofran (it is an anti-nausea medicine for chemo patients). She only had me taking one pill every other day, and it was amazing. My insurance covered it the same as any other prescription, but I was on an HMO. It was the only way I could effectively function for the first 17 weeks of my pregnancy. My sister-in-law is currently pregnant, and her doctor recently put her on Zofran, as well. I would seriously consider talking to your doctor about trying it.

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

Well, the age-old answer is "sleep when your toddler sleeps". I hope she's still taking at least one nap a day!
Stock up on preggie drops and pops (you can get them at Motherhood stores among other places).
Do your best to find at least something you can eat. Try to keep something in your stomach at all times because you get more queasy when it's empty.
Peppermint or spearmint teas help a lot of women - warm or cold.
Good Luck!!

Oh, and I'm due the 14th:) Where will you deliver? PM me if you want to keep in contact as we progress!

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K.R.

answers from Chicago on

I feel your pain. I got pregnant with my second when my first was only 6 months old and he is a handful. Ginger ale helped, but not the kind you normally see in the stores (which actually have no ginger in them at all...the ginger is what eases your stomach) but a REAL ginger ale...most stores have them in an organic section. Also, I was so lucky to have a sister-in-law who loved to take my little one for the night once a week or so( while that was a big help, it only complicated things when other family members decided to put their two cents in about how I couldn't handle my own child, but you pick your battles, right?) I guess the only other thing I can offer is that even though food is the last thing on your mind, try to keep something in your stomach...whatever appeals to you. Don't try to force yourself to eat things you don't want just because they are good suggestions. If you don't want it, chances are it will make your nausea worse! Also, get as much sleep as you can. I know it's not easy with a little one running around, but do what you can. Good Luck! and Congratulations!!

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R.N.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I'm only a new mom of one, but my goodness how I feel your pain of "morning sickness" lasted all day! I worked about 12 hours a day in a call center and it was very hard to just hang up the phone to go puke. Small meals and LOTS of EMETROL helped a ton. It's a very sugary medication that coats your stomach and has some other acid reducing medication in it. It's over the counter and cheap and works almost instantly. Like I said, its very sweet, so if you have issues with gestational diabetes or other issues, you may want to check with your OB first, but it worked wonders for me.

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

i was terribly sick with my first were talkin ivs and keeping nothing down. with my second i was sick at first too and i though oh god not again but it passed. i found that resting when ever i could helped a lot i would even go lay down in my 3 year old room while she played theres not much you can do for being tired sadly but it will pass!! good luck!

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O.T.

answers from Louisville on

Well, I can tell you it isn't easy. I found out i was pregnant with my second child a month after my son turned 1, and I was stayin gat home with him as well. The hardest part was getting sick while feeding him. I had one of those pregnancies that certain foods I would normally eat would make my sick just by smelling or looking at them---but of course these were foods that my son loved. I learned to only make those foods during dinner so my fiance could feed him and I could keep my food in my stomach. As for the fatigue, I literally took naps whenever he did, and if I was really tired when my fiance came home from work I would lay down again.

But once you get past that stage, the hardest part coming up is when you are not supposed to be picking up your toddler in the third trimester---that was torture. I had to always sit down and coax him onto my lap instead of rolling around on the floor with him.

But once you have your other child, hope that they sleep good because if not you will be falling asleep in your cereal in the morning :) And unfortunatly with two kids you don't have the luxury of napping when the baby does unless they both fall a sleep at the same time---good luck!! But it is still worth it when you see both kids interacting. My son is almost two now, and my daughter will be a month old on Saturday, and he gives her kisses and hugs---it makes everything worth it :)

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M.E.

answers from Lexington on

try drinking ginger ale and eating crackers. my ob/gyn said tums with calcium are safe during pregnancy. and if all alse fails, ask your doc for a RX of phenergan. it's anti-vomiting/nausea medicine. i have to take it from time to time, but sometimes i'll cut a pill in half becasue it makes you drowsy.

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K.B.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi P.,

I completely understand how you feel. Granted, I wasn't in school nor did I have to come home and study. I got pregnant when my daughter was 3 months old. She was still waking up through the night... It was so hard to be patient as exhausted as I felt all the time. Chasing her when she started crawling and walking... She started walking at 10 months and I was 8 months pregnant.
I chose not to take medications... I feel strongly that you never know what surprises arise years later and the damage is done.
My daughter became veru independent as a result. I played with her but she also had to learn to entertain herself.

I didn't gain a single pound until about my 5th month but I also hadn't lost a single lb from m y previous pregnancy.

My hubby would make me nice veggie dishes in the evenings since I couldn't even stand the smell or site of meats or seafood.
In reality, despite the playdates and walks, I really felt I wasn't there as much for her because I really was soooo tired... I felt so sick until about 14 or 15 weeks. But she's fine, now it's harder for her to share me with a baby ;)
He's 7 weeks and she's almost 13 months.... Staying up with him around the clock was very scary since I had to have energy for her during the day but he's a great night sleeper! Eats and right back to sleep... They both wake up around 7 am and I try to nap when they nap...
Best of luck! Seems like forever but it will end and then on to the next challenge ;)
Amy

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