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Pregnancy is a special time of your life & at the same time so exhausting. One of the main obstacles is coping with young children whilst you are pregnant. The younger
the children the harder is can be, so being prepared makes life a whole lot easier.
I bet you are struggling to squeeze a nap in if you child doesn’t nap anymore? This can leave you overtired, grumpy & not enjoying your child.
I bet in your first pregnancy you could nap whenever you wanted, if you needed a break you just had one. Well life is so very different with a toddler, you are on their schedule & they don’t really understand if mummy is exhausted.
There are several ways to cope with young children whilst you are pregnant, it’s just knowing what they are & putting them into practice.
Plan your day
If you feel more tired & nauseas in the morning, then plan your day around how you are feeling. This is especially important in the first trimester as you are probably feeling horrendous & exhausted. If you have a slump in the afternoon, use that time to have some quiet time. A lot of mums feel guilty about staying home more, but that’s ok you need to look after yourself otherwise you will feel more run down.
Schedule play dates & activities for when you are feeling up to it.
Lower your standards
We all love a clean house, washing done, dinner prepared but in reality you need to give yourself a break. This doesn’t mean you are a bad mum, it’s just you being realistic & learning to cope with being pregnant.
Ask for help from friends or look for organisations that offer free home help.
Get prepared
The times when you are feeling like you have more energy, plan meals ahead of time. Write down the menu for dinner for the whole week & if possible make & freeze the meals. This will save you so much time & energy when you are feeling horrendous.
Coping with young children’s appetites is a job in itself as they are constantly hungry. Prepare & freeze snacks, put them in a place in the freezer that is easily accessible for them to grab if you are struggling to get off the couch.
Childcare
Investing time in finding a good kindergarten or day care will save your sanity & help you tremendously whilst you are pregnant. Don’t feel guilty about having some time to yourself & banking some sleep.
Communicate
Talk to your children about how you are feeling, they understand more than you think. If you don’t then how will that know that mummy needs a break. Talk to them about having quiet time so you can at least close your eyes & get your feet up.
Coping with young children whilst you are pregnant is hard especially when they no longer nap. Take some pressure off yourself & learn to accept some help. Friends are always happy to look after your child whilst you rest, so say yes.
Rest
Getting an early night is also very important, the more hours sleep you get before midnight then the better you will feel the next day. Mums are notorious for staying up late just to get a few hours of quiet time, but make sure you don’t turn into a Mombie.
www.maternitymum.co.uk