When you’re pregnant, you know that
your first trimester (unless you are super
lucky) is going to be a doozy. The surge of hormones, fears, excitement,
nausea, and utter exhaustion (for seemingly no reason at all), are like a tidal
wave. You do get used to it, but you usually will have a projected “end date”
for when normalcy might return and you can settle in to your new world while
busily preparing for new baby. And, for STM (Second Time Moms) like myself,
helping to introduce the idea in to your toddler’s world that someone new will
be joining the family.
A light at the end of the tunnel has been
my saving grace since I found out I was pregnant. Being pregnant with an active
toddler is a beast! In the early weeks when exhaustion and nausea were ruling my world, the best thing I could do to get through the day was stay hydrated and eat
every few hours to keep “morning” sickness at bay and nap whenever humanly possible. I kept telling myself ”only X more weeks and you’ll feel human again”. In fact, I secretly began a countdown. I knew by the end of August, my tummy would
return to normal and my energy would slowly start to ramp up again. Ugh, I was
wrong!
My doctor ordered some blood-work to
rule out some possible medical reasons for my exhaustion, but I am pretty sure
that I just have to accept it; this is life and my energy is not coming back!
They say every pregnancy is different
and that couldn’t be more true for me! This is my 3rd pregnancy at
this gestational age (I carried Mason until 20 weeks) and neither Mason nor
Jaxon was like this one, at all! Morning sickness was only for a few weeks and
never as bad as I have had with this baby and I had the typical Trimester 2
return of energy, nearly on the mark!
Since 2nd trimester energy
surge has not arrived, and probably wont be, I need to make some changes and some plans (I know, not
like me at all…lol).
Time management is one thing that
will be super necessary for me to supercharge and make a priority right now for
the next few months.
Checklists are one thing that will
help immensely. Literally seeing items ‘come off’ the list gives me a sense of
accomplishment and can reinforce a burst of energy when I want to crash and
sleep. We all know that I am a fan of lists. Stress List, anyone? I love making
lists, never in any particular order, and then going through to prioritize, and
then knock them out! I LOVE to cross something off my Stress List!
Another helpful and time saving trick
is meal planning! I have begun shopping at Fresh & Easy again because they
have great items that are portion controlled for lunch, easy and healthy meals
to heat up for dinner and great snack options. They may be a tad more
expensive, but you’re paying for convenience and packaging. At this point, I am
good with that! It also will help with our budget! That is another post, for
another day…
With Jason working 6 days per week
and it being anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll be home at or around the time
he’s supposed to each nigh, I have to plan around this carefully. I schedule all my
appointments for Wednesday because that is his day off (guaranteed). So, I get whatever appointment I have scheduled handled without worry that I
won’t make it to Jaxon’s daycare by 5 to get him, and it gives me a little
break from him. I love that kid, but he is an endless ball of energy and it makes my pure
exhaustion seemingly double, at least.
Spacing out my chores throughout the
week or actually scheduling myself a night off, meal planning and following my
Stress List are all really good ways to keep my work load under control and allow me
enough time to rest.
We all know I am a planner, I just have to adjust my plan for this
pregnancy! Regardless of nausea or energy, I am beyond thankful that this baby
is healthy- I know I say it often, but my first baby and my last pregnancy
weren’t. So, having a healthy baby truly is a blessing and something that I am so
thankful for, no matter how crappy I may feel!
We have some more changes coming
(remember the theme of this blog?), so stay tuned….
Xoxo- LadyLewy
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