4 Tips to Surviving Pregnancy With a Toddler

Yesterday wasn’t one of our finest around here at the Whole Parenting household: Poor sleep with little SuperBoy’s enormous molars emerging on bottom, two rounds of throwing up for me, and a bucketload of new projects at work for AA. And it was Monday. Who also hates Mondays? But we survived and I reminded myself of a few things to help cope with pregnancy nausea and motherhood.

1) Low expectations of yourself.

When you’re sick and yet simultaneously still mothering another human being outside of your womb, don’t expect much out of the bad days. Whether it means you are late to daycare & work, or you stay in your PJs all day, be forgiving! Although there were about 15 things that had to be done yesterday, only about 1 of them actually was accomplished. And that had to be okay. This is tough when you’re a type-A, do-it-all, work-aholic, attorney-type. But remembering that there are priorities and then there are actual priorities can be helpful. Feeding yourself (and your child): priority. Running all your errands after work or doing all the ironing during the day: not priorities. Delegate it out!

2) Make a realistic list of the work you can accomplish that day.

This holds true for the office or the home. What can you actually get done that day when you are so sick? Keep it short and doable so you don’t feel double failure at the end of the day. It may be something as simple as one project or prep for a meeting, or tackling one room that is dirty (or taking a shower!). Lists are key to planning & succeeding. All those businessy-self-help books tell us that, right?

3) Hydrate.

If you’re like me and water makes you extra nauseous during pregnancy, drink any clear fluids to keep your system going. Remember you are flushing out your own waste and that of another little person. Don’t overextend your kidneys! Drink up, drink up, drink up. My midwife gave me a wicked good recipe for home brewed tea. It saves me from dehydration pretty consistently.

4) Rest or elevate your feet.

If you are at the office and for obvious reasons can’t lay down on the floor in the fetal position like you want to, try at least to elevate your feet. Even early on in pregnancy they tend to need a little elevation every now and then. If you’re at home, lay down when you can, even if this means on the kitchen floor while watching your toddler toodle around with his toys. Especially in the first trimester, rest and relax whenever possible.