Mom's Happy Hideaway

I was over joyed to find out we were pregnant and expecting another little love into our family. As an only child who had always longed for a sibling, happiness flooded my heart for my son.

The Pregnancies

My pregnancy with my son was beyond great! I had minimal morning sickness and really no change in my health or lifestyle, aside from bigger clothes. It was pretty easy all around. And naturally that’s what I expected of this pregnancy.

However, this time around I had two major life factors that did not exist during my first pregnancy. One, was my recent foot surgery, which dramatically decreased my mobility, even post op. ( See my post about Mommin in a cast https://www.momshappyhideaway.com/the-challenges-of-mommin-in-a-cast/) And second, was my son. Corralling a toddler non-stop is exhausting on its own, but add decreased mobility and pregnancy to the mix…yep, pretty much a recipe for a pregnancy from a different planet and a dramatic parenting change.

During my first pregnancy, symptoms like morning sickness, heightened smell, fatigue, and irritability were subtle reminders during the first trimester that I was pregnant. It wasn’t until I started really showing and started feeling those amazing little flutters, that it became a reality. Maybe it was a form of denial that my life was about to dramatically change. Now, nothing is that subtle or sweet. I almost immediately had morning sickness that lingered literally all day. Soon after, fatigue like I’ve never felt in my life took over. It takes every last ounce of me to do the very basics of day to day life. I quickly learned how to navigate through the decisions of necessity vs luxury. No super mom and super wife here!! The days are filled with nausea and the nights are plagued with restless legs and no sleep.

Life Change

My dad keeps saying – how is your son going to handle not being the only one vying for your attention…. well he’s going to handle it great because the excess attention I paid him 24/7 has been seriously slacking lately due to my new found overall sense of illness.  However, I push through to make sure my son and I have quality time together as much as I can. Ensuring that these last few months as an only child are filled with love and memories are important. I also think it will be a great life lesson for my son to understand sharing and patience first hand once baby number two comes along.

In short, yes mommin a toddler while pregnant is hard!! Hard for a lot of reasons! Hard because you feel like crap – Hard because you will no longer have just one baby to love on – Hard because you want to be the best mom to both babies – Hard because you’re only one mama! But hard things yield amazing results!!
Remind yourself that, this too shall pass! And keep looking ahead to that sweet moment that you hold your new little love in your arms. Your heart and hands will be full!

Original Post Date: March 4, 2018