Comments on: How Did you Maintain Work-Life Balance when Pregnant?

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:43:32 +0000

I'm glad you're starting to feel better and getting back to normal level. I'm slowly gaining more energy, which is helping. Still have to work on the hormones/temper, though. LOL

We *will* get it all done, as you said and things will work out.

Good luck to you! Hope to hear more as the months progress for both you and I.

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:41:49 +0000

I love what your OB said. I'm finding this pregnancy is quite different from the 1st also and I did get symptoms a lot earlier this time. Thanks for your input and I will work hard on curbing the guilty feelings. We'll see how that goes…

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:43:32 +0000

I'm glad you're starting to feel better and getting back to normal level. I'm slowly gaining more energy, which is helping. Still have to work on the hormones/temper, though. LOL

We *will* get it all done, as you said and things will work out.

Good luck to you! Hope to hear more as the months progress for both you and I.

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:43:00 +0000

I’m glad you’re starting to feel better and getting back to normal level. I’m slowly gaining more energy, which is helping. Still have to work on the hormones/temper, though. LOL nnWe *will* get it all done, as you said and things will work out.nnGood luck to you! Hope to hear more as the months progress for both you and I.

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:43:00 +0000

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:41:49 +0000

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:41:00 +0000

I love what your OB said. I’m finding this pregnancy is quite different from the 1st also and I did get symptoms a lot earlier this time. Thanks for your input and I will work hard on curbing the guilty feelings. We’ll see how that goes…

By: modernmami

modernmami — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:41:00 +0000

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:03:16 +0000

It has defiantly been harder this pregnancy. My first pregnancy not only did I not have a job (my then husbands job was able to support both of us) I also did not have a 3 almost 4 year old to keep up with like I do this time around.
The first few months were hard. The constant feeling of exhaustion, the never ending feeling of morning sickness, ect. Work was terrible I would be fighting to keep my eyes open and not have to run to the bathroom all day. When I got home I would make my daughter a quick snack, set her up with some quiet activity, coloring, puzzle, a movie and let her know that mommy needs to take a quick nap. I would tell her after two cartoons are over (one hour) to wake me up and we will go for a walk. I would take my nap on the couch and after that hour nap (though I still really wanted about 12 more hours!) we would go for a walk and even though every time I thought "oh my god, how am I going to make it through this walk?" we would get back home and I would feel a little better. The hour nap gave me the tiny bit of energy to make her dinner and then I often lied and said it was bedtime much earlier then it usually was. I did have a lot of guilt about not being able to spend quality,fun,time with her but I kept telling myself that the dreaded first trimester only lasts so long, and on the rare days were I had a bit more energy I would try to make it up to her. Work, on the other hand was a lost cause, I could not concentrate on anything, I would mostly just stared blankly at my computer screen and tried to do what I could.

Now that I am in my second semester and am almost back to my normal energy level I am able to give my daughter the active lifestyle she craves. Though I still am not 100% and there are days where I still go home and tell her I need that hour nap and as soon as I wake up we will do something. She is VERY understanding and I try to make it a point to not blame the pregnancy or the baby for my 'down days', I don't want her to have any more resentment towards the baby then is natural.

It is defiantly a struggle to balance a child, a full time job and a pregnancy, hormones ect and there are days where I wonder how will I be able to continue all this madness, but I somehow make it through those days and like they say, tomorrow is a new day.

By: Aimee Leon-Ortega

Aimee Leon-Ortega — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:42:40 +0000

Wow, this is a tough one. My second and third pregnancies were SO much more difficult than my first pregnancy. My OB/GYN kept telling me it was because my body knew what to do, so it would do it faster than the first pregnancy. Well not only did symptoms start faster and sooner, they were AMPLIFIED. Some symptoms were off the wall with their rarity. With my second, I developed “mala bariga” or “bad belly” in English with my husband. and I could NOT stand him. It was really bad. And with my 3rd I had nose bleeds, skin tags, pelvic pains from the 6th month so severe that I sought the help of a chiropractor when my OB/GYN said that it was normal and would only last for the next 4 months.

Well, symptoms aside, how did I maintain that work/life balance? You know, I haven't the foggiest. That commercial that you talked about always made sense to me though, because it came out after I had my second child and by that time, I knew all about “baby brain”. Those momentary lapses where you can forget anything.. even your best friend's daughter name… I mean VAMOOSH it is GONE!! it's like a cloud encircles your brain and when you snap out of it, you're like “what was that!? what is wrong with me? I was NOT like this before!”

Unfortunately, the good old days are gone. And I'd suggest trying to curb how guilty you feel. You're not the same that you were physically before, so you are physically not going to be able to do the same level of activity that you were before. Sometimes we'll have to play “brush Mommy's hair and makes her a princess while she sleeps” because you need to have your down time OR you will snap more on your hubby and you will have a shorter temper period.

It actually may be a good time for your daughter to begin adjusting to changes too in what Mommy can do… because once the baby comes that will be a big change as well, so the pregnancy should almost ease her into it in a way. She'll have to play a little more on her own sometimes because you can't do it all the time. Honestly, if you had something a broken back or something that physically impaired you, that wouldn't be her fault but you and she both would have to adjust to different kinds of play. Your pregnancy is not her fault and she shouldn't have to suffer because of it, but you and she both should just adjust to the types of play that you can handle right now. Good luck.