Pregnancy and Fatigue

Once again, I am dealing with back to back pregnancies. My youngest son is 14 weeks old and I am 8 weeks pregnant. Dealing with this pregnancy is proving to be much more of a challenge than the last back to back pregnancies I had because I have a 2 year old and a 3 year old at home with me now. When my now 3 year old was an infant and I was pregnant, I didn't have toddlers at home all day. Within the last 4 weeks since I found out that I am again pregnant, I have found some ways to cope with the fatigue of pregnancy and still be able to care for the house and my children while still working from home.

Sleep Schedule

The biggest problem that I have right now is that I am tired-not just a little tired but so tired that I am amazed that I am still able to function on a semi-normal level. When I am not pregnant, I turn to coffee and energy drinks to help me stay awake, but when I am pregnant, I try to stay to stay away from those. Instead, I make sure that I schedule 9 hours of sleep each night. I actually only sleep about 8 hours, but with an infant who wakes up once a night, that extra hour is for taking care of him and getting back to sleep.

I also plan on taking a 90 minute nap when the toddlers are asleep. My infant has gotten into the routine of sleeping during that time, so I get a good nap. I also take a 10 minute nap after dinner while my husband plays with the kids. Ten minutes may not seem like much, but it is enough to recharge my batteries until I can head to bed for the night.

Other Helpful Tips

I have noticed that if I take a walk outside for 15 to 20 minutes each day that I feel much better. Some days, I do this once in the morning and once at night. I think that this winter I will continue to do this in the snow. My husband is very good about keeping the sidewalk shoveled, so even if I just walk up and down the sidewalk right in front of my house, I think that will help me.

I also eat a snack at least once every 90 minutes to 2 hours. I have string cheese, peanut butter and crackers, fruit salad, yogurt and pretzels to snack on. I found that if I eat a snack often, I don't feel my energy draining. I also make sure that I drink a lot of water to help me stay hydrated.

Conclusion

While I found a schedule that works for my family, it may not work for every family. There are times where I have to deviate from my schedule slightly. By going with the flow and keeping my stress levels down, the fatigue is manageable and I feel confident that I can continue to keep taking care of everything that needs to be taken care of.