Anyone else with a toddler to keep up with? Oh, the aches and pains!

stellablue1972

Can anybody sympathize with me?  I figured if anything, a bunch of fellow 35+ ladies might be able to.   How do the rest of you deal with pregnancy and a busy toddler?

I'm newly pregnant with my second and have a 2 year old at home.  I turn 40 next week but I feel a HUNDRED years old!

I tweaked my back a few weeks ago doing something with my DS - I don't recall exactly what it was, but I remember the moment thinking "that's gonna hurt later!"  Sure enough, my back now hurts so badly I can hardly walk.  And just when it's feeling better, something happens and the pain sets in again.  

It's impossible to avoid the activities that are straining my back - lifting my toddler, getting him in/out of the car seat, being on the floor with him to play or read books... 

I've been icing it whenever I get the chance, am doing prenatal massage and acupuncture.  Extra Strength Tylenol only when all else fails.

Any advice?  Encouragement?

hjk

I'm pregnant with my second and DD is 4 and I definitely notice being more tired all around this time, so I hear you.  I am a physical therapist, too, and I would recommend working with a PTmto see if that helps your back and to help develop some good core strength to help you through this pregnancy and after.  When you sit on the floor try to sit against a wall or some support and sit on a towel so your pelvis is a little higher than your knees (so its not like cross cross applesauce where your knees are higher than the pelvis).

leffe1

I am 40 and have a 2.5 year old. There are days when I go to bed and cannot move! It is a bit of a challenge. I can only imagine how I will feel a few weeks from now! I just try to keep telling myself not to over do it. Good luck!

SaintCity

I hate to scare you, but being pregnant at 40 with a toddler was a breeze compared to caring for a newborn and a toddler.  Enjoy your pregnancy while you can!!!

Good luck!

 P.S. things will get better when you are out of first tri.   It will be ok!

mama2many

I'm 40 (41 next month, ahhh) and have a 20mo, one to turn 4 next month, 7 yo come August, 9 yo, and nearly 14 yo. I. AM. WHOOPED. My 20 mo old started wanting to be babied again a couple of weeks after BFP. I swear he knows he's about to be unseated. He wants me to carry him EVERYWHERE - and he's 32 lbs. ugh.

msualum96

hjk:

I'm pregnant with my second and DD is 4 and I definitely notice being more tired all around this time, so I hear you.  I am a physical therapist, too, and I would recommend working with a PTmto see if that helps your back and to help develop some good core strength to help you through this pregnancy and after.  When you sit on the floor try to sit against a wall or some support and sit on a towel so your pelvis is a little higher than your knees (so its not like cross cross applesauce where your knees are higher than the pelvis).

I'm 39 & pg w/ #2, DS is 18 months old, and I'm a PT too!  I second this suggestion of seeing if your OB will refer you for at least a couple visits with a physical therapist to give you some exercises to work on (or even Google pregnancy exercises.  A posterior pelvic tilt is a good one to learn & utilize but there are lots of safe, effective core strengthening exercises for pg. Feel free to PM me!). 

I was pretty wiped out for most of the 1st tri, but 2nd was much better and I really don't think I feel any more tired than I would if I wasn't pg.  But then again, I haven't run around after a toddler before, pg or not, so I really don't have any other frame of reference!  LOL  Once you're out of the 1st tri, if you can muster even a little bit of extra energy to take a short walk or do some other light exercise, it could help a lot.  DS & I take a short 20 min stroll after dinner most nights, and it helps us both!  Hang in there Momma!

Irishsapphire

My husband had to change my son's poopy diapers when I was in the early 2nd trimester because I would start to gag (smells).  It was not easy to keep up with my son.  He really likes to play hard, so his father could keep up with him better.  And then I was hospital bedrest for a couple of weeks in 3rd trimester--again my husband had to play more with our son. 

It has been easier for me having a newborn with a toddler--but this is because I was miserable in 3rd trimester, and I can move better without being pregnant.  And it can be crazy during the night if you take care of one child and then put that child to bed and then the other child starts to cry--and you just want to go to bed.  So I have had to be more careful of where I take care of the newborn during the night so that it does not wake up my toddler son. 

I just wanted to say that we have recently enrolled our toddler son in Lil' Kickers (baby soccer).  We felt that we wanted our toddler son to just have an activity that the family is there for him, and he gets some attention.  And of course, our newborn just sleeps during it.  I think that is important to make sure to have special time just for your toddler.  This week I went back to work, and our newborn went to spend a couple of days at our inlaws.  So we have had some time to just be focused only on our toddler son, and I think that is just healthy for him. 

itsmevkb

I'm worn out, exhausted, broken........

I'm 40, pregnant, and have a 5 year-old, 3 year-old and an 11 month old at home.  My solution?  I go to bed around 9:00 each night and I do really try and avoid doing anything that may hurt my back.  If my husband is home I ask him to get the baby out of the crib, carry the car seat, etc.  When it's just me I just try and be as careful as possible.

I hope you start to feel a little better soon.  It's hard but you'll get through it.