So far the second trimester has been pretty awesome. Its had its ups and downs, but as expected, it’s turning out to be the best one of the three!
For the most part, I’ve felt great now that the nausea and difficulty eating has gone. I still experience exhaustion every now and then, but nothing like what it was like during the first trimester! Oh, that exhaustion!
It really is difficult to explain feeling like you’ve been hit by a massive truck, struggling to keep your eyes open, and when you finally lie down, the feeling of not being able to move, much less get back up! I know for some it seems a bit exaggerated or over dramatic, but seriously, it is JUST like THAT!
I struggled staying awake while driving in the afternoons during that first trimester, and with two other active kids involved in sports, there was a lot of driving that I needed to do! It was horrible.
Now, the pattern for me seems to be that I wake up feeling great and ready to tackle as much as I can until about 4:00pm. It all goes straight down from there… literally! Evenings are not my friend! I struggle through the rest of the day after that point. I usually try to fit in a short nap somewhere between 1:00pm – 4:00pm, which really seems to help me get through until about 8:00pm, but after that, have your war helmets ready! I get cranky when tired, and based on my observations of others, I don’t think I’m the only one. However, pregnant tired is a completely perfect mixture of physical and mental exhaustion. The pains come and the patience goes. The only goal is: GET TO BED!
I’m taking it day by day. Some days are better than others. I have two kids who come home from school in the afternoons needing help with homework, needing to be driven to practices, and needing individual time for talking, study, or whatever (there is ALWAYS something!). Some nights practice goes all the way until 8:00pm (yes, this is a discussion for another post)! So, evenings can be tough, but I breathe, turn on my diffuser at home, inhale my calming oils (ALWAYS need calming in the evening), and try to get things done as simply and quickly as possible so that we can all get to bed… well, mainly me!
I’ve found early to bed, equals early to wake wonderfully and ready during this pregnancy. Last night, for instance, was one of those extremely exhausting evenings, even though my schedule that afternoon had been relatively calm and easy. When my husband walked through the door just before 9:00pm, I was DONE! I could not stay up to tuck kids in, make sure hubby ate, or put away any leftovers; I could not stay up to shower, brush teeth, or wash my face. I was D-O-N-E! So, I went to bed and experienced the great knockout! I KNOCKED OUT until 7:00am this morning! I have to say, I really enjoyed how well I slept and I woke up thinking about how few of those great nights sleep I have left! I refuse to feel guilty about my almost 10 hours of great sleep because guess what?! This isn’t my first time around this merry-go-round and I know how uncomfortable that last trimester is, especially when it comes to sleeping with that giant belly that has a life of its own! I know how bad my sleep is about to get! I also know how little sleep I’m going to get when BabyG#3 finally arrives! oh, I remember! So, no! I will not feel guilty! I know how much the world around us LOVES to make us moms feel guilty, but guess what? I will enjoy!
Chaos & Candidness 