Your pregnancy is not the main focus if you have children. It can be difficult to get the rest you need. You may forget to take care of your own health sometimes. Consider the following when you are trying to balance parenting and pregnancy. Your health is your top priority. Eat, rest, and sleep for two. When possible, lay down and rest. Make time for your exercise and health.
You can either hire a babysitter or share child care with a friend. This will give your baby a healthy start, and you have more energy to parent. Families can help. A mother cannot do everything, especially when she is pregnant and caring for a newborn. Family members can help with some of the tasks you do during pregnancy. It is possible for a toddler or preschooler to learn how to put away toys.
A teen or older child can help with chores and cooking. You can also do this with your partner, making it possible to get up earlier and take naps on weekends. A class may be offered by your local hospital or birthing center to prepare small children for the birth of a sibling. Books and videos about reproduction and birth can be beneficial for older children. You can involve your children in the birth of the baby, depending on their age. Talk to your teen or older child about your pregnancy and answer any questions. Wait until your younger child asks questions about your changing body before you tell them.
Help a child prepare for a new baby.
Your child should be held and embraced. Let them or her help pick the baby’s name and fix up the room. Set up the crib at least two weeks in advance if baby will share a room with a brother/sister. Explain to your child that you will need to spend lots of time with your baby after birth and that they can help. Take pictures of your baby as a newborn. Discuss how it felt to become pregnant, give birth, care for your child, and what it was like to do that. Gift your child a doll. This could be your child’s “baby” that you take care of.
