Is anyone else having trouble slowing down?

[carouselrider]

I am finding that I really need more rest than I'm allowing myself lately. More time off my feet. I feel like I go and go and go until my body just says NO MORE, when I probably should have just sat down and got off my feet much earlier. My mind says, "I don't have TIME to be pregnant, I have two kids to take care of, a job, dinner to make, baths to give, stories to read" etc etc etc. But you know, I really DO need to slow down. I can actually feel my body start to ache in this weird way when I push it too far - just an all over feeling of way.too.much.

My kids have been sick nonstop this year, absolutely non stop. We've never had such a bad year health-wise. And the odd thing is that as more gets piled on, and I feel myself pulled thinner and thinner, I am actually becoming more manic to get yet MORE done. I'm not the greatest housecleaner, but my house has been cleaner than ever. I'm not a frequent baker, but I actually made a freakin CAKE on Sunday in all of my copious free time, just thought it would be a good idea. It's like I'm in complete denial that I have to slow down. I laid in bed that night and thought, "I am SO tired" and that thought actually made me start crying it was so true. But it just hadn't occured to me until then. Even though I'm constantly saying how tired I am, I'm not doing anything about it. I don't remember feeling this way with number two. I wonder if just a few more years on me since then is making this pregnancy harder for some reason.

I am resolving to be better, but I just wondered how other people have adapted to needing to do less while pregnant, while the world keeps asking for more. It's making me a little batty! :nut

[Miss Juice]

Are you me? My secret long lost twin?

I've been asking myself these same things. I don't know what to do either. Sadly I had to get so worn that I got a stomach bug and allover body aches, so it hurt to move for the past 36 hours. I managed to stay home from work today - but it was hard.

I'll be watching this thread for good ideas.

[momsmyjob]

I belong in this group somewhere too. I was so tired last night I was dizzy and even got sick. Ds is still nursing all night long too.

[KarenEMT]

Sign me up! I just don't know when to quit.... sigh. This is normal for me, but I have SO many things to do, and then DS#1's activities. I truly think I have not really felt this baby move yet because I am running around from dawn until dusk and then collapse into bed. (I just got done working - posting this at 2 a.m.)

Sorry - no good advice, but I'll be watching this thread very closely.

[sewaneecook]

I'm usually a busybody, but while PG, I simply DON'T have the energy, so I've had to take it easy from day 1. Try to force yourself to take some time out. Set the timer for 1/2 an hour and read or take a bath or use that time to sit and read to other children or even nap. Whatever you do, don't get up during that entire half hour. If you don't take the time to learn some relaxing techniques now, it will only hurt you later. Or you could ask DH to take over for a little while (or have him force you to take it easy!). Get some down time ... you and your baby need it.

[writermommy]

I have definitely struggled with this too. This is my fourth pregnancy and with three other children, working from home, housework, etc. I don't have as much time to rest as my body needs. Since I work from home, I try to work around my girls' schedules. This would mean me staying up late at night to work. I did this through much of the first trimester, but really had to stop it. Going to bed at 2 am and getting back up at 6 to get the older girls ready for school just wasn't working for me. I had to slow down a bit and force myself to go to bed when my body tells me it's time. We also have our house on the market, so I need to keep it really clean and straightened up all the time. This adds more pressure. I have had to enlist my dh and girls to help me with this because it's just too much for me right now. I have really had to work at this because I really tend to take on too much. Why are we so hard on ourselves?

[carouselrider]

Thanks for the responses and suggestions.

You know, that timer idea is a good one! :thumb I think I need to set a timer while I'm doing stuff, because part of my problem is this cookie-mouse mentality of one thing leading to another, and I just meant to pick up a few things when suddenly it's an hour later and I've vacuumed the whole house. :nut The thing for me is that I actually can carve out some time off my feet, I just have to be willing to ask for more help or let other things go a bit. But it's almost like I am competing with myself to prove that I can do it in a little personal olympic sport. The only thing I'm going to get out of it is more exhausted. I think I am a little bit panicked about having three kids, so somehow this is my trial time to be more organized and get it together, but I'm realizing that instead this should be my down time - I'll have plenty of chaos soon enough, why invite overload now?

Why are we so hard on ourselves?

That's the real question, I guess.

[Miss Juice]

Having thought about it, I realize that I do have a couple of things I am doing to keep me sane and slow me down a little.

This may sound like a contradiction, but I get up 20 minutes earlier than I need to so I can enjoy a quiet cup of coffee (yes, real coffee) and read the newspaper before I get everybody else up. Those 20 minutes are worth more to me in quiet time than in sleep time. If I don't do that, I feel rushed from the moment I get out of bed. No good!

I have just committed to a prenatal yoga class, one hour each week on a Saturday. DH will keep the kids. I didn't want to do it because I didn't want to give up any Saturday family time, but it is good for him to have some Daddy time to himself, and it is good for me to have an hour where I am committed to nothing other than honoring my pregnancy.

I get a massage almost every week. This is easier for me than for most because I trade chiro adjustments for my massage, so it's not an expense. I tack it on to my work day at the end of the week, so the kids are still in preschool and daycare. That gets me relaxed and centered for a wild and crazy weekend with the family.

So 20 minutes 4 days a week, and one hour twice, is a little more than 3 hours a week for just me. Sounds like not much, but it's a heck of a lot better than nothing!

I like the timer idea too. If I implement that, it will be to take a bath :love