“Boi am I lucky! I cannot believe I do not have to worry about waking up to make bottles. I’ve heard how difficult breastfeeding can be but I’m sure I can manage, besides, if my body is producing milk tailored to her needs, what is the point of me purchasing milk.” February 2019.
“My infant would be co-sleeping till around 5 years so there’s no need to worry about waking up to go check on her. Nappy changing is such a breeze plus this entire experience is not as costly as I’ve heard it to be. I must have got this parenting thing under my belt. My youngster is so easy to manage” June 2020.
‘’2 years and a few months into this mothering thing, and I am still feeling great. Now she’s potty training and since I have always wanted to use cloth diapers I guess now is the perfect time for her to transition. She’s still breastfeeding consistently and co-sleeping is going great.” May 2021.
“… My only concern is the fact that she’s such a picky eater who refuses to eat most foods, but that’s ok, I’m sure she will grow out of it soon. Now I know for a fact I want to home school so I’ll start looking into curriculums. I also would like to give her a sibling soon and I think now is the perfect time to start trying, I mean, I am managing her great and I want her to grow with siblings around her age group. I can do this! Being pregnant with her, I had a ton of energy and was never ill, for not even a day, I thank God for this!” June 2021.
Managing a toddler while pregnant is not as easy as I imagined it.
“To my surprise, my youngster is such an extrovert, as for me. I am the complete opposite. How am I supposed to balance out our differences though? This is very much new to me. We go to the produce store and my girl would have full-on conversations with other customers. I am not like this! I’d rather give a warm smile and move along, and I’ll pretty much appreciate it if she does the same.
At the end of the day, I do not want to appear to be a stuffed-up mother. I guess I’ll have to work on this. At this stage, she is also very independent. She helps me with a lot of chores around the home. We make baked goods together. Cut up produce. We do the dishes. Make the bed. Sort the laundry by color (This, I don’t fancy her doing, but if I do not, I will hear something like, “Mommy wet me help you!” on repeat until something resembling a tantrum kicks in)”. October 2021.
By now, you know I am pregnant, and like they always say, every pregnancy is different. I can now say that’s true. In the early stages, I had the lowest energy I can ever recall having, in all my existence. I no longer feel for most of the foods I usually would eat and, although the back pains are moderate they are also a new experience for me, but that is an entirely different story by itself. As for managing my toddler while being pregnant, it is not what I anticipated it to be, mainly because this pregnancy is different when compared to my first.
The tantrums, the tantrums! They seem never-ending, at times I have to remind myself to have patience. With her recent transition into a 3-year-old, her temperament is more obvious. She no longer wants me to help her do anything unless it is necessary. I honestly do not have the patience for this at every moment but I am slowly adapting. When I decide it is a great time to take a nap, this is when she decides to work on her flipping skills or randomly needs to use the potty. January 2022.
Do I Regret getting pregnant this soon?
She is fully potty trained now, and only sleeps with reusable diapers at night for insurance. She is also completely off the breast and has started eating a variety of foods now, however, this was not easy for me or her. I thought I could have dealt with pregnancy while still breastfeeding. I wanted her to give up on her own but that was not my reality.
A few weeks into pregnancy, I could not tolerate breastfeeding for too long so I had to decide to wean her using the substitute of plant-based milk (Almond, Cashew, Soy) Which she enjoys to this day.
As much as I thought I had this parenting thing under my belt at the earliest. I have realized managing a toddler while pregnant is a lot more work than I had prepared for. It is not stressful because parenting on the hold requires dedication and patience. However, she is fairly still young so I have to always remember I need to give her, her time to explore even when I do not feel like it. Now that I am here, would I have waited until she was a little older before deciding to give her a sibling? No. I enjoy the process regardless and I enjoy learning and growing through it. Parenting has definitely taught me to have patience.
