How to juggle sleep, children and weight loss

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Lizerra
Lizerra Posts: 22
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I am a 36 year old mother of two. My son is 7 weeks today, my daughter is 3 1/2. I am having trouble staying on track because when my son is asleep my daughter is awake and vise versa. Have you had to do this before and how do I get everyone on the same schedule?

On top of this my husband works so much, I am almost a single mom, child responsibility wise and I go to college full time.

Very severely sleep derived and need advice.

Also I would love to hear about your challenges with your children and juggling your weight loss too!

Replies

  • davinci21
    davinci21 Posts: 60 Member
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    My daughter was 2yrs 10mths when i had my son. I found establishing a routine really helped. I would put my son down at specific times during the day e.g 10am, 2pm,6pm to get him to sleep (he didn't always sleep) i would only get him if i thought he was getting distressed. By the time he was about 4 months he was sleeping and waking up once at night, so i was getting enough sleep.

    It's hard initially but it does get better, take each day at a time and make small changes when you're feeling tired rest.
    Can you get someone else to watch the kids so you can take time out? e.g family, friends, daycare..
    Talk to your husband about the situation and how you can make things work better for you.
    Have you tried looking at mother and baby forums e.g babycenter

    It gets better, all the best
  • Airbear3
    Airbear3 Posts: 335 Member
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    i too feel like a single mom because my husband works so much. what time do they wake up? get up earlier than them to fit in your workout and work on getting there schedules in sinc. or after there down for the night. after i had my baby i would put her in the swing while i did my dvd or in the stroller for a run. my older 2 are in school so i just had the one. i'm sure i will run into these struggles soon...my baby is 15 months now and takes 2 hour naps, so i do my workout then and i get up at 4:30 am to clean the house. good luck
  • lizjames1971
    lizjames1971 Posts: 39
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    I used to manage a treadmill session at home whilst one slept & the other did craft or drawing or something in the room with me!! A little bit of mess to sort out after was so worth it!! Today I did my walk with my youngest in the pram. Good luck finding something that works fr you!!
  • Elizadolots
    Elizadolots Posts: 178
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    Have you got a babyguard where the kids can play for half hour when you do your exercise nearby?

    Try to get into some kind of routine, I know it's hard with such a little one but it will benefit all of you. Off course you'll have to be flexible at times!

    I am afraid it is a very common thing being with someone yet having 99% of the responsibility of bringing the kids up. In my opinion and experience - just get on with it, no use to complain or begrudge, it's not going to change! I'll wait until they are teenagers to get revenge, he'll have to pick them up from late night parties while I sit in the nice warm house! :laugh: And when they are grown up Dad will have to go and rescue them out of all sorts of trouble!

    Can you let the older one go to nursery a couple of hours a day? It will give you some much needed catch up time!

    Mostly, just enjoy these few months. Be a bit careful with what you eat, try and be more active, nice long strolls with baby ! But enjoy, don't fret too much. Before you know it they'll be chasing each other round the house screaming and you'll miss these baby days! :flowerforyou:
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    I feel your pain! I have a 3 year old and my husband works a lot too (and weird/irregular hours!). I have a full time job and some commitments that keep me pretty busy (church, community group, etc).
    From the time my daughter was born, we have been on a schedule. She & I both do better that way. We know the routine and it keeps stress to a minimum in our home.
    And, I've found that the only way I will get my workouts in is to do them at 5am, before my husband goes to work. There are no excuses (except sleep) that early in the morning! Good luck finding what works for you........and don't be afraid to take this time for yourself. You will be setting a great example for your children!

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