How to get decent sleep during pregnancy

I’m 34 weeks pregnant, and I’m still sleeping (relatively) well. How do I do it?!

Explaining to my son that “Mom can’t do the same things as before.”

Setting realistic expectations with my son.

Bye bye, pregnancy cravings and aversions!

I had more energy to exercise during the second trimester.

I ate more normally (for me) during the 2nd trimester and said goodbye to cravings & aversions!

I started asking for help from friends in the second trimester.

The second trimester–such a relief!

My tricks for getting more protein in during the first trimester.

Finally, second trimester and lots of energy!

I could finally stick to a schedule again during the second trimester!

The budgeting struggle at the end of the month…

At the end of the month, many of my budgeting categories are empty. What to do?

Monthly Budgeting:

Quarterly + Yearly Budgeting:

Exercise in the middle of the day, if you can swing it!

Exercising in the middle of the day?!

I’ve been experimenting with something kind of crazy lately: exercising in the middle of the day. What?! you might say. People usually exercise in the morning or the afternoon (although there are those who exercise in their lunch break instead of having lunch). I usually also prefer the afternoon for exercise, but hear me out…

Recently, I experienced some neck and back issues that tended to get worse the longer I remained sitting. Now, I work at my desk, so that’s kind of unavoidable. “How can I break up the periods of sitting?” I wondered. I began by looking at what my typical day looked like: identify the problem.

A typical day

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me. In the morning, I walk to daycare with William and then back home. It’s nice to start the day with a walk outside, and I’m glad I have this opportunity. Then, I come home and sit at my desk for the whole morning. I take brief breaks, but in the end I still spend about 3 hours sitting.

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My morning routine

The previous evening sets us up for the day ahead. I described extensively what I do on a typical evening here, and now I’ll talk about my mornings.

The funny thing is that my morning routine is much shorter than the evening routine. The latter is elaborate, with many moving parts, while the former is rather straightforward. Anyway, I’ll walk you through it.

Wake up 30 minutes before my son

This has been key. I used to wake up at the same time as William, and that felt stressful even though I didn’t realize it so explicitly. I was trying to take care of his needs while also taking care of my own, which often led to frustration on both sides: he wanted me to cuddle him, but I just wanted to pee!

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My evening routine

A good evening routine would set me up for a restful night of sleep and a good next day.

I wanted to create a realistic and stress-free (as much as possible) evening routine, so I had to leave enough time for everything I wanted and needed to do. I hate to be pressed for time in the evening when I’m tired and trying to wind down! Sometimes it still happens, and it’s oh-so annoying.

My evening routine starts early

I figured out that the evening routine starts as early as 17:00 (5 pm) when I leave to pick up William from daycare. I could pick him up anytime before 18:00 (6 pm), but if I leave later than 17:00 (5 pm), I just end up being too late for everything else, and I then have to rush. So I do my best to finish up my work, get ready, and leave on time.

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Your morning routine starts the night before

Ah, this is so true! How your morning goes depends to a large extent on what your evening looks like.

Do you go to bed at a time which allows you to get enough sleep?

Have you prepared yourself for the next day (e.g., clothes, food, backpack, living space)?

Have you made a plan for the next day?

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How I visualize my goals (and how I sing!)

Visualize your goal in order to reach it! (Btw, I’m singing in the last video on this page! :D)

Visualize the small steps on the way to your goal.

Create signposts to guide you on your way to your goal.

Visualize your big goal as well as the signposts along the way.

My theme for the year: Go Easy! (+ me singing!)