The Ultimate Superpower: Growing a Baby While Raising One

If there is an ultimate superpower, it’s this:

Growing a human while keeping a toddler alive, loved, and relatively fed—at the same time.

No cape. No applause. Just deep reserves of strength you didn’t even know you had.

This first trimester forced me to slow down in ways I’ve resisted my whole life. And one of the biggest lessons?

I learned to nap with Lil’ Rosebud instead of squeezing in one more task—the email, the laundry, the thing that felt “productive” but honestly could wait.

That shift alone felt revolutionary.

Because in this season, rest wasn’t laziness.
It was strategy.
It was survival.
It was choosing long-term strength over short-term productivity.

And when you’re pregnant, parenting a toddler, and your partner is deep in basketball coaching season? Those choices matter.

Let me set the scene.

I was newly pregnant.
I had a toddler who believes sleep is optional and snacks should be served immediately or not at all.
And my husband, Claude, was deep in basketball coaching season—aka gone a lot, emotionally invested always, and running on his own fumes.

Friends, this was not my soft-launch pregnancy era.

This first trimester—while taking care of a toddler during coaching season—was one of the most challenging and trying seasons of my life. And I don’t say that lightly. I’ve managed restaurants in Midtown Manhattan. I’ve coached bodies through burnout. I’ve survived postpartum.

This? This was different.

I was nauseous but starving. Exhausted but touched-out. Emotional while needing to be the emotional regulator for a tiny human who does not care that your hormones are on a rollercoaster designed by chaos demons.

There were days I thought, Surely this is how mental breaks begin.

And yet—somehow—we made it through.

Why This Season Is So Hard (and Why You’re Not Imagining It)

Let’s normalize this real quick:

• First trimester fatigue is bone-deep

• Nausea doesn’t care that someone else needs breakfast

• Toddlers require energy, presence, patience, and snacks on demand

• There is no “rest when the baby rests” because the baby is awake

• Add solo-parenting stretches? It’s a lot

I wasn’t just tired. I was depleted. And the guilt of not being my “best self” for my toddler layered right on top of the physical misery.

So if you feel like a shell of yourself, let me be clear:
That’s not a personal failing. That’s pregnancy + toddler life.

How I Actually Survived (No Toxic Positivity Allowed)

I didn’t survive by doing it all.
I survived by doing less, lowering the bar, and letting go of who I thought I had to be.

Here’s what helped.

1. I Stopped Expecting First-Trimester Me to Be Pre-Pregnancy Me

I had to grieve my energy, my motivation, my patience on tap. Some days the win was simply: everyone fed and alive. Gold star. Parade.

2. Screen Time Became a Tool, Not a Moral Failure

Miss Rachel and Sesame Street showed up for me when I couldn’t. This is survival mode, not a parenting audition.

3. I Ate What Stayed Down

First trimester nutrition is about tolerance, not perfection. Beige foods count. You’re still growing a human.

4. I Built Micro-Moments of Care

Forget elaborate self-care. I focused on sitting in the shower, deep breaths during snack time, and stretching on the floor while my toddler climbed on me.

5. I Lowered My Parenting Volume—and Repaired When I Snapped

I wasn’t patient every day. I apologized. Repair matters more than pretending you’re fine.

6. I Asked for Help

I said no more than yes. I accepted support. And when Claude was home, I let go of control—even when it wasn’t done “my way.”

7. I Reminded Myself This Is Temporary

First trimester time moves weird. Days are long. Weeks crawl. But this is a season—not forever.

Sometimes the most powerful mantra is:
This won’t last forever.

8. I Moved My Body Just a Little—Even When I Didn’t Want To

Some days movement looked like a full workout. Most days it didn’t. But gentle movement—stretching on the floor, a few Pilates moves, a short walk, breathing with intention—helped immensely. It eased the nausea, lifted my mood, and reminded me I still lived in my body. I didn’t wait for motivation; I moved because it helped me feel human again.

If You’re In It Right Now

If you’re pregnant, exhausted, emotional, and parenting a toddler while your partner’s schedule is bananas—please hear this:

You are not weak.
You are not failing.
You are doing something incredibly demanding.

Let the house be messy. Let expectations burn. Let yourself rest when you can—even if that means napping with your toddler instead of checking something off a list.

You are growing a human while raising one. That is superhero-level work—even on the days you feel like a puddle on the floor.

And if you had one (or several) near-mental breaks?

Welcome to the club. We saved you a seat.

A Little Extra Support (If You Want It)

If you’re pregnant and craving movement that actually feels good, we’ve got prenatal fitness and Pilates inside the Make Me Awesome app—designed to support your body without pushing it.

Gentle. Doable. Real-life pregnancy approved.

👉 Find prenatal movement inside the Make Me Awesome app
Because you’re already doing something extraordinary.

With love and Awesomeness,
Wonder Nat 💋✨