Top Tips for ADHD Dads with the 2nd trimester of pregnacy
Tops tips for an ADHD Dad in 2nd trimester Weeks 13-27
1) Start to prepare for baby early so you are confident with any changes to your routine when baby arrives, for example I met with my ADHD nurse to talk about possible changes to my medication and to discuss ways to deal with the inevitable problems with disrupted sleep.
2) Decorate. A really fun part pregnancy is preparing the nursery with your partner. When planning the nursery try to use organising tips and tools to plan how is the room is laid out. Give some extra thought to how you would carry out tasks such as a nappy change in the middle of night when you are really tired - make things easy to reach and accessible. These tips will really help you keep in control of the space so it doesn’t get overwhelming when baby arrives. We have used a book called ‘organising situations for people with attention deficit disorder’ we’ve found this book really helpful when organising our house and nursery. We have also taken a lot of inspiration from Pinterest by making a “nursery ideas” board and searching topics such as “organising a nursery”.
3) Think about safety. Most non-ADHD parents won’t normally start thinking about childproofing their home until the baby begins to move around on its own or crawl, but for those of us taking medication we need to start making changes to our routine early - due to the risks to a baby or toddler when storing controlled drugs/ harmful substances in the home. Thinking of this possible risk I have recently bought a small locked money tin which I now lock and now store my medication in, I know this seems ridiculous to start doing this even before baby has arrived but changes like this can take up to 4 months before it becomes a regular routine. But starting early it means by the time baby arrives it feels very natural and normal to keep your meds locked and stored safely away.
4) Relaxation. I’ve never really been into these types of things but since reading about the evidence based benefits of Hypnobirthing and the techniques that come with it we thought we’d give it a go. We first downloaded a free hypnobirthing app and both found it very helpful. Even if you or your partner aren’t interested in using hypnobirthing in birth the breathing exercises involved are a great way to relieve tension and get through difficult times when I’m experiencing impulsive ADHD anger.
5) Learning. It’s really fun learning about pregnancy, the birth and baby it has been great bonding but I’ve also really loved learning more about ADHD. I’ve learnt lots of new coping techniques and tips to help with my everyday life but I have also learnt great ADHD tips that will help with parenting and being a dad. I would really recommend following Jessica McCabe on Twitter @HowtoADHD and on YouTube 'How to ADHD’ as I found her honest advice and helpful tips really great for learning more about ADHD.