What did you do on maternity leave before baby came?

[Wherehasitgone]

I’ve been placed on maternity leave as of last week at 28 weeks due to covid (nhs worker) and just feel so bored. Feels too early to prepare anything and all my friends are working so I spend the whole day tidying up or napping!

It’s already effecting my mental health.. I have a Dd who is in nursery full time and I literally find myself counting down the minutes to collect her. The house is so quiet it’s making me uneasy!! I know I should be enjoying this time, i just feel very lonely!

I was sent home from my supply teaching job when the first lockdown started so at about 22 weeks.

I couldn’t really do anything/ see anyone. We were having some work done at home but that all stopped for the first lockdown so we didn’t have a kitchen, a way out the back of the house/ into the garden or any flooring down in our lounge. That was fun Gradually as things started to be allowed again we were able to get that sorted so that took up some time.

Walked the dog.

Shopping for baby stuff, I’d refused to buy anything till after the 20 week scan which meant everything had to be done online. Getting hold of baby clothes was quite a challenge at the time.

Sorted out my wardrobe and all the upstairs cupboards to try to make space - we have a small house so I knew we would need more storage.

Spent time on duolingo trying to brush up my Spanish

Read

Went for walks with the dog - tried out different routes and listened to podcasts and audiobooks

Binged a lot of Netflix (watched all of Love
Is Blind in a day, not my finest hour)

Batch cooked and stocked the freezer

Did some volunteering just making phone calls to lonely/ isolated people. Didn’t get assigned many calls at first but it did get a bit busier.

Pregnancy yoga on zoom

Loads of swimming, cinema, galleries. Sleeping. Was the 8th and last of my NCT group to give birth and one was early so baby 1 was 7 weeks when DC arrived and I spent a good bit of time with all the group too.