to not want friends to visit

[Rhubarbgarden]

I'm generally a very social person with lots of energy, and I'm always rushing around getting things done, going to meet friends and organising things. But I'm almost eight months pregnant now, and suddenly feel like I've been overdoing it lately. DH wants me to slow down and clear my diary for the last month, and frankly this is very appealing as I'm starting to feel exhausted. But I have a number of friends who keep saying 'we must meet up before you drop!' and I'm finding it impossible to say no. Some of them are a bit needy - relationship problems etc, so I feel cruel not being there for them, and one is about to have a baby herself (her first) and I'm determined to go and visit her when her dc arrives as she is a bit out on a limb where she lives, with very little support, but DH says it's too far (2 hour drive) and what happens if I go into labour halfway there (dd was a fortnight early, so it could happen again).

I want to be there for everyone, but I also want to curl up on the sofa with my feet up. I got another message from another friend this morning wanting to schedule a catch up in the next couple of weeks, and I felt knackered just thinking about it. I tried to put her off, but my hint wasn't taken and I don't want to offend by saying an outright 'please don't come and visit'.

Any advice??

Could u not have ppl just come over to yours instead of going out to meet them? Any good friend would look after you if your heavily pregnant. I'd go to my friends house when she was pregnant and achey and make her tea and take her chocolate round and we would watch a film or something else relaxing. the ppl who stress you out explain your too tired to see and the lovely ones can come over and dote on you :)

Quite a few people here have suggested having people over to see you instead of you having to go to see them, but if you're feeling anything like I was at 8 months, this suggestion misses the point really. It seems to be that the OP is saying that the stressful thing isn't really the travelling to meet people, it's just the whole thing of juggling "fitting people in" and having to talk to anyone AT ALL (I completely sympathise).
In fact, I find having people round to mine much MORE stressful than meeting at a cafe or similar, because you cant ask them to leave when you've had too much, so you can't govern how long you spend with them (which makes the panicky feelings much worse).
No, don't invite all and sundry round. Hole-up, turn off the mobile, spend some time with your closest family, and enjoy the rest. There's plenty of time to be sociable in the rest of your life - don't feel pressured to socialise if you don't want to!
Good luck with everything OP. Have you had the baby yet?