Is anyone else finding maternity leave a bit, well... boring?

[BellaCB]

I know, I know, I'm going to regret writing this in a few weeks time!

I'm 39+2 now with DC1 and have been off work for almost 4 weeks. The first few weeks were taken up with Christmas, luckily, but I am now in the middle of my second week alone at home and I'm sorry but I'm getting really bored! I think the difficulty is that I am on my own most of the time. DP does shift work and is also cramming in the last minute overtime for the money, which we really do need, so he's not really in at all (for example, today he left at 6am and will be home about 1am, poor thing). None of my family and friends live close enough to pop over in the evenings to amuse me, and as we've only lived in the area a month or two I don't have any friends who live around the corner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy we've moved to this new area and I have started making friends already with my NCT group and other mums-to-be I have met online, but they can only really meet once a week (well, unless I want to look like a desperate stalker asking to meet them every other day!). And I am keeping active: I walk into town (20 mins at my current waddle) pretty much every day, do a bit of shopping or sit in a coffee shop and read, and there's stuff I can still manage to do to sort our new house. I've got tons of films to watch and plenty of books to read. I've washed all the baby's stuff and have everything ready to go when she turns up.

But I'm still bored! Please tell me someone else feels like this too and I'm not just being, well - an ungrateful sod or something?

I remember boredom. ah... happy days...

Go to cinema. Learn a language. Read all the books you meant to read. Research play groups in the area. Make and freeze meals for post-baby. Sleep lots.

You won't regret doing any of that, and you won't get to do them again for a while...

Of course you're not an ungrateful sod. I think it's normal when you get near the end of your pregnancy, you just want to meet your baby and you get a bit bored with being pregnant. It must be hard moving to a new area but it's really good that you're going to groups and meeting new friends already.

I know it's boring advice and everyone probaby says it but you really should take advantage of all that spare time to nap. I have a 2 year old and a 4 month old and I do miss napping :)

I can't WAIT for maternity leave, I currently have 35 working days left in the office (I've made a chart!).

My maternity leave will be LONG though as I'm going off at 31 weeks to coincide with us relocating. I hope I won't find it boring. At the moment it's hard to imagine as I spend most of my day at work MN-ing and looking at baby stuff on the internet anyway :)

No I felt like that on my first too. I am not going to feed you the enjoy it while you can last as although life changes with a baby , it's not like you never do something for yourself again.

You are uncomfy , limited in what you can do and let's face it waiting on an event that can happen at any time. Plus forced with reading/watching tv or films (which I would save for night feeds) etc it is dull.

Am also bed bound on second pregnancy with spd so am bored , frustrated i can't move/am in pain and just want this over with!

I think you should print out your post and stuck it on the fridge for future laughing and crying over. Please please enjoy the time you have to be alone and have your own personal freedom (with bump of course).

This is from someone who has not had 5 mins peace and quiet for nearly 18 months .

I felt the same, only I'd been off work almost 3 monthswith SPD by the time DS made his arrival at 42weeks! I can assure you you won't be bored in a few weeks!

Arrange little treatlets if you can. I had reflexology. The lady came to my house. It was an attempt to start me off, it didn't work, but it eased my SPD and gave me a boost for a few days. Go to the cinema, I went on my own a couple of times in the afternoons, while I could still drive. Love film box sets. Enjoy watching a whole TV programme uninterupted, having a hot cup of coffee in full, MNing for hours on end without having to go rescue your DC from some life endangering situation.

Better og, DS has releived the shleves of their contents!

one of the happiest times of my life was the 4 week period on mat leave before dc1 was born. It was just lovely having nothing to do all day.
I went swimming, pottered about, read books, listened to radio, cleaned stuff ( I like cleaning!).

I prob did feel a bit bored now and then and with hindsight , I didn't appreciate the freedom i had properly - it was a joyous time!

enjoy this time OP, you've only got a few days left

sooty - heh, you're right, I probably should do that!

I think half the problem is that the whole concept of how busy etc I'm going to be when the baby arrives is a bit abstract really - I mean, I know everything is going to be 100% different and I probably won't have the time to surf the internet for hours, but sadly that doesn't make today's newspaper any more interesting

Glaikit, thanks for the tip about reflexology etc., I might see if someone can come around for a bit of pampering one afternoon. Though I might just talk them to death - I really think DP being at work all the time is half my problem, I know that I won't see anyone (other than random people in shops) all day today and tomorrow, and it turns out I don't like my own company as much as I thought I did...!

Gigondas, sorry to hear you're having a miserable time of it

I've been off for 3 months the first 2 months i was bored silly all the time but this last month i've really got into the swing of being a childless housewife, i'll not know whats hit me when baby comes along neither will DP, i do about an hour of cleaning everyday then whatever the hell i want the rest of the time. Enjoy it :)

Ah yes. I was bored, all I know were bored at that stage. You are not alone. Personally I wasted way too much time on Frontierville, but there wasn't anything that needed doing, and it was non- physically taxing for The Whale. Hang in there!

As for after, that depends so much on how it all goes, and your personality. I was so tired and living out our little BF nightmare ( all went well eventually, still is 10 mths later), that the first three months were mainly a blur. Others I know said they were restless once they refound their energy, and LO was still pretty unresponsive. So I guess you have to take it as it comes.

I suggest you keep yourself occupied however you can, and don't feel guilty if that's not with any useful activities.

I loved my first maternity leave before ds1 was born, but it probably helped that it was the summer. From memory:

I cleaned the house
Kept on top of the washing
Washed the baby clothes
Packed my post natal bag
Wandered into and gazed around the empty nursery - a lot
Cooked and froze LOTS of meals
Walked the dog
Waddled into town
Got my hair cut and coloured
Used up some beauty treatment vouchers
Slept - a lot
Read - a lot
Met friends for lunch
Made some great meals for that evening

Please, please enjoy this time. You will never have this time again, savour it before the real fun begins!

Oh, and add going swimming and going to the cinema to that list as well

BellaCB that's why I decided to work right until the end It's not just the boredom that worries me, it's also the waiting (hate waiting, got a massive paranoia/trauma about it). On my first day of maternity leave, my mum is going to arrive from Portugal, so I'll be entertained if DS decides to make us wait.

Ah bless you OP! That is a CLASSIC first-child post!

I second going to the cinema LOADS as that is what I really miss. Also going yo the pub. Even though you can't drink more than a half having the freedom to make spontaneous social arrangements is something that never really comes back!

Apart from that, read, rest, get stuck into a couple of box sets. Be selfish .

Practise typing with one hand so you can still MN with ease once the baby arrives

I remember feeling like this before I had my DD and was just so impatient to have her. I had a long maternity leave as well, three and half months before she was born I stopped work, so was very bored.

But now, looking back, I wish I'd enjoyed it more. Done all the things I can't do with her, like cinema (as others have said), getting my hair and nails done, laying under a duvet watching a good boxset of something for a whole day... cuddling up to my dog (Who is so bizarre he now won't let me hug him if the baby is around??)

When you have the baby I'm not saying you won't be able to do these things, because of course you will, but just REALLY enjoy them now, you'll never be waiting for your first child again :)

Good Luck!!

hehe. Ah wish I'd had that time! DS arrived 3 weeks before maternity was due to start...... Someone suggested swimming - recommend! And yes, do lots of things for you. How about some baking? Research local baby/toddler groups. Write a journal. Have a long lie in every day. And do go to the movies. Enjoy - life is about to get a lot less boring :)