What do you wish you'd done BEFORE PFB arrived

[FizzyFishAddict]

Hello i'm currently 6 weeks PG.

I am wondering if there is anything you now wished you had done before the baby's arrival?

I have had two MC before this and I need something positive to think about rather than sitting here worrying the whole time.

My lovely DH suggested i ask for ideas and work my way through them

So far i have got

1. Get a new hairstyle so i don't have to spend 40 mins blowdrying my hair every morning

1. Get a freezer and make some healthy meals to put in there for after the birth.

1. Go away with Dh for a weekend by ourselves.

Cleared the mortgage
Congratulations !

Clearing the mortgage would be great, but would require a lottery win :)

On radio 4 yesterday i heard a statistician say "Your odds of winning the lottery are roughly the same whether you buy a ticket or not" so i won't hold my breath!

Until I am 12 weeks I won't think about this time being before a bubba, but I think your three items sound good!

Def go away and enjoy yourselves, plus see friends lots. My LO not arrived yet (still a good few weeks to go) but most of my friends are about an hour away and 33 weeks preg the last thing I feel like doing is getting on a train/driving into London to catch up with everyone.

Good idea about hairstyle. I've been enjoying facials and pedicures recently, I def won't have time for those in a few months.

Take a proper relaxing foreign holiday (we did this and it was utter bliss in an adult only hotel).

Get those boxes in the spare room etc emptied and sorted.

Go for lunch/coffee/dinner/drinks with friends and OH as often as is humanly possible.

Get a dishwasher and tumble dryer.

Finish off the little jobs around the house.

Have lie ins (especially with OH)!

Go for walks or trips where you can stop when/where you want, not when you're sick of hearing "mummyyyyyyy" for the 200th time!

Slept whenever I wanted.

I would resist napping as I felt like I was being lazy. Now I wish I had slept and slept

[No sleep for 4 years emoticon]

More trips to cinema, theatre, posh restaurants etc. You can still do all those things when babies arrive, but it is dependent on child care and it is lovely to do those things without relying on anyone else.

Thanks for the suggestions

Probably not enough cash for a foreign trip, but maybe a nice B&B.

Really useful to know travelling not so feasible by week 33.

Oh God, the spare room, I practically have a panic attack when i think about the c**p we have thrown in there.

Naps are a possibility but lie-ins less so as our dog gets us up at 6:30 am every flippin day by wailing for attention outside the door

Sundae i know what you mean about the 12 week thing, my last MC i didn't really believe it would be OK, so didn't allow myself to think in terms of it being a baby, but somehow that really didn't help me when i lost it, so this time i've decided to act like it will be OK

A proper adult holiday, lying by a pool being brought food and drinks, in the sun.
The cinema more.
Read a few more books.
Had a spa day and/ or day out to Buckingham Palace with my mum like I kept promising her. For various reasons it won't happen for years now.
Appreciated leaving the house without "stuff and bags".
Slept more.
Gone out dancing a few more times.

Fizzy, you may feel very differently at 33 weeks. I have pgp and am exhausted all the time so really don't feel up to it. I left doing things thinking (naively) that I'll feel great over the summer hols and get out and do tons then. Unfortunately a short wander around the shops is about all I can manage now.

Ooooh, baby shopping. If you like going out and looking at things rather than buying of the internet then get it done early(ish). We had to be organised as my DH is not really around much till a week before due dates so we have majority of stuff now and I'm so glad to not have to be wandering the shops atm (I am usually a shopaholic).

Oh yes, and properly research things you're buying (pushchair, car seat, cot etc) so you don't waste money buying unsuitable things like I did.

Ohh have thought of another.

Taken more pictures of me pregnant.

I have 1 picture of me and my bump as I felt so hideous at the time. I would love to have more to look at now..

Got a mortgage :( It's the one thing I really, really, really want. It's not even about having a great house, or a nice house...just one we own, that no one can take away from us save from us not paying the mortgage. Even if it was in a complete mess, I'd be thanking my lucky stars.

I earn well above the national average, so does DH but living in London with neither of our parents able to help with the deposit has meant at aged 32, we've no chance for a few years.

I would give my right arm for that kind of security, especially now we have a baby on the way. Oh well :) I try to tell myself that everything happens for a reason but this is probably the only thing that really gets me down.

Fizzy, I am 33 weeks and planning on travelling/visiting friends/etc until about 37, when I'll stick closer to home. I tire more easily but as long as I pace myself it's fine and finishing work has given me an enormous boost of energy. I was out hiking most of the day today and still exercise most days. I've done big hikes in this pregnancy and I worked on my feet and I still do workouts and swimming - stopped running around 24 weeks though. So it depends on the pregnancy I think (sparklekitty I really feel for you )

I haven't bought that much baby stuff yet, and am hoping to keep that to a minimum.

This is my first baby so I don't know what I'll think I should have done afterwards! My main aims were to try and stay active/eating healthy/maintain a sex life/friendships/social life... I have done reasonably well, though work was very tough.

I am treating myself to more meals out and spas than I normally would!

And remember 8 months is a long time! I tried to be "my normal self" rather than "pregnant" for as long as possible. Weeks 7-12 were hard with sickness and fatigue, and work's been hard throughout, but outside of that I've just tried to keep on DOING STUFF. I think having lots of interests is good for anyone, and I've been enjoying music festivals and art and events and exploring cities and that. It's nice to develop interests that you could take a kid to too.

Leave the house with just your keys, purse and phone! I have done this about twice since having DC and it is so nice to pop out without a massive bag full of nappies, bottles, spare pants, wet wipes, dinosaurs, books, biscuits etc (and even nicer to come home without a bag full of damp clothing, half-eaten biscuits and scrunched up paper napkins).

Spontaneously nip out to a film or for dinner, epecially in a cafe or restaurant that has no children's menu.

Have sex without worrying about waking the children or, worse, that they will toddle in and catch you at it and that the first you will know about this will be a little voice asking you what you doin'?

Read all those novels that demand a nice long attention span. I will probably get round to reading A Suitable Boy when DD is about 20.

Kids are great, they just change your life a wee bit...

Sleep, sleep and more sleep

I too resisted napping because twas lazy. Regret that now.

Weekends away, lots of meals, cinema.

Yy sleeeeeeeep!

Sleep, sleep and more sleep!
All the best to you.

If we have a second DC I will definitely be having regular pedicures towards the end... my feet and toes were not a pretty sight when I was finally able to see them again!!! Also highly recommend getting a mother to be package at beauty salon... it was one of the highlights of my pregnancy (included back, arms and head massage, bump mask and facial). Had it done at 39 weeks and it was 90mins of heaven

Cross post - almost word for word!

I was a horrible insomniac before I got pregnant and pregnancy has made it loads worse (weeing in the night, hip aching, can't get comfortable) ... so I am very jealous of all these people who think pregnancy is a great time to sleep! But that seems like a good plan if you can manage it, yeah!

Put my wedding photos into an album.
Taken some time off before having the baby (best laid plans and all that)
Caught up with friends more after work for a drink or impromptu dinner. I think I miss that ability to casually make plans the most.

Congratulations!

I have nothing to add to suggestions but think spending lots of time with DH is an excellent idea. Doing things like visiting museums, art galleries, the theatre and restaurants all sound superb. My DH would moan like a child at half of those places though...

I did pretty much everything I wanted to

Me and the OH went to Tenerife for a week, we had a new years eve party with our friends, had a day out with shopping and an expensive lunch, plenty of lazy Sunday mornings in bed, meals out and had a perfect couples Christmas

Make the most of the time just you two xxx