How on earth do you stay active in late pregnancy?!

[Fluffybastardcloudkittens]

I know I should be active, upright, encouraging my baby into a good position for labour but I'm sooo tired!

I'm 37+6 today, it's half past 12 and I'm still in my nighty on the sofa. Surely I can't be the only one who struggles to follow the advice to keep active.

Apart from general exercises and a prenatal yoga DVD, I've got loads of chores to be getting on with but I just can't motivate myself to get up!

Well, in my case I had dogs to walk so it was a necessity, rather than something I should have done. Nevertheless it did seem to give me energy for the rest of the day.

But if you don't feel like moving, don't! You'll be busy enough soon...

I was the same in my first pregnancy. Second pregnancy was a different story because I had a just-turned-two year old to run around after! So my advice would be to make the most of it, particularly if you're planning on doing it all over again in a few years time

Enjoy it while you can Rest is important too, and if your body is telling you to take it easy, then so be it.

I used to walk to the cake shop

Same as Really. I was very lazy in my first pregnancy but have had no choice but to be active with this as the 3 year old wants to be out and doing things.

Relax and enjoy it!

haha, yes first baby and nobody depending on me at the moment. DH was ill for a few weeks so I had to just suck it up and get on with things then but he's better now so sod it! I will make the most of vegetating whilst I can.
I looked at the spinning babies website because I was a little worried about baby being back to back and it caused me some irrational prenatal anxiety I think. But you know what, labour is bloody hard either way right?

I worked up to about a week before DD1 was born, and that involved sitting at a desk all day.

Outside of getting to and from work, I could hardly walk anyway. I had such awful water retention, I couldn't even get any shoes on - had to wear flip flops to work, so exercise was out of the question really. They gave me my own parking space at work - one of the disabled ones right by the front door - because I couldn't walk very far. Even driving was difficult because I was so big

I feel for you Middleagedmotheroftwo I think I'm feeling a bit guilty taking it easy because I've been very lucky in this pregnancy, had no severe pains or swelling. My original plan was to still be working now, I'm so glad that I changed my mind.

My second pregnancy wasn't so bad. DD1 is now 18 - she was born in 1995 at the end of a very long hot summer and I don't think that helped me much.
I hated my first pregnancy - was sick every morning until about lunchtime for the first 4 months, and had dreaful water retention for the second 4 months. There were a couple of weeks in between when I did the "blossoming" bit.
I remember sitting outside on the patio in the small hours of the morning, in tears because I was too hot and uncomfortable to sleep, night after night.
Worth it though - she's a lovely DD

I'm 37 weeks today and counting 'activity' as anything that isn't be lying on the sofa with my feet up. If I make lunch, put on a clothes wash, go upstairs to the loo, make the bed: all counts as activity. I am not fit for much else!

good point weebigmamma! I just got up for my 100th wee today AND made a sandwich! Phew

36 weeks today and apart from walking toddler to pre-school and back every day, I am pretty sedentary. I am 'supervising' a lot of his games from the sofa when he's at home! Just so uncomfortable and my back aches when I'm busy, plus restless legs means I need to keep elevating them which involves lying on my back a lot! I do keep feeling bad about slouching such a lot and keep berating myself for it as I know it isn't optimum for baby positioning...

I was like that first pregnancy. Now I'm on no. 3 it's all toddler groups, school runs and forced activity!

One thing I will say is that the less you are active, the more tired and exhausted you tend to get (obviously things like SPD or illness are different kettle of fish entirely). It becomes a bit of a self fulfilling cycle. I think that, by 36 weeks with DD1, I could cope with less activity than I can with DC3 at 36 weeks.

With DD, I sat on my birth ball for 12-14 hours a day watching The Olympics followed by The Paralympics. I plan to watch The Commonwealth Games this time...if DD will let me!

I had a bit of an energy burst at the end of my pregnancy & literally from 38 to 41 weeks didn't stop!

Made up for all the weeks I didn't move my arse.

Don't worry. Take care.

I'm 37 weeks today too and am still at work, finishing tomorrow. I actually feel fine so don't think baby will be turning up any day soon

stargirl that is exactly my plan too. I applied for commonwealth games tickets and was a bit gutted that I didn't get any. but then I found out I was pregnant and my due date is the day after they finish so i'm very relieved I didn't, especially as I live about 6 hours away from Glasgow!!

I'm 41 weeks today (!!!!!) and as tempting as it is to sit about all day especially with back and groin pain, I've found males getting in to a routine- without it I do nothing all day!
Get up around 8/8.30, have breakfast/watch tell, shower- done by 9.30. Then do some housework til around lunchtime- if not loads to do then sort out a cupboard or something, then prepare lunch and have lunch. Rest a little. Then a short walk around 2.30-3/3.30, then wash up from breakfast/lunch, start preparing dinner and then out feet up and watch countdown/deal or no deal on channel 4+1 til hubby gets home, then sort him with a drink /cook dinner, eat dinner, wash up, chill for evening. Often I'll walk in to town too to buy any groceries we need.
Like I said, if I didn't have a routine I'd do very little :-) I could live with it, hubby couldn't!!

Males? Not males, myself!!

mummyk that's a good routine, perhaps I'll try and do something similar (starting tomorrow!) I had quite a relaxed day last week but then had a terrible night's sleep, I'll probably be wired and not sleep tonight. On the other hand though, if I went into labour tonight I'd be well rested.
I'm finding it really difficult to find a balance, I need to get used to sleep deprivation but I am currently useless without a good nights sleep.

Yeah I found myself struggling with sleep but actually find I sleep better if I've done lots during the day. Also hubby and I often watch a film of an evening before bed so I find that tends to help me 'wind down' or relax a bit before getting in to bed

MummyK, that's brilliant- good on you- i'm planning on doing the same at your gestation, a nice daily routine incorporating cleaning and walking.. and squats and perineal massage!

Although i'm 28 weeks now and have noticed a sharp decline in my mobility in the last week, so cant fathom what it'll be like in 12 weeks??!!!!!!! Planning on starting aquarobics next Monday, apparently it's fantastic during pregnancy.
At the moment i'm only managing a short walk to work daily, and yoga once a week- like Penguin says, energy creates energy, so i really need to up the ante before it's too late.

I'm struggling to be active now at 39+4 not helped by spd & spending the whole of Monday contracting regularly until it all stopped. Since then I've got constant aches and niggles.

Having said that I'm still fairly active because I'm looking after our two boys (4 & 2) so I can't sit around all day, as tempting as it is!

With my first I really did nothing but nap, meet dh for lunch, watch tv & read - which sounds like bliss right now!

I agree staying active is better though. I get so bored if I sit around all day and I'm sure I'm fitter this time round.

In my second pregnancy I had dd1 who couldn't walk until I was 36 weeks pregnant.

I did a manual job until 37 weeks and to get to work I had to walk about 4 miles a day pushing a buggy........

I stayed pretty active - did gym classes til 38 weeks and then walked a mile to a pregnancy yoga class everyday til the day before I went into labour. But I've always exercised a lot and had an easy pregnancy with minimal weight gain, so it was easy for me to keep it up.