Maternity leave ideas

[Mmolly2013]

I've been on mat leave 1 week. I'm 36+1. I am already bored out of my mind. Can't clean anymore, just me and hubby and he goes to work everyday and I'm then on my own twiddling my fingers.

Any ideas what I can do to keep occupied

Swim. I feel weightless in the pool and its the only time im ache free.

Go see a movie.

Meet a friend for a pub lunch and a Koppaberg.

Nap.

Read.

I go for walks, bike rides, swimming, meet a friend for lunch, meet friends with her kids at the park for a picnic and if i'm having a lazy achey day and it's too hot outside, I'll just watch sons of anarchy on netflix :-)

Don't start mat leave for another 7 weeks but I have a list of things to do.

• wash all baby stuff
• sleep
• go to the cinema
• finish all the knitting I've started
• pack, repack, triple check hospital bag
• have friends come over for coffee and cake
• get all baby furniture in the right places/rooms
• sleep some more
• download lots of films/tv/books to iPad
• batch cook and fill up freezer - pasta sauces, curry, stew, chilli con carne etc

I will have 6 weeks to achieve all of this and guaranteed I'm still going to have not done something.

I do like the idea of going swimming and as my local pool won't be filled with children, I may just go.

Are you crafty? Can you knit/sew/crochet/paint something?

I ended up with 8 weeks between leaving work and having dd 2 weeks late and knitted up a storm. :-)

Yy to batch cooking and swimming. For the next couple of months you won't be able to do anything by yourself so maybe mooch around the shops, have lunch out, meet for cups of tea etc
At home, wash all baby clothes and bed linen. We had to wash our cloth nappies 4/5 times before we used them. That was fairly time consuming!

Relax, life is about to change beyond belief! I crave time on my own now. Meet some local mums-to-be on mumsnet and netmums.

Go to the cinema! I miss it loads now (DD, 6mo).

Read a book.. It'll be a long while before you'll have time or inclination have a pedicure or maternity massage, lovely and u deserve it at this special time!

Batch cook! The last thing you want to do with a newborn is worry about food. Oh and make sure any visitors being you dinner!

*bring, even.

Swim, read, go to the cinema. Enjoy the peace & quiet. Nap.
I also baked a mahoosive carrot cake & spent a lot of time with my feet in a bucket of cold water. (Oddly, now I look back on those days fondly, even though I was as overdue as you can be & was a bit miserable!)

Sleeping, seeing friends for lunch and a crafty project.

Could you keep a diary for the baby and record thoughts, feelings, kicks, anecdotes that you could pass on when they're old enough?

Also, I loved charity shopping, pedicures, box sets and embroidering a birth announcement picture to frame

Sit in a coffee shop and drink beverage of choice in peace and quiet whilst reading the paper from cover to cover at your leisure.

You are great, this is fab! I'm only 5 weeks pregnant at moment, but will use thse great ideas when I (hopefully - miscarried first at 7 weeks in Jan) go on mat leave next year. Bit worried about it all as have worked / studied full-time since 2000 so not used to dossing round house.

Ooh yes a journal! I did one, and have added (a bit!) to it since she was born. I thought it might be interesting to her when she/if she has her own babies.

Find out where all the local baby / toddler groups are. You probably won't need them until baby is older but having a list of possibilities ready will help. Although some of them may have broken up for summer.

Swim.

Go to the cinema (what's that then?!)

If you haven't already done it then look into childcare for when you go back to work, it really isn't something that can be left to the last minute.

I baked a cake, watched lots of TV and did a lot of walking.

Went 12 days over but I think walking helped avoid induction at the 11th hour!