Making the most of maternity leave pre baby.

[Stampynono]

Was just about to start a thread saying how fed up I was and I just want to meet baby. I am 39 weeks today.

But then I saw someone has already started that thread and lots of women are fed up too

So instead I am starting this thread to ask for tip on enjoying ml.

This is baby no.5 but my others are at school so apart from DC1 I have not had a stretch of time at home on my own.

What can I do to treat myself? I am mostly cooking nice food and watching TV, but alas I am still fed up.

Could be worse, I was signed off from 25 weeks with spd. Was on double crutches so could do sod all for 3 months! Bored doesn't even begin to cover it!

Get a haircut/ pedicure/ manicure/ pregnancy massage?

Read that novel you've been meaning to for ages

Go to the cinema during day on your own (one of life's greatest pleasures, to me!)

Meet up with friends or family for coffee/ lunch and a chat

Go for a nice walk or swim

I plan to clean, clean, clean and cook! The excitement! (though I'm actually really looking forward to it).

With my second I treated myself to weekly reflexology and spent a lot of time visiting friends for uninterrupted coffees.

This time round I finish work at 32 weeks so have ages to kill but a house to blitz, a freezer to stock-up with fork food, my roots will need doing.... I'm hoping to get to the local pool a few times a week for a wallow dip, visit some old friends, maybe have the odd massage.

Ooo! Lucky you. I remember those precious weeks.

I had a pregnancy massage, a pedicure, met friends for lunch, took afternoon naps, batch cooked and read books. It was amazing until I went overdue with both and that took the edge off!

I had two months off before dc1

Nap! And do lots of projects that require long stretches of undisturbed time - I sorted all our photos into albums.

i remember that time too - i lay on the bed ate sweets and read magazines

lovely :)

Saved up annual leave so very lucky have that to use up now from week 37. So far this is what I have done for the first three days of annual leave -

1. Eat breakfast in bed made by DH before he leaves at 7 am
2. Go back to sleep cuddling Ddog - we both sleep till 10.
3. Waddle downstairs after morning wash etc, put on a favourite film, chuck a snack into my gullet,
4. Eat a proper hot lunch,
5. Play with Ddog in the sun
6. Once lunch has gone down listen to some birthing tapes while doing circles on my birth ball or all fours to stretch
7. Snack.
8. Cook dinner with DH, eat, watch telly
9. Have hot shower with lavender oil, Everyone upstairs by 8 pm, DH massages whichever body part is sore, watch silly telly in bed, all asleep by 10.

Rinse. Repeat. Bliss.

I finish next Tuesday at 35 + 4 and cannot wait! I'm taking delivery of a chest freezer to batch cook, sorting all our junk out and canvassing help from DM and DMIL to do some cleaning. Once I'm done I'll be mainly sitting on the sofa watching homes under the hammer.

I've been home since 25 weeks due to redundancy. Now nearly 36 weeks and can't say I've been bored at all. Although I can't figure out how I ever used to have time for food shop/cleaning/socialising etc whilst working full time as there aren't enough hours in the day now!

I've not even done half of what I intended to before baby arrives so starting to stress about it a bit

I've been off for a week, the flat has never been so clean, I've watched a lot of Netflix, I've cooked lovely dinners with extra portions to freeze for when the baby comes and I can't be arsed to make dinner, I've had my haircut, I've had lovely naps, I've hung out with my friend who is also on maternity, I'm having a lovely time .

Yesssss!! This is what I need to embrace.

I have no one to hang out with though

Tomorrow I am going to go to the bookshop and pick a nice book, also treat myself to tea and cake.

oh yes, did massive batch cooking before annual leave began. Both freezers stuffed with chicken casserole, meatballs, soups, biriyani, beef curry, chilli, jackets! and two shelves of junk like sausage rolls, samosas, spring rolls, dim sums, mini pizzas, burgers, chips and nuggets

Eat out at non-child-friendly places.
Go to gigs (yes, really).
Sleep late in the mornings.

I am jealous - 32 weeks and can't wait to start mat leave. Dd was born slightly prematurely and I didn't get any mat leave before she was born, I'm really hoping to get a few weeks off this time.

I will :

Pack hospital bag
Write birth plan
Sort and wash baby clothes
Print dds baby photos and put in album
Xmas shopping
Do swimming / yoga / hypnotherapy
Clean house
Sleep
Spend time with dd (non nursery days)