What to Do on Mat Leave Before Baby Comes?

[Sparklyuggs]

I'm starting mat leave in 10 weeks at 33 weeks, simply as my university course finishes then. I've recently moved overseas so don't have any friends there, so any ideas of what I can do to pass the last 4 weeks would be great.

Oh, I should mention I moved to a small island that doesn't have a cinema or many shops! And I'm not able to leave the island after 34 weeks.

Sleep, rest, batch cook, wash all the little baby clothes

Sleep
Sleep
And more sleep.

How about knitting something gorgeous for the baby?
Cross stitch /embroidery?
Obviously prepare nursery /baby paraphernalia!
Plenty of pampering of yourself of course!!

Sleep

i laid on the bed,read magazines and ate sweets
it was great

I've been pampering myself and sleeping haha

As little as you can manage! I now have a 12 week old DS and i constantly think I didn't make enough of the time I had to myself before he arrived (especially as he came earlier than expected and I only got a couple of weeks of not working!)
Lots of relaxing, long baths, reading, sleeping and eating whenever you want. Enjoy it!

Thank you! I'm a terrible sleeper at the best of times, let alone pregnancy. Any advice on how to get the sleep in now?

Relaxation audio stuff, I found the hypnobirthing ones nice to listen to at this stage of pregnancy and I'd often fall asleep listening.

Batch cook meals for your freezer.

Put your feet up and watch movies! Read books. Go for a swim if there's a pool on the island.

Oh everyone always says 'sleep' it's overrated, you can't bank it. Maybe I'm just bitter as I've never been able to nap.

Read, watch films uninterrupted, stuff the freezer full of meals you can eat one handed. Meet friends for lunch/coffee.

Get off the island for the last week you can and fit in as much cinema and meals out and just wandering about you can manage.

Then bake and batch cook. Read lots. Watch TV. Sleep if you want. Wash clothes and get the last of your labour and birth stuff ready.

I baked and became overly invested in TOWIE when waiting fornDC1 to be born.

Make sure your photos are all backed up so you can have lots of storage for new pictures on your phone!
If you are doing one of those baby record books have a flick through now so you know what kind of things you are meant to be writing down - ours had a page for handprints at two weeks old which we obviously never got round to doing
Buy a load of thank you cards now so you can write them as you go along and don't have to drag a newborn round the shops because you've run out again
Buy and write any birthday cards you will need for the next few weeks

Do as little as possible, you will need the rest before baby comes. Mat leave at 33 weeks could potentially mean a 9 week wait and not 4 weeks though.

Start trying to make friends? Name change and ask mumsnet for tips on doing this in your local area? Do a short course for fun, exercise if your enjoy it? Find out about local Mum and baby groups and go visit them.watch rubbish TV as loud as you want. Pamper yourself (I'm not usually that bothered but it was actually quite nice to look relatively groomed for the first month as I'd done eyebrows, waxing, hair cut and gel nails - DS is 16 weeks now and I look like shit again)

Relax. Binge watch tv series. Sleep. Batch cook for the freezer. Pootle about. That is what I did! I'm pregnant with DC2 at the moment and my biggest concern at the moment is when to tell my mum to come over (we live in different countries). I want her here for the birth but not before, so I can do the pootling without having to think of anyone else!

Not much!

I've done too much and am exhausted.The midwife has told me to bank as much rest as possible and to stop walking and carrying heavy shopping bags every day! I have 5 days until my ELCS so am doing nothing now except reading trashy books, watching catch up TV (I have binge watched this series of Broadchurch - brilliant), batch cooking and some painting - of the hobby variety not of the redecorating kind : )

Gory novels and cake.

Thanks for the suggestions, I've got a nice list building

I'm joining the local version of NCT so hoping to meet some friends there, and will start to look at Mum and baby activities/groups for when he arrives.

At the moment I have a few complications which mean I may end up having a planned section, but definitely aware that it could be 9 weeks if not! I'm hoping to persuade people to visit but understandably a lot want to wait until the baby comes, not that I necessarily want to be descended on as soon as I give birth!

Birthday cards and presents is an excellent idea, and I think I can get a month's pass at the local spa so I can wallow in the pool

Sleep, batch cook, do all the things you have time for because once baby arrives, you'll struggle for time. I was told to catch up on sleep and wish I'd taken that advice. I also wish I'd batch cooked as trying to cook food when you're barely awake and getting it all done before the baby wakes up is difficult.

Sleep, batch cook, do all the things you have time for because once baby arrives, you'll struggle for time. I was told to catch up on sleep and wish I'd taken that advice. I also wish I'd batch cooked as trying to cook food when you're barely awake and getting it all done before the baby wakes up is difficult.