How do people kill time when waiting for labour

[Lola247]

I'm on maternity leave, due in 10 days. It's my first so I'm well aware I could go well over. Any tips if what I should do? I'm really struggling mentally with the unknown I think. I need to keep busy but everything seems so pointless. I know I've got free time that I'll probably never have again so please help me enjoy it.....

Do something like a quirky painting and yo can always associate it with the lovely time and it will have a story behind it.

write a journal about your experience so far and each day, i did this and i love reading it back 10years later.

cook lots of meals to freeze for when baby is here so meal times are easier.

Cinema. Long baths. Naps. Declutter and sort the house. Practice natal hypnotherapy. Walks. Go on youtube and teach yourself to knit/crochet. Batch cook, including cookie dough which bakes from frozen so you always have biscuits. Swim or take a pilates class.

I've just started a huge knitting project, a superking sized throw for our bed. It keeps me occupied, as I slowly go insane waiting for this baby to come along (i'm due in 8 days so I feel your pain).

If you want something to keep you mentally occupied the open university does short free online courses, there might be something there to keep you interested/distracted?

ALL THE NAPS! Don’t skip even one

Batch cooking is also a good shout. I also pre-bought long-life milk, tins and sachets, which still serve me well four months on.

I cleaned the house from top to bottom, got my hair cut, pampered myself in the bath, mooched around the shops and enjoyed lunch in town. And walked loads to see if I could get baby to move.
Others always say to enjoy your last baby free time, but it was so hard, its both a boring and exciting time

Go and get your hair cut! It will be difficult to fit in a haircut in the next few months

I got a real nesting urge with my first so spent around 4 days frantically cleaning non stop

See if any friends/family are free to meet up for lunch

Look up baby announcement cards online, and make sure you have everyone's addresses ready to send them out.

Go for a walk every day

Haircut is a good shout.

Oh yes! I did a list of everyone who was likely to buy gifts, then when they did I just noted quickly what they bought so when it came to thank you cards I didn't need to use any brainpower remembering who bought what.

If you find anything that helps, let me know. I honestly feel like I've been pregnant for years. I'm 37 weeks +1 so know I've probably still got ages but it's driving me mad. I also hate the unknown and what signs of labour to look for. I'm worried that I won't have anything obvious until last minute and I won't get to hospital on time (40 minutes away)x

Sleep, sleep & sleep.

I didn't sleep at night, was shattered during the day.

Go for lunch, catch up on boxsets, long bath & showers.

I was doing just fine with all the haircuts, walks, crafts etc until I went overdue and tried to walk a bit too far, my SPD went nuclear and I basically could no longer climb the stairs, sit, stand, walk, or even lie down in any position. I killed time by bouncing fruitlessly on my big ball to try and jiggle the little sod out, and begging patronising midwives to be induced, please, now. They didn’t. I was trying to sleep on the sofa sitting on a plastic bag (to enable swivelling) with my legs up, a sort of pillow fort propping me up, DH on the floor beside me because he didn’t want me to be alone, and ddog in the room too because otherwise he’d feel left out. It was... not brilliant. I did get to amuse myself when DH took me for morale boosting coffees though - a clearly pained, limping, VERY heavily pregnant woman can induce genuine terror in all those she meets, especially when she shares the fact that she is a good week and a half overdue, ime. Teehee

Was worth it to get DS (13 bloody days late, and was induced in the end!) but I am never going to do it again! Get on with the bouncy ball jiggling and for gods sake, listen to your body (as I did not) and don’t overdo it. Good luck!

Wax. Pedi/Mani. Get your hair done. Unpack and repack hospital bag several times. Nap. Play with the new pram/carseat. Clean the house. Nap. Eat all the food. Nap. Drink raspberry leaf tea. Bounce on a gym ball. Moan a lot. Nap.

Glorious wonderful sleep and I walked the dog a lot.

When i was 39wks with DD DH taught me the basics of poker and then set me up on an online poker site. A free one not real gambling, he wouldn’t have wanted me to lose actual money. It was so much fun and I got pretty good. DH is from a family of pro poker players though so he taught me lots about the statistics and probabilities as to what your opponents hand hold etc. Its very good at distracting from pregnancy, but one to avoid if it might lead to a genuine gambling addiction, I don’t want to offend anybody who has struggles in that respect.

Clean, make sure the house is well stocked, do an online food shopping order that you can have delivered once baby arrives and you are ready for it, clean some more (you will literally do no cleaning for months, so get on top of it now if you're someone who cares about these sorts of things). Then go enjoy yourself. Go for a spa day, massage, facial, etc. (I'm getting a massage and facial first day of my mat leave, which I did first time around as well), go out to lunch, go out for coffee and read a book, go see a film (by yourself or go with a friend or your partner if they're free), take a nap, get some sort of exercise every day (walking and swimming are great). With my first, I managed one proper day of mat leave (had the massage and facial and spent the afternoon swimming) and then I went into labour that night. I was 37+5. I'm glad I got to do at least that, but I was really sad about all the magazines and books I never got to read. I didn't touch them for 9 months because I was so exhausted and overwhelmed once baby arrived.

What mindutopia says. Both mine came early and I really wished I'd gone on leave earlier and got some calm time!

Sleep and watch boxsets. Make a list of easy to prepare meals and as others have said , batch cook and freeze some food.

Find out where your local registry office is (or the one nearest your hospital) and bookmark their webpage/save their number for registering your baby's birth.

Make up a first aid bag. Fill it with infacol , Calpol, saline nasal drops etc.

Both of mine came early, so got less than 2 days "off" for each. I managed to get my hair cut and bought some "big knickers" - which was good.

Are you not nesting like mad and cleaning the skirting boards with a toothbrush?

Go to a breastfeeding support group if you plan to breastfeed, a sling meet group if you want to use slings, a bumps + babes/early days coffee morning by NCT if there's one near you - it all gets you out and about and meeting people which will help you get back on your feet after the birth. Plus if you want support with anything later, you'll already know where to go.

Yes to haircut as you'll struggle to get one afterwards.

Definitely a haircut

Sleep!

Start watching a really engrossing box set, one that you can't wait to get to the all-thrills-and-spills-edge-of-the-seat-can't-breathe-with-excitement concluding episode.
Sod's law, you will go into labour ten minutes before you are planning to put that episode on.

Then you'll have something to look forward to in about two years when you finally have time to watch it!

Sleep, clean, batch cook, do all the laundry, buy more sanitary pads than you ever think you will need, stock up on snack foods for when you are sleep deprived and starving at 3am....once all that is done then do all the things you won't be able to when baby arrives - long lie-ins, cinema trips, meals out with friends/DP, read a good book etc. If you plan to breastfeed I'd save decent box sets and Netflix for the marathon cluster feeding.

Things I've enjoyed so far:

Batch cooking - things like bolognese and burgers, beef or chicken pies and pizza dough and sauce (which can be pizza or pasta sauce) I've also been able to make me and DH really nice wholesome dinners each day which I've enjoyed.

Crafts - I'm crocheting a granny square blanket for the baby, I can do 1-5 squares a day whilst watching an episode of something on netflix. Also I started a cross stitch which I do whilst listening to a true crime podcast usually. (Side note: Podcasts have been great!)

Dog walking - I take my dog on a 30 - 90 min walk every day, I feel better after getting some air even if its rainy and I like to think its probably good for helping the baby get nice n low. Don't go too hard though, I walk dead slow.

Baths - Seriously! I've taken a bath nearly every day, I use bath bombs and bubbles and light candles and put music on or read or listen to a podcast and make it last a good hour. Its lovely.

Cleaning / Sorting the house - I've redone our whole bathroom since I've been on maternity leave, just doing a little bit each day, like painting the radiator one day then the skirting board the next etc. Again, you have to be careful not to go too hard. Also I've been going through my clothes and donating to charity and also tidying those 'bits' drawers you have full of crap and odds and ends.

Ebay stuff - This one has been great for getting some extra pennies in before baby comes, its surprising how much you can get for the things you have cluttering up your loft / under your bed.

I hope this helps a little bit!