What to do before baby arrives and not working when relaxation is not possible!

[laurG]

I am currently 34 weeks pregnant and due to go on leave in 2.5 weeks time. The first three weeks (assuming baby stays put) are annual leave. I had lovely plans for this time but as the toll of third trimester symptoms progresses I am not sure how much of this I will actually be able to do!

I had envisaged lovely long lies, sitting out in the garden reading in the sun, DVD binges if its raining, light exercise etc. HOWEVER, I had not envisaged that a) I would not be able to sit/lie or get comfortable on any soft surface due to the baby crushing my lungs and making me breathless and kicking all day long b) That I can't sleep for more than 4/5 hours at a stretch c) I have pelvic girdle pain thats stopped me swimming and again being able to sit/relax for long.

I honestly am most comfortable at work where I am sat straight at a desk and not relaxing and walking about on public transport. I'm wondering whether I might be better off just working for a bit longer as I doubt I will actually be able to get any relaxation done pre baby! Plus Im worried baby is late and I will spend 5 weeks uncomfortably trying to relax when I could have been earning money!

Any advice?

Will your employer carry over your annual leave to the next year if you don't take it this year? If so and you're happy working then stick with working! I'm only 30 weeks but am absolutely desperate to go on mat leave, work 12 hour shifts on my feet the whole time up to 6 days a week (as I have to cover 1 in 4 weekends as well as working normal 4 week days). It kills me some days tbh. Have asked to do half days but work said no :-(

What is it about your positioning at work that makes you feel more comfortable? Could you not copy that at home so you can still watch DVDs etc at home? I have coccydnya since the second trimester so have difficulties getting comfortable, I have a super-padded coccyx cushion at home which alleviates the pain. I'm 37 weeks now and for the last couple of weeks I'm finding it uncomfortable with my back as our sofa is shit and has virtually no back support cos it's broken and tips you backwards but have been sitting in the least broken part on my coccyx cushion with a cushion behind my back too. I also have a 'birthing ball', just an exercise ball, I find sitting on that more comfortable sometimes too when my back is playing up. Obviously you will probably be different but if there's something working for you at work to make you comfortable maybe you could think about how you could apply that at home so you can still sit and watch DVDs and read .

I'm on mat leave now - Friday was my last day of work. I am watching stuff on Netflix, reading, doing gentle exercises and stretches on my yoga mat & exercise ball, last-minute online shopping, hanging about my parents' house for some company watching telly and chatting with them, occasional meals out/cinema etc with DH when he's not at uni, meeting a friend for lunch on the weekend, painting my nails, having long showers with lots of exfoliating, conditioning, and hair removal that I didn't have time or energy for when I was at work, afternoon lay-downs (ideally naps but struggling to fall asleep in the heat and difficulty getting comfortable and needing to pee all the time etc...), baking cakes, cooking...and doing boring household chores like cleaning the bathroom and kitchen and all the laundry, which all takes me much longer than it normally would.