Maternity leave - waiting for baby - what to do!

[KoalaPineapple]

Hi, I’ve started maternity leave this week and I’m just waiting for baby! I’m tired and a bit achey but generally well so I’m finding it a bit boring and frustrating already (and could have 4+ weeks of this if it goes to 42 weeks)!!!

What things did you/can you do to pass the time? (Washing all done, baby stuff prepped already etc!)

Absolutely nothing! Sit down and relax and watch Netflix!

Oh how I wish I could! I did have a lie down yesterday afternoon but then I wake up and feel like an inactive grumpy potato and I can’t concentrate on the TV never mind the restless legs 😂

Batch cook! I filled the freezer before I had DD and it was a godsend. In those early days when you feel that you barely have 5 minutes to shower, making an actual meal seems like a monumental challenge. Get prepared with lots of nutritious meals that can be chucked in the oven or microwave and ideally be eaten with one hand whilst holding baby.

Following as it's my first day of mat leave today... though I have plenty left to prep haha!

I'm 38 weeks today and have an elective c-cection booked next week.

I would LOVE to laze about for the next week. My 'to do' list has about 15 jobs on it which we are gradually getting through but keep finding new ones go add. My partner works and we have a toddler so when she's awake, at least one of us is closely supervising her whilst not really being able to crack on with jobs. The big stuff is done, but lots of smaller jobs which take time.

Enjoy your maternity leave! In answer to asking what you should do, the answer is 'whatever you like! Or come and give us a hand as our days of being able to do jobs are dwindling fast!!!

I was trying to engage my baby in the last few weeks as he was just balancing on top of my pelvis for weeks! So I spent the time walking the dog a lot, also got on my hands and knees and scrubbed kitchen cupboard doors and hand mopped the downstairs floors! (None of this worked and I ended up having to be induced after all)

also get a hair cut if you’ve not done this already! Might be a while before you can get another

otherwise just try to relax and do stuff you enjoy doing that you might not have time for later (reading, jigsaws, whatever floats your boat really!)

Do what you would like, catch up with friends, see family, watch tv, go to the pub for a meal, batch cook and just relax. Enjoy your me time before little one comes.

Last time around I read books, went for walks (slow shuffles), met up with friends on their lunch breaks, painted the kitchen ceiling, did some weeding in the garden – sitting down, swimming, batch cooked, batch cooked some more, sewing, daytime cinema, museums, gardens, national trust, many many scones. Think of everything you normally like doing on holiday or weekends and do that. This is the holiday bit, then the baby arrives and holidays are ruined forever

This time around it’ll be December and cold but I can get things ready for DD’s Christmas, which will otherwise be ruined by the arrival of a screaming goblin. And un-vacuum-pack all her baby stuff I guess.

I went on Mat leave at 38 weeks and I just gave the house a good clean because I knew there’d be no time when baby came! I had my little boy at 39 weeks so I didn’t get as much ‘’me time’ as what I thought I would in the last couple of weeks!

Batch cook, watch Netflix, go out for lunch

I second Netflix. If you cannot bear to sit still, try and get yourself one of those large gym balls you can sit on, and watch while bouncing on it. It will help to move things along and to keep yourself active towards your due date.

I had a long wait and did some batch cooking as this is one of the most common suggestions, but did not find it too useful. Those meals ended up staying in the freezer for a long time until I forced myself to use them.
What I did enjoy, and felt it was a good way to spend my time, was experimenting new recipes and dedicating some time to cooking complex meals. I love doing that but I knew wouldn't have a chance to do it for a long time after the baby was born, and I was right. Generally speaking, if you feel you've taken care of all practical things already, this is really what I'd recommend doing: Think about those activities that you enjoy but won't be able to do while caring for a small child, and use your time now to do those. You won't regret it.

Read some books, enjoy going out without it being like a military operation with planning, Netflix, go swimming, basically do anything! Most things become a little trickier with a baby (not all things and not for long but you know what I mean) so just do all the things!

To be honest the first time round I just lazed around watching various series on Netflix mainly! I just wanted to rest. I took naps, checked the hospital bag about 600 times! I went for walks but I didn’t feel like going far. I just enjoyed not planning or doing anything really.
2nd time round I didn’t have that luxury as I had a 2 and a half year old!
Just enjoy some downtime before the baby comes.

Do everything in the house that will annoy you not being done in two years.

Enjoy being on your own with no responsibility.

I highly recommend a solo cinema trip. I went to an Everyman (swanky) early morning screening, can't even remember the film. It was lush.

Get out of the house! Get a book. Go and sit in a cafe, or sit in a pub. Go to the cinema.

I planned to spend some time relaxing in the garden with a book. She came early and the book I started is still unread. Also practical things you might not have time for after like haircut, waxing, dentist etc. Go out for lunch or coffee and cake. I would have spent more time reading about breastfeeding, bottle feeding and other baby stuff - I did all the anti natal classes but felt totally unprepared when she arrived, especially when breastfeeding didn’t work out and I was trying to work out what we needed for bottle feeding in a sleep deprived brain fog.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

Relaxing any way you fancy. Lunches, cinema, coffees, lazing in the garden. Netflix can wait, you’ll be watching loads of it with a newborn.

Also, any life admin that will fall due in the next 3 months. I did my taxes instead of leaving it til January, ordered various consumables for the house, etc. Find out how to register baby with your GP and pre-emptively print/fill forms. My brain is definitely not super sharp right now with a 5 week old so I’m glad I dealt with it all.

Also agree with @trrk, any self care you usually do like hair, nails, waxing. I also went to the dentist & hygienist, got a mole check up and saw the optometrist in my 2 weeks before the baby arrived.

I'm going to reiterate batch cooking!

Sit down and watch tv, guilt free.

Go and have a lazy few sessions in Starbucks/ wander round the shops aimlessly. When baby is here, you'll soon realise how easy life was when you could just hop out of the car to pop in somewhere without a second thought! Enjoy 😊

Sat on the sofa and watched boxsets 🤷🏼‍♀️ i'm not a person that feels the need to be busy, i'm quite happy to have full on lazy days

I batch cooked quite a bit so there were meals ready for us once the twins arrived. It definitely helped in those early weeks.

Get a massage! And a haircut. I wouldn't get your nails done mostly because of the faff if baby comes and honestly taking off nail polish is not going to be a priority.

And try to plan a few outings with friends or family ideally some a week in advance- you can always cancel! Do some yoga each day if you like it, good for getting baby engaged. Sit on the birth ball and watch a box set. Batch cook meals that you like (mine have been such a god send in these first few weeks of parenting). I also found that thinking of 42 weeks as the due date rather than 40 was important for not getting disheartened when she didn't arrive 'on time'

Go for a swim, a pamper day, go for a nice lunch etc basically anything that you enjoy currently doing alone 😂
I went on Mat leave at 35 weeks with DD and DH came home to find me redecorating the livingroom, I couldn't sit still.