Ten (FUN!) Things To Do In The Last Ten Weeks Of Pregnancy

Ten (FUN!) Things To Do In The Last Ten Weeks Of Pregnancy

This week, my husband and I watched home videos. In them, our toddler-age daughter was a chubby infant, usually scrunched faced and fussing, which was her default mode for the first ten months of life.

I have to admit, those videos filled me with equal parts nostalgia and panic.

Those were the hardest months my husband and I ever lived, and we both said we did not want to go back.

And then we laughed, somewhat hysterically, because we are starting over in less than ten weeks as we prepare to meet our second baby girl.

After shutting off those videos, I decided I wasn’t going to make baked oatmeal for the next day’s breakfast as I had planned. Instead, I was going to be wild and crazy and take my book and soak in the tub until my toes pickled.

Sitting there, my belly rising out of the water like an island, I decided I would make a list of things I needed to do before the baby was born.

But instead of the usual boring things (freezer meals, spring cleaning, getting clothes out of storage, ect.), I would make a list of fun things.

So, here goes. First things first:

1. Take baths.

I remember, about four months after my daughter’s birth, taking a bath while eating a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit and reading from the beautiful hardback of The Shoemaker’s Wife. I could hear my daughter crying almost the entire time, but my husband reassured me that he had everything under control. So I just turned the water up to full blast and kept on reading. It was one of the first times after giving birth that I realized life would indeed become normal again.

2. Eat a seven-course meal. With chopsticks.

One of the reasons my experience as a new mother was so difficult was because I taught my child to eat around the clock because I didn’t have confidence in my own nursing abilities (I should’ve known things were working out when my sweet little girl started resembling a sumo wrestler). Therefore, even during suppertime, I would be holding her to my breast and trying to eat without spilling rice in her fledgling hair. Date nights with my husband became even sweeter, as I not only cherished the quality time we shared but also eating a meal with two hands.

3. Watch a matinee.

One of my closest friends and I went out for ice-cream, walked around town, and watched a matinee (The Vow) a few hours before my water broke. I was four days overdue, so we knew I could pop at any moment, and sitting there in the darkened theatre—feeling my baby ripple inside my womb—I was so aware of how fast things were going to change, and I was glad I was keeping busy rather than sitting around, fearing the unknown.

4. Hold hands with your spouse.

I’m just going to be honest: Your marriage hits the back burner for a while until you can find the right setting as new parents. I remember, one date night, leaning against the window of the car and telling my husband that I missed him even though he was sitting right there beside me. That vulnerable moment drew us incredibly close, as we talked about how things had changed, and we held hands as we went around town, doing romantic things like getting Chinese take-out and stopping by the grocery store for milk and a loaf of bread.

5. Go on a babymoon.

In the same vein, I do think it’s essential that a husband and wife set some money and time aside before the baby’s arrival to invest in each other. Now, that doesn’t mean you need to use up your vacation days or break the bank. It could just be a weekend getaway at a local B&B or a cabin at a state park. You won’t regret it—promise!

6. Sprawl across the bed.

Our daughter slept in our bed in a very firm co-sleeper with reinforced sides for the first six weeks of her life. I remember my husband and I both sleeping rigidly (if we slept at all) because—despite those reinforced sides that would’ve been difficult for Hulk to breach—we were scared we were going to roll on her. So sprawl across the bed while you can!

7. Get your sleep.

I’m sure this goes without saying, but your sleep patterns are going to change a wee bit after your baby’s born. So sleep in while you can! I am a firm guardian of my sleep. Even on deadline, I make sure I get a solid eight hours because you never know when you might be pulling an all-nighter with a sick child or a child who has his/her days and nights mixed up.

8. Wear a shirt without buttons or zippers.

It was rather astounding how many items in my wardrobe I couldn’t wear after our daughter was born because – since she fed on demand – I never knew when she would throw a hunger strike and demand to be nursed within twenty seconds or else.

9. Get a massage.

Twelve days before my due date, we discovered our daughter was footling breech. In addition to elephant walking around the house, lying on an inversion table with peas on my belly, and scrubbing baseboards, I also went to a chiropractor who adjusted my torqued pelvis and followed it up with a heavenly massage that left me drooling and mascara-smeared on her table. I loved it so much, I signed myself up for another chiropractor appointment and massage after my daughter was born. Just make sure you sign up for a babysitter, too!

10. Spend quality time with your other children.

And herein lies the beauty of giving birth, giving up sleep, hand-holding with your spouse and inaccessible clothes: I am so positively enraptured with my little girl, who was indeed a demanding infant and now such a wonderful toddler, I am mourning the fact she’s not going to be my only little girl for much longer.

Each day, I find myself holding her tight and kissing her face until even she—a physical-affection person to the max, just like her mama—pulls away and looks at me as if I might be a few fries short of my Happy Meal.

So I often try to do something special for just the two of us: a picnic in the park followed by a splash in the fountain. Picking flowers (weeds). Walking out to the garden hand-in-hand to look at the tomatoes that are still as green as they were the day before.

All of these things cost next to nothing but the moments are priceless.

Soon, my expectant friend, you will get to have moments like these with your own child, and you will know—as I know—that whatever other sacrifices you have to make are so, so worth it.

Veteran mamas, do you have anything else you’d like to add to this list?

And congrats, Cindy (the 27th entrant in last week’s drawing)! You won the double audiobook giveaway from Oasis Audio! The Midwife was #5 on their June bestseller list. 🙂