There’s no waiting game like waiting for labor to start, am I right? If pregnancy feels like a lifetime, the days you go past your due date feels endless. Unlike other life changing event, this date is just hypothetical and labor rarely happens on that exact date, which makes the waiting so different. Also, we are living with our due date for such a long time that there is such an anticlimax when the day comes and passes with no action. Disappointment in its purest form. And this is why I’m writing this post, as a little love letter to all my disappointed, impatient mamas looking for time to quickly pass by. Here are 10 things you can do while waiting for this life altering moment to make its entrance.
Immerse yourself in water.
Carrying a baby is heavy work, especially at the end when we carry a lot of extra weight. My favorite place to be at the end of my pregnancy was in water. All the weight disappeared and floating around in water was a little bit like getting a break from being pregnant, like someone else was carrying the weight of the baby for a while. This is so such a great way to release pressure off your back and hips. And everything feels so much better when surrounded by water.
Take a nap.
Have you been walking up and down hills and stairs for the past few days, because it’s supposed to kickstart labor? Oh I know, I did that too. But as great as walking is, rest is just as important. Did you know that most labors start at night? Probably because we are resting and calm, and that way the body feel that we’re ready. So why not take an extra nap and get some rest in before the hard work starts.
Eat the snacks you packed in the hospital bag.
I know you’re looking at the snacks in the hospital bag, I know they’re calling your name. So just eat them! Sit down in your couch, put those legs up and open up that snack bag! Who’s going to stop you? And if someone is actually trying to stop you, just tell them to back off. That past due date pregnant attitude will hopefully help you here.
Go buy new snacks for the hopsital bag.
Now that you ate all the snack packed in the hospital bag, you have a good reason to go buy new snacks (and pass some time at the store). A little side not here: this procedure is perfectly fine to be repeated for as many days as needed.
Document this time and your feelings.
Waiting for labor to start is a time filled with anxiety, happiness, anger, impatience, love, etc. While this time feels like forever, it is not. And once baby is born it’s going to feel like forever ago. Take a moment to write down your thoughts and feelings for you to remember this time. It is SO easy to forget. And document this time with photos as well! I know that everything most likely feels mundane right now, but it is so much fun to have some photos to look back at later.
Give yourself an unnecessary gift.
My friend told me that she was advised to give herself a gift for each day past her due date that came and went. And who else usually feel guilt when buying something unnecessary for themselves? Take this time to gift yourself something you don’t need but WANT. You very much deserve it (always of course), but now especially!
Go out to eat.
You deserve it! Go out to eat, spend some quality time with your partner, while sharing some delicious food that you didn’t have to cook. It is getting heavy at this point – as it should when you have a full grown baby inside you – and being on your feet cooking is exhausting. Treat yourself with a tasty meal that someone else prepared. This is the perfect time for it!
Go get a massage or a manicure / pedicure
Let’s just be honest, once the baby arrive it will most likely take some time before you do this again. So take this time to enjoy getting some self care in. And imagine a pedicure with a good foot massage, when your feet are sore from carrying xx extra pounds for 9 months.
Organize whatever space it is in your house, that is a hidden mess.
We all have that space that is for our eyes only, like the closet Monica in Friends has. Where we throw stuff that doesn’t belong anywhere. Am I right? Make use of some hours by organizing that space. It might take your thoughts off the repeated “why hasn’t labor started yet”.
Bake something really good, alternatively, go buy some really good baked goods.
Get started on a baking project, make your favorite cake! This will occupy you for a few hours (especially if you need to go buy some of the ingredients). And after you spent a few hours baking, you get to enjoy a delicious treat. Also, make enough for you to put some in the freezer, so that you can bring it out once your back from the hospital with your baby. This is a total win-win!
There you have it, 10 things you can fill your day(s) with while impatiently waiting for the action to start! I hope some of these suggestion will come into good use, while you’re waiting for baby to be ready to enter the outside world. And remember, as hard as it is to believe, this phase won’t last forever!
