The Torture That is the Baby Waiting Game
I'm not going to mince words. I hate being pregnant. Have hated it through both of my pregnancies. And have especially hated the last weeks of pregnancies BOTH times. And, I am SO DONE with feeling guilty about it.
It is such a blessing to be able to carry a child to term. The miracle that is child birth, is mind boggling and special beyond belief. But, I'm tired of feeling guilty for not enjoying every second and basking in the glory that my body has done the work and created two magnificent humans. I have many, many friends that enjoyed all of it and, with the best of intentions, love to tell me that once I have the baby, I will miss being pregnant. You go girl! These women are my heroes. Hell! I wish these miracle women that I love so dearly would do me a solid and carry my babies for me. Still - not feeling it.
And what is it with due dates? Why do we, not to mention the other people around us, get all obsessed with this presumed date on a physical calendar of when our tots are supposed to show up for this mythical "birthday?" What a joke! Rumor has it that only 5% of babies are born on their due dates.... So, why do we have to throw a date at it at all? I remember at the beginning of this pregnancy, I told myself from day one, not to focus on the date. I attempted to actually FORGET about the date! When people would ask, "Oh, when are you due?" I'd try to politely respond with, "Early July." Never good enough. All these lovely people with the best of intentions would immediately probe further.... "No, but when is your actual due date?" I would think, "Are you hearing yourself? Due dates are crap!" I won't try to die on this hill, but due dates might just be my very worst enemy and after I do get this tiny human out of my body, I'm committing to a vow of never asking a pregnant woman about her due date, EVER. AGAIN.
None-the-less, discomfort and all, I'm still pregnant. Here are 5 things that I've decided to do for myself after pregnancy number one to keep my calendar full and my mind busy.
1. Take my husband out on a date.
My midwife team actually suggested this. They claimed that it would help us connect and keep our minds off the actual date. I personally think it is a great idea. At a minimum, it allows us to have some alone time and celebrate the fact that we did, in fact, make it to full term. Movies? Dinner? A long hike up a mountain in order to induce labor... Sure! The options are endless.
2. Get a facial.
I can be so bad about really taking care of myself and end up putting others needs before my own. I do enjoy being pampered and as a woman in my 30's, taking care of my skin is REALLY important. It does get harder once you have an infant in hand, so I took the time to make the appointment AND book another one for the week following my due date, just in case I need it. Don't forget to schedule somewhere with good, healthy, organic ingredients! Good for you, good for baby, and great for the senses.
3. Must have - a mani and a pedi.
I actually do try to regularly get my nails done. It makes me feel good! But, I think when you can hardly reach your feet around your new, giant belly, a pedicure is a dream. Plus, no one wants to be distracted look at their grubby nails knowing that it may be a few weeks minimum once baby is here to stay. I've got appointments scheduled out at my favorite salon for the next several weeks, knowing that I can always cancel if baby arrives. But, it's wonderful to know that there's a little something special scheduled just for me on the calendar for the next few weeks.
4. Get a prenatal massage.
I'm sure you're seeing a trend here. For most women, as we get closer and closer to our due dates, more and more of our tasks on home and/or work schedules have been checked off in order to clear our schedules to have time to devote to our newest, little family member. However, once the date we are expecting them comes and goes, a lot of us find ourselves with not much to do allowing our minds to go crazy as to why our baby hasn't yet arrived! My husband, a very clever man, booked me two prenatal massages for the last few weeks of pregnancy. So. Sweet. It is said that prenatal massages once you are full-term can also help to encourage labor! My tip of advice here though is that you make sure to verify that you can lay face down on the table that is specifically designed for pregnancy before you book. I've had a few massages between the two pregnancies where my only options were to lie on my sides and it was NOT enjoyable. I have to sleep on my side, my hips hurt and my sciatic pain is nuts! Lay on my side to get relief in an expensive massage, no thanks!
5. Getting dressed up, at least a little, everyday.
When you're feeling like hell... There is something really nice about having a kind woman look at you with understanding and tell you that you look beautiful. Most days in my last few weeks of pregnancy, all I've wanted to wear has been leggings and my husbands T-Shits. But, I've encouraged myself to take a warm shower and put myself together for two reasons. One, I've already paid for the maternity wear and as this is my last baby, I may as well get as much use out of them in these final remaining days as I can. And two, hearing the compliment for how beautiful your dress is is FAR nicer than having people randomly tell you that you look like you're about to pop.
All-in-all, I encourage you to take care of yourself in anyway you see fit. In the coming days or weeks, it is going to become all about the baby. It just IS consuming. So, although I might be praying to the heavens right now that this baby comes into the world as soon as friggin' possible, I still believe that there is nothing better than using this additional time to take care of mama. We deserve it! AND, it IS okay to feel this way.
xx heather-scherie