Being pregnant is often an exciting time, especially when you’re becoming a parent for the first time. Your body is changing, your cravings are driving you – and everyone else in the house – up the wall and you’re tired all the time – but nothing will stop your excitement whilst you wait for your bundle of joy.
The only problem is – everyone else is excited for you too. People might stop you in the street and ask about your bump, your friends will rest their hands on you without asking and everyone wants to know how it is going, and sometimes it can feel like you have stopped being a woman and become a baby carrying machine.
Taking time for you is essential before you give birth – it could be months after your baby arrives that you find ten minutes to yourself again! Here are four great ways to make time for yourself when you’re expecting!
Take a Baby Moon
After your morning sickness and before you’re feeling too tired to carry yourself around, why not go on a short holiday to relax before the baby arrives? A weekend in the countryside in a nice B&B, with country walks and good, home cooked pub food could be the perfect treat, or how about a week at the beach (as long as you’re not too far along in your pregnancy to fly) with your loved ones?
Remember to just take the time to relax and indulge in the things you love – and get as much sleep as you can, it might be a while before you get a full nine hours again.
Go to a Spa
Spa days are the best form of relaxation – pregnant or not. However, when you are pregnant it is important to call ahead and make sure they have treatments that are suitable when you’re carrying. Ask your best girls – or even your man, because he is probably stressed out too – to join you and make a day of it (just remember to lay off the complimentary champagne).
Create a Quiet and Baby Free Area in the Home
A reading nook, a sofa in the spare room or transforming the garage or shed into a quiet space (or parent cave) can make all the difference to when you find yourself needing five minutes – both before baby arrives and for years to come. Keep the room free of baby things, and instead include things that are personal to you and your partner.
Invite a Chef
Many people are unaware, but there are a great range of companies who will come to your home and cook for you and your family, clean up the mess and then leave again. It is great for both when the baby first arrives and cooking is the last thing on your mind – but also great for the last few weeks of pregnancy when standing over the stove feels impossible.
Robyn Edwards currently writes for The Kids Window, the online kid’s department store. Visit their site for an extensive range of children’s furniture, toys and fancy dress items.