The last weeks and days of pregnancy can sometimes feel like waiting game in which you’re twiddling your thumbs, waiting for baby to arrive. But as any new parent can tell you, your last moments pre-baby are also your last chance to have some quality “me time” before your little game changer gets here! Because although having a baby is definitely amazing, your life will never be the same again. Sure, you’ll go to the movies again eventually …you might just fall asleep in your seat or lament how much money you’re spending on babysitting. So, while you might be a tad bit uncomfortable in the final days before your due date, try to enjoy this special time. Here are just a few ideas for how to make the end of your pregnancy memorable.
Take a pregnancy picture of yourself. While by now you’re completely used to having a gigantic tummy, once baby arrives you’ll have trouble remembering what it felt like! One of my most precious pregnancy mementos is a photo I have of myself standing in our apartment just days before my son was born. When I look at it now, I can’t believe how huge I was and that my little boy was inside there just waiting to come out. I always tell friends to take a similar photo of themselves as a keepsake.
Start a journal. Baby books are well and nice, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll be too forgetful to actually keep at one. But writing a line here and there every few days? That’s something I can do. I started a journal a month or two before my son was born and have kept at it ever since—sometimes writing every week and sometimes just once a month. It’s fun to go back and read what I was thinking before my son arrived and in the days after he was born, compared to two years down the road.
Get a manicure or pedicure. Once baby arrives, you’ll be reminiscing about all the time you had to spend on yourself. Recently, a pregnant friend called me and during the conversation was debating about whether to spend money on a pedicure or not—after all, it was $25 that could go toward the new baby. “Do it!” I urged her. “You won’t have time for a pedicure for months after the baby arrives.” She did and was glad for treating herself to some well-deserved pampering. Not to mention a massage feels pretty good on pregnancy feet!
Grab lunch or dinner with a girlfriend. Before you become a parent, a meal out on the town is no big occasion. But post-baby? Grabbing a simple salad at a restaurant can feel like a major social event. The first time I went out to dinner by myself sans baby—six months after my son was born—I didn’t stop smiling the entire subway ride there because I couldn’t believe I was finally out of the house. So, linger over a nice meal with a good friend at a favorite restaurant. You’ll remember it with nostalgia soon enough!
Go to the movies. Once baby is here, gone will be the days when you will simply stroll by a movie theater, glance up at the show times, and decide spur of the moment that you want to see a movie. Even if you line up a sitter and buy tickets for a movie in advance, once 8pm rolls around, you may be drained of all energy and wondering what you were thinking. Go enjoy a movie in the theater while you can still stay awake—even if you have to get up and pee every 10 minutes!
Spend a lazy afternoon at a café. One of my favorite things to do when I was pregnant was bring a book to a café and people watch while I ate a leisurely lunch or drank some tea. It’s nice to spend some quiet time by yourself and reflect on your soon-to-be baby while enjoying a non-eventful hour or two. I had many hopes of bringing my sleeping baby to a café and reenacting the same type of quiet afternoon with him—but it was never the same. I just couldn’t relax knowing my son might start screaming any minute!
Sleep in. I am sure everyone is telling you to “sleep while you can.” Unfortunately, you won’t really know what that means until your baby is here and you are utterly sleep-deprived. Regardless, sleep while you can! Even if you are not tired, lay in bed for an extra half hour on a Sunday morning just because you can.
