Before you start to wonder, no - this won’t be another list of things that pregnant ladies should do, like health check ups, researching health insurance, creating a birth plan and so forth! We know that amongst the beauty of it all, pregnancy can be quite a stressful time for our mamas. You’re given a handful of advice on what not to do - and a generous helping on what you should be doing to make sure your baby arrives healthily. However, somewhere along the lines - these articles start to forget about you, the mother-to-be! This list will be of things that all of you, our baby mamas, should treat yourself to before the arrival date!
Babymoon
This one is a must! Not only is planning super fun and exciting, but also being able to look forward to going on the trip of course. While you should always take time to appreciate each other everyday, amongst all the preparations it can often be easy to forget how much both of you are doing for the baby! And we all know that once your bundle of joy arrives, you won’t have all the time in the world to be with your partner - at least for a few years, anyway. If you have the luxury of being able to take a short trip overseas or even somewhere relaxing and romantic - we say, go for it! It will also be a great time to remember why you make such a great couple, and why you will make a great team as parents too.
Solo escape
Now, while it is super important to spend time with friends and family - you’ll probably want to take advantage of this one as it won’t be often that you’ll get to have alone time for a while! Whether it’s a weekend staycation in your city or even travelling interstate, you should give yourself some time to escape your coworkers, family, friends, partner and even kids. As you know, with parenthood, it will become harder and harder to get time alone to pamper yourself. So book yourself a hotel, bring a book, bask in the sun, have a dip in the pool, and even get a pregnancy massage while you’re at it!
Go out with your mum
Your mum brought you into this world, and we’re sure that she has a lot of stories about you as a baby or a kid. She might even be able to give you some helpful tips or advice on how you can prepare for the arrival - and what types of cheeky & mischievous behaviour you might have to put up with in the near future! Alongside all of this, it would also be a good time to have your mum nursing and caring for you before all her attention turns towards her precious grandchild!
Letters to the baby
We think that a cute thing to do is to write a letter to your baby - and if you can do that monthly, it would be even better! This is a nice way of documenting your love and thoughts towards your child before they are born. You can also continue writing letters to them every year after they are born to document your feelings as they start growing into their own person! This is something you can pass them when they are old enough to understand & appreciate these letters, such as on their 18th birthday.
Learn something new with your girlfriends
Whether it’s pottery, painting or even a cooking class - it’ll be a fun way to spend time with your friends, all whilst learning something new. Especially since once the baby’s around you won’t have much time to spend with each other or even learn something you haven’t learned before. We think this is a great way to bond and create new memories with your longtime friends!
Maternity photos
Whether you want to do simple photos that can be taken at home, or you want professional photos - documenting the process of your pregnancy will be something you can look back on years after you’ve given birth. You can even decide on cute themes that you can document month to month if you would like!
Spoil yourself
Take a day to spoil yourself. I’m sure you’re aware from reading the abundance of pregnancy books and articles that it’s important to be eating healthy foods and snacks - such as nuts, dry and fresh fruits, and a balanced, healthy diet. However, amongst these 9 or so months, we’re huge believers that you should spend at least one day treating yourself to ice cream, cookies, chocolate and chips! As long as this isn’t a regular thing and you aren’t eating anything you shouldn’t be eating (raw fish, blue cheese, etc.) - one day won’t hurt. You probably shouldn’t do this before a glucose test, though!
Whether you choose to do all these things, or even just picking a few, we believe that mums-to-be deserve all the luxuries and pampering in the world before their baby comes into the world! Remember that your pregnancy shouldn’t be just looking back at all the things you weren’t allowed to eat, the doctors appointments, birth plans and health checkups - it should also be sprinkled few and far between with happy memories of things that you got to enjoy at the same time!
