How To Pass The Time While Waiting For Your Baby To Arrive
As your pregnancy gets closer to your due date (or even past your due date), waiting for your baby can be a lesson in patience. With both of my pregnancies, I had pre-labour contractions (not very common) for several days before my labour finally started. Those several days were agonizingly long and tedious while I waited for the big day to finally arrive.
If you find yourself in the waiting game here are some tips and ideas to get through the frustration:
- Distract yourself. Don’t keep focusing on when/if/how… Watch movies, read books, have baths, play board games or cards.
- Do the things you won’t get a chance to do after baby arrives. Get your hair or nails done, going out for dinner, or having a baby free lunch with girlfriends.
- Stay active. Being active can both get labour going and be a great distraction unto itself. Try going for walks (they may be the slow end of pregnancy walks but that’s ok), dance around your house, or bounce on your exercise ball. Of course, make sure that being active is ok with your medical caregiver first.
- Stay off social media. With everyone being so much more accessible it can be frustrating when people keep messaging you or inquiring over Facebook or Instagram if you’ve had the baby yet. This doesn’t help your headspace.
- Have some good laughs. Watch some funny movies, check out a comedy show, watch funny clips on Youtube. Laughter releases endorphins which will improve your mood and is an important hormone during labour. And share the laughs with your partner too…
- Have sex! Sex is one of the best ways to bring labour on. When mom has an orgasm (or several) this releases oxytocin, the same hormone that brings on contractions. Also, the prostaglandin in Dad’s sperm helps to soften the cervix. And after the baby is born most couples aren’t interested in sex for some time so get it while you can. Again check with your medical caregiver to make sure that this is ok.
- Try to treasure this time. If this is your first baby this will be the last time in your life that you are childfree… revel in these last few days the best that you can. As much as those several days of pre-labour contractions drove me crazy, I will always the savour time that I had with friends and family during that period.
- Last but not least – TRUST! Do your best to trust your baby will come when the time is right, and that your birth will happen when it’s supposed to. Do your best to turn your waiting into an enjoyable time.
