My Nurse: “I’m sure you’re ready for this baby to come out at this point.”

Me: “Well most of me is so ready to meet our little one and so done being pregnant, but another part of me is a little sad that this might be my last pregnancy and also knows that being pregnant can be a little bit (ok let’s not kid ourselves) a lot easier than taking care of a new born… so I’m ok with a bit more of a wait if that’s what this baby needs.”

The last few weeks of pregnancy are always so interesting to me, there are a million and one thoughts running through my mind all the time and I keep adding things to the “nesting to do list,” imagining that the world will be completely up-side-down and crazy once the new baby arrives so it somehow all needs to get done now. I keep feeling like there’s just another small project to tackle before baby gets here or maybe we should be more “ready” in terms of the nursery being completely set-up and all the baby clothes neatly tucked into a dresser, but the reality is that’s probably not all going to happen in a week, potentially less, and I need to be ok with the fact that we will never actually be totally “ready.”

Preparing for a new baby kind of reminds me of getting ready for a wedding/ huge party  or preparing for the apocalypse (I know such a bad comparison, but here me out). We over think everything, where the change table needs to go, what we are washing the newborn clothes with and trying to make sure that everything is in it’s proper place before the “big day,” only to realize that on that day and everyday afterwards it’s all about going with the flow. Things can’t stay as you set them up, life is fluid, and what I’ve learned about parenting or party hosting is that once it starts being flexible and allowing yourself to go with the flow is the only way to enjoy the ride and relax a little.

In addition to this, we try to get as many things prepped for the weeks ahead as possible (freezing food, washing laundry for baby clothes up to six months plus and cleaning like crazy) because there is a mind-set that you won’t be able to do anything once the baby arrives. Yes, there is some truth to this, resting, healing and giving the baby constant attention is a very real part of that “fourth trimester,” but the world keeps spinning and even if we aren’t completely prepped (every meal frozen, all the laundry clean and folded) we will still be able to find a way to make it work.

So how am I feeling right now?

• I would love to kick the do-to list’s butt, but I know I can only do so much
• I would love to sleep on my belly again and can’t wait for that!
• I would love to not feel like I am going into labour all-day-long (constant period-like cramps and pressure are not fun)

And …. I can’t wait to meet this little one, but also know that they will come when they are ready.

Do you remember how you were feeling in your last week or weeks of pregnancy? Would love to hear what some of your thoughts were.

xo 

Vanessa