Bored of waiting around for something to happen

[Serenyd]

Wow the closer I get to my due date the more days seem to crawl by ... I still have plenty of house projects to work on (like that half-painted bathroom for instance) but I'm tired of doing housework (Waaah). I told DP this morning that being pregnant was "so not fun anymore" and he laughed at me - I was kind of joking, but on another level I really mean it!

So what is everyone doing to pass the time/break up the monotony? I'm going stir-crazy over here!!!

[firewoman]

I had the same experience as my due date approached. The days took longer to go by and everything slowed WAY down. It went even slower as I went beyond my due date and you begin to feel as though time may stop altogether and you will be pregnant forever. And then, one day, you go into labor. Then time hits fast forward and your baby is already a week old! ACK!!!

Your LO will be here soon and then he or she will grow WAY TOO FAST!

[MamaAcorn]

I'm throwing myself into knitting. Seriously, it's higher up on my priority list than housework and cooking. I have at least 4 hats to knit, then socks. Yes, I must knit some socks ASAP. I might need more yarn!

I'm also leaving the house more these days. If we leave the house, it's still fairly clean and picked up. If we stay, it gets all messy and then I have to do something about it. Bookstores and the library are great for the kids to play/read while mama sits on the floor and knits (and the bathroom is always close by too.)

[francesmama]

I'm with you. I'm 5 days overdue and feel like I live in the land that time forgot. This is how I'm dealing:

1) I try to keep the house up with a little tidy/dust/sweep everyday. Nothing big, just enough so that things are straightened up. It gives my morning just a little bit of focus.

2) I nap in the afternoons. I'm pooped and feel like I should be sewing (I have the fabric and the mei tai pattern all ready to go) or knitting or reading, but mostly I'm trying to rest.

3) Spend gobs too much time here at MDC.

[LandonsMom]

I just noticed this week that I feel the same way! I have plenty I could do (and that I'd actually enjoy doing sometime, like sew covers, or shop/brainstorm what to make for a friends baby gift), but just dont feel like doing ANYthing! Well except hold a baby, and my own at that! I keep wondering when its going to happen, and how its all going to play out, even though I'm two weeks away from my due date and dont expect to go early... just the anticipation I guess, sigh,.... !

Like pp said, next month/year we'll be holding our babies and wondering where the time went! I guess I dont really want to wish it away so quickly!

[completebeginnings]

I have assigned different friends/family to keep me entertained. No seriously every day this week I have spent time with others so I don't feel like I'm going crazy. Being gone helps just as pp said. Coming home to a clean house is nice. The weather is also beautiful so just spending time outside.
We can do it!

[fyrebloom]

My Bp is getting a little high so i'm trying to rest, stay calm and relax. Made DP work from home until the lil guy gets here. I just can't do it alone anymore. I've also been trying to encourage bubs to make an entrance. Castor oil did a good job the other night but it didn't progress to a baby birth so i'm waiting til the weekend to try again. baking is also high on my list.... I'm baking gf donuts as I type

[Nature]

I'm starting to refresh the forums, so things are slowing down for me too. I wish I could go out with people and spend days out of the house, but I don't want to go anywhere without my hubby because my births are so quick. The last thing I ever want to happen is for me to give birth with my sister in law or something! EEEKK!

[Serenyd]

Originally Posted by fyrebloom

My Bp is getting a little high so i'm trying to rest, stay calm and relax. Made DP work from home until the lil guy gets here. I just can't do it alone anymore. I've also been trying to encourage bubs to make an entrance. Castor oil did a good job the other night but it didn't progress to a baby birth so i'm waiting til the weekend to try again. baking is also high on my list.... I'm baking gf donuts as I type

I'm glad you're getting some extra help. TAke it easy!

[beatgenxer]

naps are definitely a good thing - we should all be resting when we can, since we'll need those energy reserves for labor!

i've been doing projects every day so i'm not just sitting around watching the clock. the next few days are devoted to getting my darn diaper bag done. it's hard to cut and sew for long periods of time with my back aching so much, so i do a little bit every day. i also have some cool robot camp fabric that i'd like to make into a blanket or soft chewable blocks, so that's something else to occupy me as/if i go past my due date.

[LeahLo]

I am going a little crazy myself. I am working up until my due date (only 7 days left, OMG!) so at least I'm not at home driving myself even more batty out of total boredom...but I have the next 2 days off and I'm not even looking forward to them because I have NOTHING left to do. But I have had a crazy burst of energy today so I'm hoping this continues into tomorrow and I can just go on a cleaning frenzy...

This is my first baby and I'm finding it strange that I don't feel ANY different at all, even though I can expect to have a baby at any moment. I used to feel sorry for women who suffer through weeks of pre-labor symptoms but I'm beginning to wonder if that's preferable to being totally blind sided by labor, which is what is probably going to happen to me. I have no idea what to expect and the lack of "build-up" makes the whole thing seem surreal...I'm having a baby in a matter of days! And nothing feels different! I don't know, I probably just sound crazy right now...but I DID say I was losing it.

[StephM76]

I'm just trying to relax and get through it. It is so hard not to get impatient (and trust me I have my moments!) but I'm trying to enjoy my last weeks of pregnancy. I'm hoping to make it to my DD's field trip, and then take the other one to a Halloween party before I give birth.

I also try to think of it this way. This will be the last week or so that I can
-Take a shower without worrying about a baby crying
-Go to sleep and KNOW I'm sleeping the whole night
-Go out for a couple of hours and not worry about breastfeeding as soon as I return
-Eat dinner without holding a baby or rushing through it
-Feel my baby move inside of me

I know it seem slike an ETERNITY but really, before you know it you'll have had your baby and it will be two weeks old and you'll be wondering where the time went!

[mpickens]

[QUOTE=StephM76;14532581]

I also try to think of it this way. This will be the last week or so that I can
-Take a shower without worrying about a baby crying
-Go to sleep and KNOW I'm sleeping the whole night
-Go out for a couple of hours and not worry about breastfeeding as soon as I return
-Eat dinner without holding a baby or rushing through it
-Feel my baby move inside of me


Well said!!!!!

[Spiralshell]

Can I admit that I'm a bit jealous of you ladies who are working on projects and have clean houses and stuff?
I've been knocked flat by this pregnancy in ways I didn't anticipate, and to keep my bp in check and my horrible swelling somewhat in control, I am under midwife orders to be on the couch with my feet elevated. (If I disobey, I really do feel it, so I can't cheat.)
So all my imaginings of a painted baby's room, totally unpacked house (moved in mid-August), stocked freezer -- these are all just imaginings!
And my hands are so swollen and fingertips so numb that I can't knit. I am doing a little project of sewing a felt doll for the babe, but even that I can only do maybe 30 min a day on because my hands really start to hurt.
Thankfully I can still type!!! Even that is limited though...
But mostly I just chill on the couch, surf the web, and watch crappy TV. I don't even have any appetite for reading.
I'm on my feet enough to fetch food for myself, load the dishes back into the washer, and shuffle (10000 times a day!) back and forth to the toilet.

Sorry for being so cranky!

[Serenyd]

Originally Posted by LeahLo

I am going a little crazy myself. I am working up until my due date (only 7 days left, OMG!) so at least I'm not at home driving myself even more batty out of total boredom....

I think that's my problem ... going on maternity leave @ 37 weeks was needed physically (because of all the lifting/pulling/walking required by my job), but mentally, I could use a little more stimulation!

Originally Posted by LeahLo

I used to feel sorry for women who suffer through weeks of pre-labor symptoms but I'm beginning to wonder if that's preferable to being totally blind sided by labor, which is what is probably going to happen to me.

I'll take a surprise labor any day! You'll still probably get a few 'clues' that active labor is on it's way. It's not really like being hit over the head with a big stick all the sudden.

SPIRALSHELL - I'm so sorry about your situation - that sounds terrible! I hope you have your baby and feel better soon! If you don't have one already, a good baby carrier would probably help you get some of your chores done after the baby is born (after a reasonable rest period of course!).

[Spiralshell]

Originally Posted by Serenyd

SPIRALSHELL - I'm so sorry about your situation - that sounds terrible! I hope you have your baby and feel better soon! If you don't have one already, a good baby carrier would probably help you get some of your chores done after the baby is born (after a reasonable rest period of course!).

Thanks Serenyd -- I keep telling myself that a few weeks of boredom on the couch will be something that I will be glad to have had after he's here! But for now, it's soooooo boring!
I bought a Moby which I am very excited to try out and I really hope that he'll snuggle right up in there and let me putter around the house to get some stuff done. But that can wait too if it has to.
This is all part of the big lesson of Letting-Go-Of-All-The-Small-Stuff that I think I am about to get as a new mom!

[LeahLo]

Originally Posted by Serenyd

I'll take a surprise labor any day! You'll still probably get a few 'clues' that active labor is on it's way. It's not really like being hit over the head with a big stick all the sudden.

Well that's a relief! I have been having regular contractions since last night, but they are too far apart and not intensifying. *sigh* But I'm still hopeful that this is the start of *something* and that the *nothing* will at least be over...I am SO ready.

[babygro]

Time seems to creep by now. Every day I wake up and realize that nothing happened the night before, I just get bummed out. I was working from home to try and distract myself, but now I think I need to just stop working because maybe it is creating unnecessary tension, I am not sure. But I worry that if I stop working I will just sit around and watch the clock. I am 41 weeks today with an induction date looming over me at the end of the week and I really really want labor to start on its own.

Today I am hanging out with my mom and then going on a walk with a friend. I am going to try and do one active thing - like a walk or yoga each day, and then one thing around the house, like clean or cook. I can't think of anything else to do to get ready for the baby, I feel like we have done everything and more. I even thought I would indulge myself in a little clothes shopping for my baby, but I really don't even have room for more clothes and it just seems like a waste. I was thinking maybe I could go to the outlets to buy some post-partum clothes, like button up shirts and the like. Any ideas of what to do are welcome!!!! And baby, know you are welcome any day!!!!