Pregnancy Do-Overs

Pregnancy was a blur of joy, fear and excitement. I never knew what to expect from one day to the next. Still, I prepared so much for the arrival of my little bundle, I thought I knew what to expect once he came to town. Boy, was I mistaken! Knowing what I know now, here are five things I wish I could have told my pregnant self.

Sleep. I got a lot of rest during my pregnancy. I had zero energy, especially in the later months, so I had no choice. But what I didn’t anticipate was that following my labor and delivery, I would be running on 40 straight hours of no sleep! If I’d have known that, I would have spent my last few weeks of pregnancy lying in bed eating bon bons!

Go out. When you are very pregnant and subsequently, very large, you may not feel like much of a social butterfly. Some words to the wise: just go out! Go out on as many dates with your partner as you can. Sit at a table in a nice restaurant, chat and enjoy the good food and tranquility. Believe me, you won’t get a chance to do it peacefully for a long while.

Get a pedicure. You can’t really see your toes in the later months of pregnancy, so your feet often get neglected. Getting a pedicure isn’t only about looks though. It feels fantastic to have a foot massage during those last swollen weeks of pregnancy. Plus, when you are pushing, it will give you something pretty to look at.

Read. I’m talking about newspapers and books that are not baby-related. After baby comes, you will spend a lot of your “free time” pouring over the many parenting books you bought. I had no idea what was going on in the world for months after my son was born. I could tell you the state of his diaper on any given day, but the current state of the union was a mystery to me.

Cook. If you enjoy cooking, take this opportunity to make some of your favorite dishes. You know, the ones that you save for special occasions because they take too long to make on a weeknight. (You won’t be making these again for a while.) If you have time, do yourself a favor and make some freezer-friendly meals like lasagna, little chicken pot pies or pizza dough. During those first few sleep-deprived weeks, it’s nice to have some home-cooked food on hand.