PUBLISHED - 17 June, 2011

Baby Diary: The waiting game

Baby Diary:
The waiting game

baby & parenting

It's time for our mum-to-bed to relax and start enjoying maternity leave before the baby arrives. But it's not long before the boredom starts to set it...

I am extremely impatient – as anyone who knows me will testify, and although my due date isn’t for another week, I had reckoned on being early –as I am generally a ‘do everything and arrive everywhere unfashionably early’ kind of person. Like mother like daughter I hope…

Day one of my maternity leave gets off to a good start....

After a leisurely breakfast I start with a spot of light cleaning (is this the infamous nesting?) and feel particularly smug as I enjoy lunch in the garden. The husband calls at midday eager for a labour sign update – but disappointingly nothing is happening on that front. A bit more housework – laundry and ironing – and I then spend the afternoon cooking a nice light dinner for us to eat outside early evening. We even squeeze in a brief evening stroll to make the most of the surprisingly warm weather – and also hopefully get this baby heading south.

Day two and I'm managing to keep myself busy...

After breakfast I visit a friend for a coffee (or raspberry leaf tea in my case – I am up to 3 cups a day now in the hope of speedy labour) and get the low down on all things birth and toddlers (she now has 2 young children - so is an expert in my eyes). I leave feeling slightly queasy after tales of labour, feeding and baby sick.

I spend the afternoon sorting through all the beautiful baby clothes I have been given as gifts (I really had better be a girl now given the number of pink items) and realise this baby has more clothes than me. Both husband and brother call for any news – do they think I might forget to tell them ??? After dinner I drag the husband out for another walk.

Day three and I am officially bored...

I have a major headache after another sleepness night, so after a long soak in the bath I cheer myself up with a spot of shopping at the Trafford Centre – but had forgotten the pointlessness of such an excursion since I haven’t been able to see my feet for 2 months let alone wear anything without an elasticated waist.

I march past my favourite clothes shops and take solace in the baby shops instead – although given yesterday's wardrobe revelations, I really do not need any more baby clothes. I buy more raspberry leaf in the highly concentrated form of tablets and plan to take the max dose of 6 a day. After lunch I spend the afternoon clearing emails from work – I must be bored! The husband doesn’t even bother with the daily update phone call. And I don’t bother to suggest the evening walk.

Day four and I am contemplating day time TV...

I don’t actually do it – but reason that if the waiting goes on much longer then I’ll have no choice. I almost get excited about the prospect of doing the weekly food shopping and when I get home embark on a marathon baking session. I bake muffins, cookies and brownies – as well as some pizza’s to store in the freezer. Well, when you’re this fat who’s going to notice anyway? I’m now going to try to forget that I am pregnant, and that I’m on maternity leave, in the hope it will happen soon and catch me unawares instead of me overanalysing every twinge.

I pray it will all happen soon – I’ve just seen the TV schedule for next week.