How I Dealt With The Stress of My Approaching Due Date

Of course I knew that being a mom is almost like a full-time job. Actually scratch almost. It’s a full-time job. I’ve been aiming to share with you how I coped with the stress of my approaching due date, but it’s difficult to plan blogposts (or anything else) when you have a newborn at home. But with Sofia-Malou now taking a nap next to me, I have some time to share with you my secret.Near the end of your pregnancy you might be way too exhausted (and just tired of growing and growing) to do anything else but sleep, watch movies and read the occasional mommy read such as ‘How to Parent’. But while engaged in doing this and that at home and actually ‘nothing’ social wise you might end up being way too focused on the fact that your due date is just around the corner and hence quite stressed. But one thing is sure – stress is the last thing you need before you go into labour, which is enough of a challenge by itself. So the calmer you are prior to that moment the better for you and your baby.
To be honest I did think it could be a good idea to rest before my due date, but my plan never turned into reality. I kept going to my Danish class up until 2 days before I kissed Sofia-Malou and I spent the last week exploring Copenhagen and its surroundings with my mom and dad who were visiting.

Go out meet up with your closest friends and spend as many precious moments with your partner as you can. Maybe your nesting mode is on – arranging the baby’s clothes and cleaning the flat. But believe me, you will be doing that even after the little one arrives so there is no such things as ‘I’m ready for my baby!’Of course do your best, but also try to do impulsive things – such as go to the cinema, meet up with your best friends for lunch out in the city. You won’t get the chance to be overly impulsive with the little one under your wing. What about me? Well, I spent my last week with Philip and our families. A lot of things actually happened over a short period of time such as our parents meeting up for the first time, crazy, eh, having in mind that we got married a few months back and we were already expecting. But by engaging my mind in different things I didn’t let myself stress over the whole labour thing.
Indulge in delicious foods. Believe it or not you are gonna miss that. Why? Because going to your favourite restaurant won’t be something you just do on a whim. You will have to plan quite a lot, especially if you’re breastfeeding. So why not go out on a date with your loved one and spend an evening enjoying your favourite meal? Aw and if you think you will have the time to cook it – well, maybe but not during the first few weeks.
Stay active I kept on walking and walking . I was actually on-the-go even a few hours before I went into labour. Below you can see my mom and I walking around Helsingør – Hamlet’s town – 24 hours before going into labour. And actually the midwives later on commented that it was precisely because I was so active and fit that I managed to give birth so quickly. But that’s a topic for another post in which I will tell you all about my labour experience in Denmark.

What about you? Do you have any tips for how to deal with the stress of the approaching due date?
xoxo
A.