You’re staring at the date on the calendar. It’s *after* your due date. You know…that date you’ve anticipated for the past 10 months? It just passed on by like any other day. To make things worse, your mother-in-law just called you (again) to ask if the baby was coming today. My goal today is to provide you with some overdue pregnancy tips to help pass the time while you wait on your little bundle.
I get it, I really do. I feel uniquely qualified to talk to you about this because all three of my babies arrived well after their due dates. Juggling conversations about inductions, worrying about the baby’s safety and managing irrational (and legitimate) concerns were just a few of the things that flooded my brain when I was waiting for my baby’s arrival.
Even though we knew it could happen to us, it’s hard to prepare for the actual reality of being overdue. It’s emotional. Stressful. Disappointing. Those seeds of doubt begin to creep in and you find yourself wondering if your body will actually go into labor on it’s own.
Stop. Just stop right there. Your body is just as capable of birthing a baby at 42 weeks as it was at 40 weeks. Let’s channel that worry and negative energy into something a little more positive, shall we? Here are 8 overdue pregnancy tips that you can use to pass the time and prepare for the big day.
Take Care of You
1.Build a Bubble
Some people just shouldn’t be around women during the late stages of pregnancy. Those well meaning family members and friends who always seem to say the wrong thing? You get to decide who you allow into your “bubble” while your precious little one is still cooking and his momma may or may not be losing her mind. You have enough emotions to sort through without hearing gems like this:
“Oh, you must be having a girl! Look how much your hips have spread.” (Yes, someone actually said that to me.)
“You haven’t had that baby yet?” Really? REALLY?! Do I LOOK like I’ve had the baby yet?!
That person? They are OUT of the bubble. Some women have thicker skin and can handle the jabs and insensitive comments – and more power to ya, sister – but for the rest of us, we need to become even *more* selective about who has access to our fragile psyche in the weeks following our due date. So that means you have permission to skip social obligations, family functions, church or whatever might allow you to come in contact with these ridiculous people.
Mute your social media notifications, screen your phone calls and don’t feel obligated to give hourly updates to your mother-in-law. Unfortunately, strangers and co-workers will still have to be dealt with (since we can’t realistically become hermits), so spend some time coming up with witty comebacks and snarky replies to the inevitable barrage of questions and idiotic comments. It’ll make you feel better.
2. Sleep
I know, I know. You are sick of hearing people say, “Sleep while you can! You won’t be able to soon!” I get it. But…they are not wrong. Try not to end your day completely exhausted and depleted. Schedule a nap or a rest every single day that you can. Labor can start at any time (as if you needed another reminder) and you can never predict how long or intense it may be. Make sure you are getting enough sleep at night and rest throughout the day. Most pregnant women aren’t sleeping well at night, so that daily nap can be critical in supplementing that awful end of pregnancy sleep.
3. Drink Water
Pull out your phone right now and set a recurring alarm called “Molly says drink a glass of water” and set it to go off every waking hour. I’m only kind of joking. Dehydration can cause contractions, but not the good kind. Just the false labor kind that will get you all excited and do absolutely nothing to progress your labor. I know you don’t want to be running to the bathroom any more than you already are, but drinking enough water will help you feel better, decrease swelling and help decrease your chance of becoming constipated and developing hemorrhoids or bladder infections. And I know you don’t want to deal with any of those. Bottoms up!
Stay Busy
4. Make Plans
Make some plans, sister. With actual humans that you like and trust. Get some coffee with your best friend. Go see a movie (no tear-jerkers allowed!) with your partner. Plan dinner out. Take yourself shopping. Be sure to include some pampering treatments for yourself. Pedicures, prenatal massages and acupuncture treatments are all great options to do something for yourself that has the potential to jumpstart your labor.
When I say to “make plans”, I don’t mean hypothetical plans that may or may not happen. Actually pull out your planner or your phone and make appointments and concrete arrangements for the weeks after your due date. Believe me, no one has missed the fact that you are pregnant, and people tend to be very understanding when plans are cancelled for labor.
5. Start a Project
Find a short-term project or two that can occupy your mind during the hours when your mind starts to wander and you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself. What is something that you like to do? Are you crafty? Do you scrapbook? What about a household project you’ve been putting off? Maybe you have years of photographs you’ve been meaning to sort through. Or maybe you need to organize your junk drawer. I wouldn’t advise tackling an extremely physical task or taking up quilting for the first time, but having a fun project to focus on can help manage the emotions that plague those last few weeks of pregnancy.
Encourage Labor
6. Get into Position
While taking your mind off of the obvious is always a good idea, let’s be honest. We want to be proactive, right? What can I do to speed this process up? The short answer is, nothing. Babies are born when they are ready, not when we decide. The longer answer is that there are some things we can do to make sure that when the time comes, nothing stands in the way of adequate labor contractions. So do yourself a favor and visit Spinning Babies and take a look around. Try some exercises and practice some strategies to help the baby settle into your pelvis in the most optimal way. Another proactive strategy that I’ve seen success with (both in stalled labor and starting labor) is utilizing the Miles Circuit. Set aside several times each day to actively work with your baby to ensure optimal positioning prior to labor.
7. Walk, Walk, Walk
Lace up those sneakers and hit the pavement. Or you know, slip on your crocs or whatever shoes still fit your feet. There is nothing quite like the motion of walking to help your baby move down and engage in your pelvis. If you’re not afraid of looking like a lunatic, you might consider curb walking – which is simply finding a curb that’s 3 or more inches high and walking along with one foot on and one foot off the curb (Do not do this unless you are sure the baby is in a good position). Here’s another option for your “make plans” assignment – find a friend and plan a walk at a local park or mall.
8. Practice makes Perfect
Dust off the materials from your birth class (you did go to one of those, right?) and practice some of the labor positions and breathing techniques. If you didn’t attend a birth class, there is no time like the present to do some research and practice for the big event. It can be very difficult to even remember your own name during labor, so you want simple things – like deep breathing, to be second nature. If your birth class was comprehensive, it may even contain some overdue pregnancy tips of it’s own.
Give Yourself Grace
No matter how many points I put on this list, nothing is going to prevent you feeling pretty sad as your due date fades farther and farther into the rearview. There is something cleansing about a good cry, so don’t feel bad about feeling bad. It’s ok to cry and wallow and feel all kinds of sorry for yourself. Just don’t allow yourself to stay in that place for too long. Affirmations are a great way to focus on the positive and get yourself out of a funk. Here are some of my favorite affirmations for overdue mamas.
Here’s the good news. Your baby is 100% guaranteed to come out. That might not feel very comforting right this very minute, but I promise you – you’ll will blink and that little person who currently has his feet under your ribs will be starting kindergarten. Work hard to actively enjoy these last few not-so-magical moments of pregnancy. It won’t be like this for long.