Your maternity leave is approaching and you wonder how you will be able to optimize your days during these 16 weeks? Our ideas and advice before and after childbirth.
In France, the duration of maternity leave for a first child is 6 weeks before baby is born and 10 weeks after delivery. When baby is here, the days promise to be busy, and with the short nights, you won’t run out of time to occupy your days. But before birthyou wonder how you will be able to optimize your time, and this from the moment you go to do your last day of work and say goodbye to your colleagues, whom you will find in a few months. Our ideas to keep you busy on mat leave, before and after childbirth.
1 – Take time for yourself, rest
Let’s not forget that the primary objective of maternity leave is to allow the mother-to-be to rest and gain strength before delivery. Take the opportunity to be pampered: beauty of the feet, hands, massages and other beauty treatments that will do you the greatest good are welcome.
2 – Watch the latest Netflix series
Update yourself with the latest Netflix or Prime Video series, without feeling guilty when you shed your tears while watching a rose-water film.
3 – Organize your baby shower
Contact your closest friends to invite them to your baby shower, as soon as your maternity leave begins. You will indeed have time to organize small games, even cupcakes and muffins, and why not, if you haven’t already done so, reveal the sex of the baby!
4 – Preparing for the birth of a baby
During the last month of pregnancy, you will have a lot of medical appointments, as well as the famous childbirth preparation sessions. Take the time to organize yourself well between the various examinations, learn about the progress of childbirth, breastfeeding or even the signs to go to the maternity ward, and take the opportunity to prepare your maternity suitcase !
5 – Prepare the baby’s room, make the last purchases
The baby’s room has been completely repainted, but are you still missing the changing table and some bath accessories? Prepare a birth list for the small childcare articles that you are missing and which are not urgent for the return from maternity. On the other hand, you will need certain essential accessories from the birth of the baby, such as care products, some bodysuits and clothes, nappies, the deckchair, the stroller, the baby bath… Why not take advantage of this maternity leave? for do some shopping, especially if it falls during the sales period? Depending on your physical condition and your fatigue, it is nevertheless advisable to locate upstream on the net, before going to the store.
6 – Draw, paint
Do you like painting or have another passion, but until now you only had a little time to devote to it? Take advantage of this start of maternity leave to reproduce a pretty model in paint that will be perfect for decorating the baby’s room!
7 – Gardening, decorating your exterior
Do you have a balcony, a garden or a small terrace? Take the opportunity to plant some flowers, and prepare a cozy little garden, where life is good. If you are pregnant on sunny days, you will appreciate receiving your loved ones outside.
8 – Swim and cool off in the pool
Nothing like a swimming session to feel light, even with more than 10 kilos of pregnancy! The advantages are numerous: you exercise, while cooling off (especially for pregnant women in summer). In addition, swimming helps relieve back pain, and minor pregnancy ailments. Enjoy!
9 – Find childcare
You haven’t had time to choose between the crèche, the nanny or the maternal assistant ? During your maternity leave, you will have plenty of time to contact the childcare service near you, or to go through the list of approved childminders or nannies available to look after your baby. Take the time to meet them, to discuss with other parents in order to form your own opinion.
10 – Enjoy baby, visit relatives
After the baby is born, you won’t have to be bored! Nevertheless, take advantage of this period to take care of your baby, and visit Grandpa and Grandma, those around you. Some may be retired, unemployed or available to visit or receive you on weekdays. Organize walks in the park or a restaurant…
Among other ideas to do during your maternity leave:
- Organize a pregnancy or maternity photo session with baby and daddy,
- Cooking, preparing good, balanced and gourmet dishes,
- Visit friends, family
- Get up to date with all the administrative papers piled up for months in a corner of the office,
- Tidy up, sort through your belongings (provided there has been a move in the previous months to accommodate a baby).
- Find (if not yet done) the baby’s name
- Read
- Find out about the steps to take at birth (declaration of birth, early recognition, etc.).