Nesting is an impulse that can happen during the third trimester of your pregnancy. It includes any needs to organize, clean, or mentally prepare for your baby’s arrival. Not every mother feels the need to nest, but many do have the urge to prepare for the arrival of their baby. Sometimes nesting can even extend past when your child is born.
What are the signs of the nesting phase?
You know that you’re in the nesting phase when you feel the overwhelming need to take care of things. Tasks like washing linens, reorganizing your fridge, perfecting your nursery design, and going on shopping sprees for baby items are common. You may also feel the need to finish any incomplete home improvements that are still in progress. Considering that 14% of homeowners planned on making kitchen home improvements in 2018, you may have a project that needs to be finished before your baby comes. If you feel an urge to do everything in your power to prepare for your baby’s birth, you are probably in the nesting stage.
Things to keep in mind while you’re nesting
While many women experience safe nesting, there are still some things you should keep in mind to ensure you don’t injure yourself or your baby. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Don’t climb ladders. Climbing ladders to reach higher shelves or dust the ceiling is not a great idea during your last trimester. Your balance is likely to be off, and if you fall you can injure yourself and your baby. It’s better to ask someone else to help you with whatever task you need to climb for.
Don’t lift heavy objects.Trying to lift heavy objects may be tempting, especially if you feel up to it, but you can easily injure yourself during your last trimester with heavy objects. Once again, delegating heavy lifting tasks to someone else is a better choice.
Don’t let yourself get too stressed. Although you may feel like there are a million things you need to do before your baby is born, you should make sure to take a step back and relax. It can be easy to get overwhelmed, but your support system of friends and family will be there to help you, and there’s no use worrying over unpredictable things before your baby is born.
Take frequent breaks. When you’re physically exerting yourself by cleaning or organizing, you will probably find yourself getting tired more easily than you did pre-pregnancy. Make sure to balance this out by taking breaks any time you feel you might need one.
Avoid harsh chemicals. If you’re cleaning your bathroom or kitchen, make sure that you’re not using any harsh chemicals, like bleach. If you delegate cleaning tasks that require harsh chemicals, make sure that you’re steering clear of the area being cleaned. In addition, keep it well-ventilated while chemicals are being used.
Safe things to do during nesting
There are some things that you’ll want to do while you’re coping with nesting that will be safe as long as you’re listening to your body and your limits. Here are a few things you can do:
Restock your food. If you feel the need to restock on pantry and freezer staples, there’s no reason not to. Having food staples handy means you won’t have to worry about going to the grocery store right after your delivery.
Meal prep. If you want, prep some meals that you can freeze and defrost once your baby is born. This is a very helpful urge because you might not have time to cook elaborate meals once you have a newborn.
Get your nursery painted. While it might not be safe to paint the nursery yourself, there’s no reason not to hire a professional. A bedroom costs around $400-$600 to paint, though that pricing will vary depending on where you live, and it can be a real relief to get someone else to do all the work for you.
Prep nursery essentials. Essentials like making sure that your baby’s diaper station, crib, and clothing are ready to go are crucial. You can definitely work on preparing these while you cope with nesting.
Prep for your post-delivery body. Getting your things ready for after you deliver your baby is just as important as making sure that your baby’s things are ready. Make sure you stock up on things like super-absorbent pads, witch hazel, medicated pads, ice packs, nursing bras, and cheap underwear that you can throw out if they get ruined. Having these essentials on hand will make it much easier to take care of yourself and your baby after delivery.
Do laundry. As long as you aren’t trying to lift heavy loads of laundry, there’s no reason not to get laundry done while you cope with nesting. You can wash your baby’s clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, duvets, and anything else that needs to be washed.
Deep clean. If you want to vacuum, dust, sweep, or anything else, there’s no reason not to while you have the time. Make sure that if you’re dusting you don’t try to climb up to reach higher up surfaces. There are dusters designed to extend to avoid having to climb up. You can also ask someone else to do the work for you.
Delegate home improvement projects. While you can’t do the heavy lifting for home improvement projects right now, you can definitely call in favors. Get other people to help you or hire workers to do any home improvement projects you want done. In 2018 alone, $394 billion went towards home improvement projects, and it’s clear why. We love making our homes the best they can be.
Nesting is your instincts getting you ready for your baby’s arrival. It can be a great last push to prepare your home for your baby’s arrival. Make sure that you’re being smart about what you can do and listening to your body to make sure that you’re staying safe in the final stages of your pregnancy.
