20 things to do before you are due

YOUR DEADLINE IS MARKED ON THE CALENDAR WITH AN ENORMOUS CRIMSON CIRCLE AND SOON YOU’LL END UP TELLING GOODBYE TO YOUR TOES. BUT HANG ON, BEFORE YOU CAN MEET YOUR NEWBORN, THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT TO-DO LIST TO FIRST COMPLETE

1 BE CALM IN THE WITCHING HOUR

Set your telephone alarm for 6pm each day from until your deadline now. Why? Because from 6-8pm may be the magic witching hour for most babies, if they transform from tranquil darlings into crying, over-stimulated balls of exhaustion. ‘The “witching hour” is a phrase commonly utilized by parents to describe an interval when their newborn won’t be placed or comforted down and frequently wants to cluster feed,’ explains registered nutritionist, wellness visitor, and Gurgle professional, Sara Patience. ‘This behavior is indeed common it really is considered normal in fresh babies, but the good news is normally, it’s a short-term phase that may pass. Plus, many mothers statement that following an episode of cluster feeding, their baby settles and sleeps for a longer period than usual.’ So, back to setting your watch at 6pm - make sure you spend this time having long baths, watching your favorite box sets, reading a publication on the way home from work, or anything quiet, focused and relaxing on you!

2 INDULGE IN MORNING SEX

‘I know it noises strange, but I miss those whole days before we'd children whenever we woke up and had sex!’ admits Nina, a mum of 3. ‘It was, even more, the spontaneity of it, or the closeness before you headed off to function. My mornings are spent breastfeeding today, being climbed around or woken up at 6am to play with Lego - everything leaves virtually no time for romance!’

3 BOOK AN UNSUITABLE HOLIDAY

Once a baby is had by you, planning for a holiday means finding areas to remain that are family friendly - stairs with rails, no sharp corners, pools with gates, gain access to and creche to a bottle-warmer will all end up being high through to your number of must-haves. Forget wandering the roads of Capri and Sorrento (those restaurants perched on cliff edges). With this thought, plan a mini-break for both of you, somewhere you’d hardly ever go with a baby. At Benefit eld Treehouse in East Sussex, for example, you have to cross a rope bridge to get in! Not going to happen with a buggy. Find lots more inspiration at quirkyaccom.com. But watch out for anything too quirky if you’re in your other trimester.

4 SUNBATHE WHILST READING

‘I’ll admit it, I miss sunbathing all day with a book and no worries in the world!’ affirms mum of two, Zoe. It’s true, sunbathing whilst reading unless you have a grandparent nearby to watch your child just like a hawk, is definitely a pre-baby luxury. Once your baby arrives, your holiday entertainment will consist of ensuring their constant safety. ‘When we’re away now, I don’t take my eyes off the children for a minute. Are they too close to the edge of the pool? Do they have sunblock on? Should they be in the shade? I know when they’re older I’ll relax more but right now, I don’t even pack a novel when we go away,’ Zoe adds. Don’t forget that pregnancy can make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so perhaps sit in the dappled shade with your book

5 RELISH YOUR SMALL DESIGNER HANDBAG

You know the one, it goes with every outfit and its neat pocket fits a small wallet, a mobile phone, and a lip balm. Enjoy every full minute of it, soon you’ll end up being carting around ALL OF THE Baby Things because. The silver lining? A complete world of baby change handbags out there’s, from quirky to practical, traditional to the designer. (Some already have silver linings.) Therefore it’s not all bad news.

6 SPEND TIME WITH YOUR PARTNER

In the not-so-distant future, you and your partner will become part of a baby tag-team - you handing him the wipes while he changes the little one, or him picking up your newborn and swiftly handing her to you for a feed. Enjoy your last few months as a couple, going to the cinema (see point 10) and talking (see point 15) before the advent of heated debates about who is more tired...

7 HAVE A LAZY SUNDAY

Have a Sunday where you lie in until 11am and then head out for a delicious brunch. This can be accompanied by a check out to a marketplace/walk in the recreation area/decaf coffee with close friends. Of course, these plain issues are all possible with small kids in tow, but add spilled drinks, nappies to improve and buggies to match into little cafes and it’s nearly so relaxing. Lie-ins however, may well not be over at this time: ‘We possess a lie-in rota program,’ explains Anna, mum of 18-month-older Rafferty. ‘I consider the early change on Saturdays and my partner requires the first shift on Sundays so we both get a lie-in over the weekend. It’s the perfect solution.’

8 TAKE A REALLY LONG TIME GETTING READY

‘I went to a wedding over the summer,’ explains Jess, mum of one-year-old twins, ‘and once I’d fed the boys, wrestled them into their smart outfits, located lost shoes and packed the nappy bag for every eventuality, there were about three minutes left for me to put my mascara on. I didn’t even brush my hair!’ So, wherever you’re off to, put some music on, light a candle and take as long as you can to get glammed up.

9 BE SPONTANEOUS

It’s easy to take spontaneity for granted until going out for the evening requires military planning with babysitters booked in advance, babies fed and settled, milk expressed and refrigerated, and an outfit discovered that hides breasts pads. Before your deadline, plan a complete day where you can get on a train, go to a town you’ve never gone to, wander around, have lunch time and get back - easy peasy.

10 VISIT THE CINEMA

This is the answer that crops up every right time you ask new parents what they miss about life pre-baby. It’s something we neglect - seeing the latest film with a bucket of snacks just. However, in fact, it’s the 1st casualty of parenthood, most likely because nights out are therefore rare that whenever you do go out, you want to talk to each other. Add to that the rising costs of the cinema, plus babysitter rates and it’s goodbye to the flicks and hello, Netfl ix subscription.

11 SLEEP

This is a tough one because if you’re pregnant, you may already be experiencing pregnancy insomnia. However, you can hopefully still sneak an afternoon nap, lie-in or early bedtime if you’re struggling to sleep at night. If you can still sleep, do so as much as you can. Invest in a pregnancy pillow to support your legs and back, try pregnancy yoga before bed (check some moves on doyogawithme.com) or read something epic and absorbing (my tip - The Far Pavilions, by M. M. Kaye), before bed to send you into a deep slumber.

12 ENJOY YOUR DANGEROUS HOUSE

High stools following to your kitchen island, your bike parked in the hall precariously, log fires, sharp corners, paracetamol packets by your bed and, horror of horrors, STAIRS. ‘Once my baby surely got to six weeks, my house, that I spent ages renovating, was invaded by ugly stair gates abruptly, fire guards and fridge locks. And I possibly could under no circumstances plug anything in without eliminating a socket cover 1st!’ said Alexa. ‘I miss buying issues because they look nice instead of rejecting them because they’re not really stain-proof or washable.’

13 BUY THINGS FOR YOURSELF

Unfortunately, another casualty of parenthood is investing in yourself. Gone will be the days when you'd your eye on a beautiful jumper and got it as a delicacy on payday. Once you’re on maternity pay - or certainly, years into parenthood! - any supplemental income continues on children’s winter coats, shoes for fast-developing feet, childcare fees, ballet lessons, Christmas and birthdays. Consider your bump around the shops and, once you’ve perused the adorable onesies, stock up on anything beautiful and indulgent that makes YOU feel happy before the guilt of treating yourself kicks in

14 SAVOR A SLOW STROLL

‘I love a good browse,’ says Lucy, mum to 16-month-old Sydney. ‘But Sydney is at that age where he wants to be on the go all the time. He kicks the buggy bar and shouts “out!”’ Mum Louise agrees: ‘Bookshops used to be my sanctuary, but my baby has a high-pitched screech she saves for quiet places!’

15 RELISH HAVING UNINTERRUPTED THOUGHTS

As soon as your little one can talk, they’ll never let a sentence is finished by you. Ella, the mum to two-year-old Sam, agrees: ‘He moments his tantrums for when I’m on the telephone - all the times he’s an absolute angel,’ she says. Mum of two, Angela, agrees: ‘My daughter cannot stand me talking to my partner or my friends and whines, pulls my armor just shouts until I give her my full attention.’

16 GO TO THE TOILET/ SHOWER ALONE

After the cinema, the second most missed thing from pre-baby life is going to the loo in peace or showering without a baby or toddler watching you. ‘We recently went on a weekend break without the kids, and I remembered how good it was to go to the loo without the kids trying to bash down the door, peering through the keyhole or having a huge fight right outside,’ laughs Jen, mum to three boys.

17 HAVE A DUVET DAY WHEN YOU’RE SICK

‘I can’t tell you how many occasions I’ve had flu, or just felt shocking and still had to look after the kids ınstead of spending a complete time sleeping it off,’ admits mum of two Olivia. If you’re pregnant and see you’re more susceptible to illness (due to a lowered disease fighting capability and changing hormones), recuperate by consuming chicken soup and viewing daytime TV all full time. It really works!

18 LOVE YOUR TIDY HOUSE

‘I miss my pre-baby tidy home,’ from mum-of-three Rose. ‘Today, I stage on play blocks with barefoot, there are piles of baby clothing everywhere and a complete kitchen cupboard needed to be cleared out for all your melamine. I love my hectic family life, but it would be great to sit on the sofa without setting off the jangly tune of a stray baby toy.’

19 WEAR PASTEL CLOTHING

Those lovely soft greys, pale pinks and the worst, whites, will all be slowly destroyed by baby spit-up, leaky boobs and carrot puree. Wear them with pride, together with your dangly earrings, which will also need to be temporarily retired whenever your baby reaches the ‘get everything and put it within their mouth’ stage.

20 ENJOY YOUR NAME

Finally, make the majority of owning your name while you can still. Soon enough you’ll end up being ‘Lola B’s mummy’ in your mum-friends’ mobile phone contacts or presenting yourself as ‘Jack’s mum’ on the telephone to the nursery. But, hey, we’ve got one last top secret for you personally: being someone’s mummy may be the most sensible thing in the world. Worthy of sacrificing solo loo trips conveniently, linen dresses as well as your first name for.