If your anything like me, from the moment I found out I was pregnant, I was counting down the days to starting my maternity leave, not just because it signifies being closer to your baby arriving, because heck who wouldn't look forward to having a good chunk of time off!
The options for maternity leave vary, depending where you work but I chose to take 9 months off. I finished work on 29th March and aren't due back at work until early January. Bonus for me is that my annual leave from work runs from April to March which has allowed me to tag all my holidays for this year on the end of my maternity leave which means I am not back to work until the middle of February!
Although your counting down to your maternity leave and you of course have baby to keep you occupied during your time off, you really don't want to spend the next 9 months just sitting at home with baby! Heres some ideas of some things you could do maximise the time you have off :)
Learn a new skill
I've been saying for ages I wanted to learn how to crochet and have taught myself the very basics - I can now do a square! I'm working up to actually doing a pattern!
Read more books
They say sleep when baby sleeps, it doesn't always work like that! But chilling with a book when baby naps is a good alternative! I've recently started adding some more books to my to read pile and am seriously looking forward to Louise Pentland (aka Sprinkle of Glitters) second book being released later this in the Summer.
Listen to podcasts
There are some great podcasts out there. I recently got into podcasts and particularly love Giovanni Fletchers podcast - Happy Mum, Happy Baby where she chats to different mums about there experience with motherhood.
Go to new places
The perfect thing with having baby at this time of year is that if the weather is good there is nothing better than grabbing the pram and going for a stroll. Perfect time to explore new places - even if its just in your local area.
Start a creative / business idea
I'd been toying with the idea of starting a new business before my mat leave began after chatting to a friend I went to school with about Usborne books. I decided to become an Usborne Organiser as it sounded the perfect way to make a bit of extra money, earn books and meet new people. They have some truly amazing books and I can't wait to build Erin's collection. Browse the books here.
Start a blog
I love blogging as a creative outlet and being a new mummy is the perfect time to start a blog and document your journey
Get your home / finances / personal affairs in order
Obviously maternity leave is hard because the pay is less than you would normally expect and you have to tighten those purse strings a little. Its the perfect time to look into all your outgoings and see if there is anything you could change. We did a review of all our direct debits and cancelled anything we were paying for that we didn't need to be and did a comparison on our energy supplies to see when our tariff ended if we could save any more (we did). I also looked into life insurance - something about a little one makes you think sensibly like that - I havent picked one yet but its on my list of things to do!
Get fit and healthy
Although now isnt the time to be putting pressure on yourself to suddenly drop a lot of weight and get super toned, getting out and enjoying a walk and getting those steps up soon adds up. There are also a few different exercise classes you can take your baby along too! I'm particularly looking forward to trying a baby sling dance class (I will report back!)
Educate yourself about food
Pregnancy makes you very conscious about what is actually going into your body and even after baby is born, it is the perfect time to get yourself some knowledge about food and what you are putting into your body. Its also perfect to take the time so that when your baby is ready for weaning you know exactly the perfect food to be giving them.
Take the time to think about what you want
There really is nothing like having a baby that makes you reevaluate th
Consider a career change
Depending on who you work for, you need to be careful as if you decide not to go back to work while on maternity leave, you could end up paying your maternity pay back however it is the perfect time (in line with the above mentioned) to have a think about whether its time to try something new.
Network with other mums
One thing I looked forward to most about being on maternity leave was meeting other mums and making new friends.
Visit places that are usually busy at the weekends
So far we have the zoo and aquarium on our list - certain places like this may also be cheaper if you visit in the week.
Rethink your wardrobe
Just last week I went through my entire wardrobe and drawers and bagged up all the clothes I felt no longer matched my style. I'm not saying being a mum means you have to adopt a certain style but its finding a balance of happy mum style.
Look after your skin
Post pregnancy is the perfect time to maximise your skin care routine and try and maintain that pregnancy glow as long as you can!
Plan and make visions
Again there is something about having a baby that makes you think about the future. I started myself a pinterest board HERE of plans we have including a house extension and loft conversion and saving up long term to take little miss to Disney
♥
Social Icons