10 Things to Do With Your Partner in the Last Month of Pregnancy
It can definitely feel like pregnancy stretches on and on forever. An average pregnancy lasts around 40 weeks, but if you’re the pregnant woman, it feels like 40 years. But the kicker is, one day you wake up and you’re a month away from having a baby. What the hell happened?! For as long as pregnancy feels, the end sneaks up on you. While there are some baby-related things you should be checking off your list in that last month, it’s also your last hurrah, so to speak. The final few weeks before the baby comes and life as you know it changes forever. Make the most of that last month of pregnancy, and check off some of these things couples should do before the baby arrives. Trust me, you’re going to want to have a little fun before the big day.
There are some things couples should do in the last month of pregnancy. Mostly because they likely won’t be doing these things for … a while. Top of the list?
1. Have you some sex!
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The third trimester is when sex can get pretty good again! Sure, you have to get creative with positioning, but there’s nothing wrong with that. If you’ve had a normal, healthy pregnancy, get your freak on in those last few weeks. It’s an excellent time to bond with your partner, enjoy some intimacy, and get it before the getting gets incredibly painful and/or annoying.
2. Go on a babymoon!
Plan one last weekend getaway with your partner, because traveling with a newborn (or baby, or toddler, or child) is not all it’s cracked up to be. You don’t have to fly anywhere exotic. You don’t even have to go anywhere far from home. Hell, a relaxing staycation is worth it, just to enjoy these final quiet moments of just the two of you. Leave your parent-to-be To Do list at home, and just enjoy each other’s company.
3. . Go see a movie in an actual theater.
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Sure, you can still go out to the movies once you become parents. But here’s the thing: you won’t. At least, not for a while. The first few months after the baby is born, you’ll be too tired/sore/anxious to leave the house for anything other than necessities. And once you reach that comfortable-with-a-babysitter stage, you’ll find that you don’t want to spend your one evening alone with your partner in a movie theater. If there’s a movie coming out that you’ve been super stoked to see, make it a point to see it before the baby comes. Added bonus: movie theater snacks.
4. Go out for dinner at a nice restaurant.
Again, it’s not like you’ll never eat in another restaurant after the baby comes. But your choices will get very limited, and a lot of times, it ends not being worth the trouble of going out to eat. Plan an extravagant date night at a nice restaurant, one with cloth napkins and more than one fork on the table. The kind of restaurant where the sommelier brings a bottle of wine to the table to taste, and the chef’s special isn’t printed on the menu. Relish your food like it’s your last meal. Talk to your partner about anything else but the baby. Take a sip of their cocktail, even! Live it up.
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5. Finalize all the important decisions about your birth plan and the baby.
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Now is the time to make sure you and your partner are on the same page as you head into the main event. 6. Check your birth plan if you have one, and ensure that your partner knows their role and how to deal with unexpected setbacks. 7. Figure out the birth certificate stuff, and if your partner will be the one filling it out, make sure they have all the necessary information. It’s morbid, but finalize a will! Shit happens, and when it does, you want to be prepared. Also, talk to your partner about what happens after the baby comes home. Make sure you both agree on how to handle crying, late-night feedings, unannounced visitors, and the like.
8. Pack yo bags!
When it’s go time, it’s GO TIME, and you don’t want to waste precious minutes getting all of your things together. I suggest buying duplicates of stuff like chargers, toothbrushes, and toiletries, so you can get those packed without having to remember to add them at the last minute. Pack the baby stuff you’ll need, and make sure your partner’s bag is also packed! Yes, you’re the one doing all the heavy lifting at the hospital, but they’ll still need fresh clothes and deodorant.
9. Take SO MANY NAPS. Some things couples should do in that last month are fun. Others are necessary for your survival.
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This should go without saying, but the thing all couples should be doing in that last month is sleeping. Just, as much as humanly possible. Naps, sleeping in, going to bed early, get in where you fit in. Sleep is glorious, and you’re about to get SO MUCH LESS OF IT. It’s a shame we can’t fill up a sleep tank to use as reserves after we have children. Someone should invent that, pronto. I promise you, when you’re running on three hours of sleep for the 5th day in a row, you’re going to be so mad that you folded all the onesies that one time when you could’ve been sleeping.
10. Finally, one of the things couples should do before baby comes is just relax and have fun.
I know it’s hard. You’re impatient, you’re anxious, you’re uncomfortable. But you need to CHILL. You need to lounge around on the couch for a day with Netflix and snacks. Take some nice, leisurely walks through your neighborhood. Have friends over for a dinner party. Enjoy each other’s company. You guys aren’t losing you, not completely. But YOU is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Reconnect with each other, and remember what is was about your partner that got you into this mess in the first place. Love on each other, and get your home ready for your next adventure.
There are plenty of things couples should do in that last month of pregnancy. Make the most of that time! You’ll look back and be glad you did.
(Image: iStock/LightFieldStudios)