Surviving Week 40 [Pregnancy]

Ah! The week before Baby comes. Unless you have a scheduled c-section or induction, this is sort of a mythical time. During my first pregnancy, my 'last week' ended up being three weeks long. About two weeks before my due date, even my doctor was convinced I would go into labor at any moment. Exactly a week after my due date, my son decided to make an appearance.

41 weeks pregnant

Here are some tips I picked up after child number 1 that will make that last week, or three, a little more bearable.

Don't tell anyone that isn't essential family your actual due date. Obviously you want your parents and husband to know, but everyone will ask and you don't need every person you see the last week of your pregnancy asking you why you haven't gone into labor yet. My doctor gave me great advice that I didn't follow the first go-round. Pick an event or holiday that is around but after your due date. When people ask when you are due, say 'around Easter' or 'just before the 4th of July.' Due dates are estimates anyways, so give yourself a little padding. My son was due in April, so if I had followed her advice I would have said around Cinco de Mayo. I would have been dead-on, since my son was born on May 5.

Get important things done ASAP and let the rest go. I believe every state won't let you leave the hospital without a proper car seat, so make sure you have one. Get it installed and practice taking the carrier out a few times. Pack a bag for the hospital. It doesn't have to be elaborate. If you forget a toothbrush, every hospital I have delivered in has extra. You can put that in the trunk of your car too. Make sure you have diapers and wipes and if you aren't breast-feeding you will need bottles and formula, but other than that every other single thing can wait. Your last week of pregnancy is not the time to be worrying about painting the nursery.

And probably the best piece of advice I can give in your last week of pregnancy is SLEEP! Sleep every chance that you get!! There are going to be a million things you want to get done, and since you will probably be nesting you will have the energy to do them. Try to resist! I had a friend that stayed up until 3 am tiling her kitchen. She went into labor at 5 am. Labor is exhausting enough. Starting out exhausted is the worst thing you can do for yourself. Enjoy your last quiet nights at home with your hubby. Watch movies, snuggle on the couch, and get as much rest as you possibly can. Because once your little one is home it may be 18 years before you get an uninterrupted night of sleep again.

Find more posts from bloggers sharing their experiences of motherhood on the Huggies page on BlogHer.com.