You may have heard others talking about nesting during pregnancy, but you might not know exactly what it means, or how it will affect you. Here’s our brief guide to nesting, and tips to help you cope with it.
What Is Nesting?
Nesting can be a slightly strange time in the third trimester of pregnancy. It’s when you get the urge to clean, organise, prepare, and generally improve your surroundings.
It’s completely normal, and quite common. For many women, it tends to be in the form of cleaning and organising, but for others, it could be cooking, redecorating, rearranging furniture, or wanting to buy more baby items and essentials. Other women may not experience nesting but might use the same time to catch up on reading, work, or tv shows.
What Are The Signs Of Nesting?
Everyone is different and so the signs of nesting are different for everyone. However, many women experience similar feelings.
- Everything must be clean – Even if you’re a naturally clean and tidy person, you may find that you feel the need to do extra. You might find yourself cleaning areas that are already clean, or cleaning places you’ve never really noticed before. You might also feel the need to launder every item of clothing, bedding and towels you own.
- You need everything to be prepared – Some women feel the need to buy in more items than are strictly necessary. You might find yourself thinking that you need more baby clothes than you really do, or you might find yourself stocking up on home decor, or cleaning supplies. You may also find that you focus on one specific item – a hat or a kitchen item – and that you feel that you absolutely must have it.
- You want to rearrange your home – Some women find that nesting gives them the need to rearrange their homes. It’s often just that the nursery seems to be laid out incorrectly, but every other room in the home can be subject to this as well.
- Organising everything – Some women feel the need to organise everything, from the baby clothes to the bathroom and bookshelves. Almost everything you own needs to have a specific place to live.
- Stocking the cupboards – Sometimes nesting can take the form of stocking up on food. You may find that you feel you must make sure that your pantry, cupboards and fridge are overstocked. You might also find that you want to cook, possibly cook more food than your household could feasibly eat.
- Making plans – Planning for the birth and delivery, as well as nursing classes is a good thing. However, you might find that if you’re nesting you want to make all the plans during one afternoon.
- Obsessive thoughts – If you have anxiety, you might find that it spikes during the nesting phase. You may find that you become obsessive with small details that probably don’t really matter overall. If you lose sleep, and you can’t control your obsessive thoughts, make an appointment with your doctor.
Is Nesting A Sign Of Labour?
There’s no definitive answer to this. For some women, labour begins a few weeks after nesting begins, but for others, the nesting phase can last for a lot longer. Basically, it can be a sign that labour is on the way, but it’s not a sign of any sort of timeline for it.
Tips To Cope With Nesting
Nesting can be a productive time for you, but it’s important to get the most out of it without putting too much stress and pressure on your body.
1. Rest
One of the most important things to remember is to rest and take care of your body. Keep eating well, exercising as much as feels comfortable, and resting when you need to.
2. Monitor Your Anxiety Levels
The nesting phase can make you feel that you need to stay occupied, and busy, but it’s important to monitor your anxiety levels. If you find that you’re not sleeping, or are very anxious, you may need to see your doctor.
You could also try these tips to help manage your nesting and anxiety.
- Talk about your feelings with your partner, family, or friends.
- Ask for help from your friends and family.
- Look for ways to relax, such as light exercise, a warm bath, or whatever usually makes you feel relaxed.
- Make a to-do list daily. Only include tasks that must be done and include rest periods.
3. Pack Your Hospital Bags
You’ll want to get your hospital bags ready during your third trimester, so use your nesting urges to get organised. There will be some things that you want to pack last minute, but you can get the bulk of your things organised. Pack a bag for your baby as well. Make sure to pack nappies, blankets, sleepsuits, and if you plan to bring your little one home in a special outfit, this is a good time to get it ready.
4. Finish Setting Up The Nursery
If you’re feeling the urge to nest, finishing the nursery may already be on your to-do list. Use this time to do it, but remember, don’t try to do everything all at once. Make time to rest and take it slowly. Ask others to help so you aren’t doing everything yourself.
5. Laundry
You may want to launder pretty much everything in your house, but it can be a good idea to try to control your urges. Or perhaps organise your laundry into piles based on how urgent it is. Baby laundry could be in your urgent pile, so that all clothes, blankets and bedding have been laundered and are ready for your little one.
6. Prepare The Crib
You’ll want to make sure that your little one’s crib is set up with the bedding a few weeks before your due date. After laundering your crib sheets, blankets, and baby sleeping bags, get the crib ready with them.
7. Car Seat
A car seat is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment you can have for your little one. Take this time to make sure that it is properly fitted, and that you know how to get it in and out of the car. Some car seat sellers also offer a service to install it and demonstrate how to manoeuvre it.
8. Cooking
Another good idea during the nesting phase is to use the time to batch cook. You can cook batches of meals and put them in the freezer. It means that you won’t have to focus on cooking when your little one is home as you’ll have a supply in the freezer.
Nesting Tips For Your Supporters
Your partner won’t have the same nesting urges as you do, but they can still support you. There may be some tasks that you feel need to be done, but you probably shouldn’t be doing them yourself. This is where your supporters can step in and take on these tasks.
