Making The Most Of Maternity Leave | Just Add Ginger

Maternity leave for me started early (I explained why in this post). It is a decision I do not regret in the slightest. The bigger I get, the more uncomfortable I become, and I think the ten weeks rest I'll have had before I take my new title of 'Mummy' will have done me the world of good. 

However I do know it can be really easy to find that familiar feeling of boredom creep up on you. I suffer from it more frequently than not. And with us still waiting for the house move to happen, and my increasing inability to cope with lots of driving (the call of the sofa is too tempting at times) I knew that in order to be super-productive and keep boredom at bay, I'd have to come up with a plan. 

We're six weeks in to my time off, and here's how I've been making the most of it....

Writing 

My poor little blog became a little neglected towards the end of last year. With quite an extensive break away, I really wanted to take the time to concentrate on all things Just Add Ginger before the baby arrives. This means - if I can - scheduling blog posts up until April (at least). Seemingly a tall order, especially with a move imminent, and therefore a lack of internet for a while, this has been my main focus. I have been aiming for writing at least two blog posts a day, alongside scheduling tweets and doing daily Instagram posts. So far I have done pretty well, aside from the one day I had to dedicate to sitting on my arse doing nothing because I had the worst night's sleep!

Reading

Linked to my invested interest in writing, and not just focusing on mummy-to-be books, I've also been making a conscious effort to switch off from social media from time to time and get my nose stuck into a crime thriller. At the moment my book of choice is The Loving Husband by Christobel Kent. Choosing moments where I feel totally relaxed (usually bath-time) I am reading at a slow pace to ensure I take it easy and let the story sink in. Once I've finished this title, I have two more books to get through in the next nine weeks (so I guess maybe I should start reading just a touch faster).

Resting 

Sometimes I have just had to admit defeat. Combine a rubbish night's rest, sore back, and the fact that caffeine and I haven't clapped eyes on each other since the summer, and what you've got is the recipe for one grumpy Jackie. There have been days where I haven't managed to make it out my pyjamas, or met my self-given deadlines, and whereas normally I would be really disheartened, I've learnt to accept that this is just all part of the deal. Maternity leave is meant for rest after all, and it's pretty much a given that once the baby is here I'm not going to be getting much of that.

Nesting

I've never been one for being able to cope with a load of mess, but since being on Maternity Leave it has been my mission to ensure that the house stays as clean as possible. Taking control of the washing up, loading in the laundry, and running a brush over the floors downstairs there is not a day that goes by where I don't find myself pottering around tidying up or re-plumping the cushions. And it's really made a bucket-load of difference. With Ryan lending a helping hand with the chores I can't manage anymore, the house has stayed looking spick and span. Something that fills me with the greatest amount of pleasure. 

Although all these activities seem isolating, I'm not being silly. Ryan and I are actively taking time out at the weekends to get out the house so that I step out into the sunshine at least once a week. I have met up with family and my friends know that they are always welcome round for a cup of tea or to stay for the weekend if they have one spare. Mummyhood can be really lonely, and I'm not going to put myself in the bracket of becoming a recluse. It's just not in my nature.

Life Lately | Just Add Ginger

It seems like I've been taking a break away from my blog forever! December and the start of January are always so hectic that I really needed some time away just to digest everything and enjoy myself without feeling too much pressure.

Christmas gave me that time away. Ryan and I, together with my parents, went away to Center Parcs for a week. I cannot tell you how lovely it was to just be able to sit, do nothing and watch the world go by without feeling guilty for it. Unlike some years, I didn't have a jam-packed schedule, which meant that I made optimum use of the sofa, and just generally made the most of being a lady of leisure for seven days. 

The new year started with a bang....literally. After a lovely new year's eve spent with Ryan's family, I decided that it just wasn't going to be eventful enough unless I fell down the stairs. I did the ultimate in a drop stop and roll from the top of our stairs to nearly the bottom, landing spectacularly on my arse and giving myself one hell of a fright. Thankfully, after a few days of an incredibly sore leg, and slightly puffy ankle, both myself and Baby Ginger were fine. Although, 17 days on, the bruise on my leg still hasn't gone away!

Let's just say trying not to be as clumsy has risen to the top of my resolutions list. And thankfully, I haven't done anything as silly since. Even though I am well and truly into the third trimester, I have kept stumbling to a minimum, and aside from the odd bit of bother putting on a sock or picking something up from the floor, I am actually feeling pretty good. 

Which goes hand in hand with my other resolution. To be more positive. If you read this post, then you'll know that at the start of my pregnancy, I suffered from a little bout of anxiety. That has resurfaced a little bit lately, but now that I am officially on maternity leave, I intend to take some time out to practice some hypnobirthing techniques to help keep my stressyhead-ness under control. As yet, we don't know what kind of birth I will be going for, but irregardless, I think having something to turn to to get me through those moments of worry will be immensely helpful. 

The biggest thing to have happened over the last few weeks is me turning 30. To be honest I really wasn't looking forward to it. I always pictured a night I wouldn't remember to celebrate, but being up the duff coupled with my birthday being on a Monday, this clearly wasn't going to happen. Nevertheless, the Saturday before, Ryan and I, together with my in-laws went to Wahaca for a pre-birthday lunch (which was preceded with lots of tears from me after a shoddy visit to a local hairdressers - drama, drama, drama!) With every intention to go out for a meal on the actual day, Ryan and I ended up getting takeaway and watching TV and then we hosted a dinner party the following weekend, which definitely made up for the lack of major celebrations during the week.

My maternity leave started on 15th January. I made the decision to start it at an earlier point (30 weeks) because, quite frankly, I didn't know how I was going to feel. With a left side that naturally has tighter joints, there was no guessing what was going to happen in terms of feeling more pain (my back has already been playing silly buggers with me for ages). Add a low-lying placenta into the mix and a potential house move, I didn't want to feel bombarded, especially should there be a chance I deliver early. Thankfully we are going for a scan next Saturday to check the status of my placenta, so fingers-crossed we can start to formulate a better plan after that! 

Oh, and did I mention my blog makeover? With a beautiful header by Jemma, followed by lots of  research by me how to do certain design related things, I am really pleased with the revamp and feel fully prepared for my 2017 relaunch. 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!