Slice Of My Life - April
April, the last full month before Baby L arrives (unless he is super late and born in June!) I went into full hermit mode this month and I am so proud of myself for setting boundaries. I focused on self care, my hypnobirthing practices and getting our home ready for our new arrival.
Baby Shower
I started the month with my baby shower, a lovely Sunday afternoon with my closest friends and family. If you had told me at the start of my pregnancy journey that I would have been having a baby shower I would have freaked out, the thought of the reveal, the gender reveal and the baby shower just made me want to hermit more and more. However, during my therapy sessions I came round to the idea more, but I wanted to make sure that the celebrations were on my terms. I may go into more detail about my therapy journey on a later post, but one of the common themes that came up was boundaries and peoples expectations of me.
I am so glad I put boundaries in place for my baby shower, I wanted something small, informal and not lasting hours and hours. I also didn’t want to feel overwhelmed with too many people. In the end my baby shower was perfect and I wouldn’t have changed any of it. I got to see those closest to me, do a few nice games and of course have some yummy food at Wild and Wild. I then set the expectation that I was going to now spend time at home, resting and preparing for the baby’s arrival and will probably not see anyone until he is here. This was super hard for me top voice and say our loud, as I am a people pleaser and would always cram my schedule full in order to see people. But this had to change. To be honest it would have no choice but to change with me soon having a baby to look after. I know I have even more of a journey to come over the next few weeks as my therapy comes to a close, and as my emotions change during the last trimester, but I am hopeful I can keep looking after myself and set clear boundaries.
Rest and Recharge
And on that note, relaxing and preparing for Baby L is exactly what I have done throughout April. I think I went for one meal and one coffee date throughout the whole month. It was bliss I’ll be honest. I am now aware of how well and truly burnt out I was, and the importance now of looking after my own mental health and wellbeing before I try to ‘please others’.
Starting work on the nursery
We also prepared the nursery, I love the way that its coming together and can’t wait to add the finishing touches. I have spent so much time in there, folding clothes, organising boxes and decorating shelves. It feels very surreal when I stand in there and think soon Baby L will be here with me.