Baby Countdown: 7 Ways to Enjoy the Final Days of Pregnancy

By Leah Black The last weeks and days of pregnancy can sometimes feel like a waiting game in which you're twiddling your thumbs, anxious for the baby to arrive. But as any new parent can tell you, your last moments pre-baby are also your last chance to have some quality "me time" before your little game changer gets here! Because although having a baby is amazing, life will never be the same again. Sure, you'll go to the movies again? but you might fall asleep in your seat or lament about how much money you're spending on babysitting. So, while you might be a tad bit uncomfortable in the final days before your due date, try to enjoy this special time. Here are just a few ideas for how to make the final days of pregnancy memorable. Take a pregnancy picture of yourself. While by now you're used to having a gigantic tummy, once the baby arrives you'll have trouble remembering what it felt like! One of my most precious pregnancy mementos is a photo I have of myself standing in our apartment just days before my son was born. When I look at it now, I can't believe how huge I was and that my little boy was inside there just waiting to come out. I always tell friends to take a similar photo of themselves as a keepsake. Start a journal. Baby books are well and nice, but if you're anything like me you'll be too forgetful to actually keep at one. But writing a line here and there every few days? That's something I can do. I started a journal a month or two before my son was born and have kept at it ever since-sometimes writing every week and sometimes just once a month. It's fun to go back and read what I was thinking before my son arrived and in the days after he was born, compared to two years down the road. Get a manicure or pedicure. Once the baby arrives, you'll be reminiscing about all the time you had to spend on yourself. Recently, a pregnant friend called me debating about whether to spend money on a pedicure or not-after all, it was $25 that could go towards the new baby. "Do it!" I urged her. "You won't have time for a pedicure for months after the baby arrives." She did and was glad she treated herself to some well-deserved pampering. Not to mention, a massage feels pretty good on pregnancy feet! Grab lunch or dinner with a girlfriend. Before you become a parent, a meal out on the town is no big occasion. But post-baby? Grabbing a simple salad at a restaurant can feel like a major social event. The first time I went out to dinner by myself sans baby-six months after my son was born-I didn't stop smiling the entire subway ride there because I couldn't believe I was finally out of the house. So, linger over a nice meal with a good friend at a favorite restaurant. You'll remember it with nostalgia soon enough! To read the full article at New York Family magazine [click here. ](http://www.newyorkfamily.com/newyork/blog-3032-baby-countdown.html)