Nesting Phase - the Final Stage in Your Pregnancy

During the final stages of pregnancy you may be physically exhausted, but if your mind is racing like mine was, you will appreciate this article!

It is called by some the "Nesting Phase" of pregnancy. It's when you run around your house, despite your bulging belly, and make sure the nest is secure, well-stocked, and prepared for the baby. Everyone will laugh at you. You would laugh at you, though you may not right away.

When I was "nesting," I went through all of my baby's gifts from the baby showers and separated everything into containers. A container for toys had every stuffed animal, rattle, doll, rubber ducky, and book. The clothing bins were organized according to size. I had a container for sheets and blankets, one for diapers and wipes, one for photo albums and memory kits, and one for bath supplies and safety equipment. I was living with my in-laws at the time, and they were silent through the whole process, even though I spent all day for two days organizing everything. They finally cracked and started laughing when I broke out the "Inventory List" and showed them my 6 pages of complete information on the item, description, and location of every single thing gifted to my unborn baby.

Meanwhile, all of my belongings were arranged in no particularly organized pattern, rather they were thrown across the bed and spilling out of bags and drawers. I tried to get my things together for ease of the move across the country, but to no avail. It was impossible. My mind was focused on nesting for the baby, not for me.

Thankfully, I didn't drive my in-laws too crazy throughout this process, just elicited some bouts of hysterical laughter here and there, and to my relief, it was all worth it! Well, maybe the Inventory List was a bit much, but I did appreciate having everything organized according to purpose when I arrived at my husband's residence and proceeded in using my car as my closet until we finally got our house. Of course, this didn't happen until after our darling daughter was born, so she has been introduced to the trials and tribulations of living out of a car. Maybe that's why she does so well on road trips...

Nesting is necessary. It forces even the most unorganized person to organize everything needed for Baby and then some. You will find excuses to organize the most seemingly unnecessary areas of your home, like the linen closet in your bathroom. Does it apply to Baby? No, not on the surface, for you won't even be storing baby towels or baby washcloths anywhere near other laundered items. You'll have used baby laundry detergents and you'll fear for Baby's sensitive skin coming anywhere near anything that's been washed in "regular" detergent. You'll want Baby's skin to stay soft and smooth, and the only way to do that is to have it consistently touch items that are at least as soft as a baby's bottom. So, why organize an area that you won't even need for Baby? Even now you realize that the days of specialized baby detergent are numbered. You know that eventually, piece by piece, Baby's bathing needs will make their way into the family storage unit located in the general access area of your restroom. Sure Baby is special. Baby is always special, but Baby did not come with a home extension equipped with a separate bathing storage closet. You will realize that you realize this eventually, but as mentioned, you will have already prepared the linen closet so thankfully, the moment won't come too soon. Will the linen closet stay organized? It probably won't. Eventually, you will place all of Baby's bathing equipment into the last open space in the now disorderly bathroom linen closet, but do not fret. It's still organized. Everything that is "in it's place" belongs to Baby. Everything tossed about, is everyone else's. That's all that matters.

You see, the point of nesting varies. In my case, it was to organize everything now in a way that will allow me to better organize it later. It proved it's purpose in the end. It not only helped me when I moved, but it also gave me something to do that was baby-oriented. Even though I was carrying, nourishing, and sustaining the baby in my womb, I still felt like I wasn't doing much in preparation. Nesting made me feel so much better. It was therapeutic in a way that no other cleaning method has ever been. It didn't change my outlook on cleaning. (I did say, "It was therapeutic in a way that no other cleaning method has ever been.") I don't plan on taking advantage of the benefits of true organizational skills until I "nest" again. Few wonders exist in life, and this is one of them. I don't want it's "glisten" to dull. Besides, my daughter is a toddler now. Cleaning is a joke.