Wondering what to do on maternity leave? This list contains all of the top things you can enjoy doing on maternity leave!
For forty weeks, you think about everything baby, create a baby registry, have a baby shower, get the nursery ready, and imagine what it will be like to have a baby in your arms.
But what about maternity leave?!
This post breaks down exactly what to do on maternity leave and how to prepare for returning to work after maternity leave. There is no one size fits all for maternity leave but these tips will help make your maternity leave more fun and enjoyable!
This post is all about maternity leave.
What To Do On Maternity Leave
1. Sleep
Don’t roll your eyes at this one because sleeping is so so so important during maternity leave. You won’t be getting a full night’s sleep in the first few months after birth but it is so important to prioritize sleep any way you can.
This can include:
- Napping when the baby naps – There’s nothing wrong with resting when your baby naps or even having a family member or friend watch your baby so you can sleep for an hour during the day. Don’t stress about the dishes in the sink or laundry that needs folding. Sleeping is extremely important to your mental health and your postpartum recovery.
- Going to bed early – I highly recommend taking “shifts” with your husband at night so you’re not on alert at all hours of the night. This works best if you’re bottle feeding (breastmilk or formula). Figure out what time you need to go to bed to get 6 straight hours of sleep and go to sleep with ear plugs! This might sound crazy but when it’s your turn to sleep, you need to sleep. And your husband will wake you if he needs an extra set of hands.
2. Watch television
This might seem like a bizarre thing to do on maternity leave but it’s one of my favorite parts and goes hand in hand with sleep.
Maternity leave, especially the first few weeks, is all about your postpartum recovery and snuggling your newborn baby. There are of course doctors visits plus family and friends who will want to visit but the majority of your time is going to be spent in your house changing diapers, feeding your baby and sometimes just trying to survive on less sleep than you’re used to.
For all of those reasons, this is the perfect time to find a new Netflix show to binge watch while your baby naps on your chest. I actually have fond memories of snuggling with my son every afternoon on our couch – it was our thing 🙂 I would aim for one crib nap in the morning as he got a little older but the afternoons were always together time.
3. Have professional pictures taken
Newborn pictures are usually taken within the first 10 days after birth. This ensures that your baby will still be very sleepy so you can get those extremely adorable sleepy pictures that you will cherish forever. Plus, babies grow fast.
Usually this newborn photography session is set up prior to the baby being born but don’t hesitate to reach out to photographers after the fact if for some reason you forgot.
Tip: Arrive at your session 15 minutes early so you can feed your baby there and he will be extra sleepy and cuddly.
4. Get outside daily
This not only breaks up your day but it is insanely helpful for your postpartum mental health. Sometimes the days with a newborn feel like they run together so getting out of the house is always a good idea!
You can start with sitting outside in the shade initially, taking short walks once you’re feeling up to it and even running an errand once you feel confident.
Regardless of what you do, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sunlight does wonders for your postpartum mental health.
5. Go to your postpartum checkup
Moms need special care too, not just your baby so make sure you attend any postpartum appointments because they are important.
This general postpartum checkup occurs at six weeks postpartum but if you had a c section, you can also expect to have a two week check up as well.
At your six week appointment, you will likely get cleared to workout again and return to work at this appointment.
6. Accept help
This can be a tough one but is an important part of your time spent on maternity leave. Accepting help instead of trying to do it all not only will help your postpartum recovery but can also take things off your plate that may be stressing you out.
Things you can accept help for include:
- Dishes
- Laundry
- Grocery shopping
- Cooking dinner / picking up take out
- Watching the baby so you can shower, eat or nap
- Coming over to talk and bring you coffee
7. Don’t set an alarm
Even if you were the type of person who thrived on to do lists and benign productive pre baby, maternity leave is the perfect time to really slow down and not put any pressure on yourself.
Even if you’re able to get a few solid stretches of sleep at night, caring for a newborn is still a lot and your postpartum recovery is incredibly important.
Now is not the time to wake up at 5am to workout (once you’re cleared) or do things around the house. I recommend prioritizing sleep as much as possible and finding time time throughout the day to incorporate what is important to you.
8. Be flexible with your schedule
This goes hand in hand with #7. Just like I don’t recommend waking up at the crack of dawn to start checking off your to do list, it’s important to remember that newborns are unpredictable.
Newborn babies are really not on any type of schedule initially which adds some unpredictability to your day. Inevitably you have to change a blowout diaper three minutes before you were supposed to leave the house or your baby won’t let you lay her down to take a nap.
So start with a loose schedule of a few things you may want to do (run an errand, grab a coffee, etc) but leave room in your mind for that schedule to be flexible. You might leave later than planned, you may have to skip Target today or your baby may just be extra fussy and you scrap your plans entirely.
I’m a firm believer that a flexible schedule does wonders for a mom’s postpartum mental health because it doesn’t set any expectations. Change is welcome and not thought of as a negative thing.
9. Soak up newborn snuggles
Enjoy them all! You literally can’t spoil your baby so soak them up whenever you can. Now isn’t a time to stress about getting your baby to nap in the crib (unless that’s what you want) so I encourage you to do what feels right for you!
10. Add your baby to your insurance
This isn’t a very exciting task but it’s one of the most important things you need to do during the first four weeks of maternity leave.
You typically have thirty days to after the birth of your baby to add him/her to your insurance plan. Make sure you have your baby’s social security number when you call your insurance provider.
11. Start filling in your baby book
This is one of the fun parts and something you will be so glad to have years down the road.
Your baby will start growing and developing so quickly too that it can be hard to remember specific things from the early weeks. So take a few minutes over the course of a few days and fill it out.
12. Solidify care plans
Unless you have decided to leave your job, your maternity leave will unfortunately come to an end at a certain point.
Because of this, you will need to have a plan in place for returning to work after maternity leave.
Whether this means daycare or your baby will be cared for by a family member, the plans need to be solidified once you know when you will be going back to work.
13. Get involved in a mommy group
Whether it’s a formal mom group or regularly getting together with friends you already have with kids, the support is essential during the first few months postpartum.
No matter how prepared you feel, the postpartum recovery period can be a rollercoaster of emotions and having friends who have been through it can really help make this time smoother and more enjoyable.
14. Ease into working out
While there’s no pressure to get back to working out right away once you’re cleared by your doctor, it can really help your postpartum mental health and how you feel overall. Lay your baby on a soft blanket, put him in a baby chair nearby or head out for a neighborhood stroller walk.
Exercising doesn’t have to be complicated (or intense) but getting those endorphins flowing can have an amazingly positive impact on your days, weeks and months of maternity leave!