There’s a widely known phenomenon in pregnancy known as nesting. It sometimes happens in the second trimester when you first start to get back some of the energy that eluded you in the first trimester. It also frequently happens shortly before you burst into labor. I’m not sure what causes it but it seems a majority of women do go through it. I guess it’s a throwback to the old survival days where cleaning the cave would have ensured that there were no hidden dangers before the baby arrived.
It happened to me with Hayley. In the energy burst of the second trimester I found myself cleaning things that really didn’t matter much, like the cupboards in the bathroom that no one ever sees. Then, shortly before I had Hayley, George came home to the stereotype of his pregnant wife on her hands and knees in the kitchen, scrubbing between the floor tiles with an old tooth brush. Seriously. I was mocking myself but I couldn’t make myself stop either. It’s crazy.
This time has been different. I didn’t really get a noticeable burst of energy in the second trimester, though at least I could stay up later than 10 pm and I stopped feeling like I was going to barf at any given moment. I’ve had a few small nesting urges over the past month or so. One example was when I could have gotten away with just re-stacking the towels in the linen closet but ended up pulling everything out to re-organize and clean it. Other times have been when I know that I’m tired and that I’ve done enough cleaning that I can stop for awhile but I keep wiping things down anyway.
But I guess that having a three-year-old who runs you ragged and doesn’t nap wears on the nesting urge a little. I’ve been having mental nesting instead and I’m hoping that can be a good sign too. For instance, over the past few hours I have had an overwhelming desire to do the dishes that didn’t get done yesterday since we were out all day, dust the wood furniture with actual furniture polish, clean the fish tank, clean the rat tank, do some de-cluttering in the living room, and do some laundry. Thus far I have only actually gotten the dishes washed. It’s like my body doesn’t have the energy required to keep up with my brain. If I had telekinetic powers, I would have the cleanest apartment in the world.
Let’s hope that my mental nesting means that the baby is ready to finally come out. We went to visit friends yesterday and stayed for supper where I ate spaghetti and hot sausage which I covered in a huge cloud of hot chili pepper, but it didn’t bring on labor at all – just a bit of heartburn at 2 am. Alas.
Out, out, OUT!
