Pregnancy already comes with many challenges. Aside from the usually swollen feet, nausea, insomnia, belly-touching people, and rotund figure, a new set of problems will arise over the holiday season.
The biggest test over the holidays for a pregnant woman is often what to do on New Year’s Eve. This article will list several suggestions that will leave you feeling a little less disappointed about not being able to partake in your customary New Year’s cocktails.
1. A Sober Partying Experience
Depending upon how you feel about being the only sober person at a party or club, it may be an option for you to go out to the same parties and just not drink. Throw on a pretty maternity dress, stay out of smoky rooms, and hit the dance floor in moderation.
As long as you were already in shape enough to dance before you became pregnant, you aren’t on bed rest or other restrictions, and it sounds like fun to you, go ahead and dance! Enjoy some good food, socialize, and be free for a night of adult-oriented fun before you have a newborn attached to you most of the time.
2. Be a Designated Driver
It may not sound as fun as going to a party, but being the driver for your friends who haven’t had to refrain from drinking will be a gratifying experience. Knowing you got all your friends home safely and without the legal troubles of a DUI will make you feel good, but it can also be a financially rewarding experience.
Most of the time, people may raise an eyebrow at you if you suggested payment for this service. We are, however, in the midst of a recession, and most people have adopted the attitude that earning extra money is responsible. This is especially true for people who are expecting a new family member!
Ask each friend you will be taxiing around town for a donation, and put the money aside to buy your new little one some nice gifts. Write all about it in your baby book so your child can read how Mom did everything in her power to hand the world over on a silver platter before he or she was even born!
3. Host a Babysitting Party
If you’re expecting your first baby, consider the babysitting practice. If you already have children, you can bring over some kids for them to play with while you earn some money. Babysitting is one of the few money-making ventures that is recession-proof.
People are especially happy to find a justification for spending funds on themselves to have a good time. Holidays are just the ticket for this, and it is not at all unusual for a parent to pay a good, trusted sitter $50.00 or more per child for an overnight arrangement. The comfort of knowing they can let their hair down, enjoy some drinks, and not have to pick up their tired kid just after the bars close is a good feeling most moms and dads will pay for.
You can make the experience more enjoyable for yourself and the children if you treat the night like a party. If parents allow it and you can make it through the night, let the kids stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year. Buy some sparkling cider and plastic champagne flutes so the kids can toast.
For the rest of the evening, set up sleeping bags all over the living room and let the kids have a campout with snacks and movies. To avoid parents with hangovers leaving their kids with you all the next day, charge an extra dollar amount for every hour they are late after a clearly stated pick-up time.
4. Have a Romantic Evening at Home
If this is your first baby, you should take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with your husband or partner. Your lives will change considerably once your little one arrives, and relishing every relaxing moment would really benefit your relationship. Ask your partner not to drink so you can be more tuned in to one another.
Spend what you’d normally pay for a night on the town on delicious food and movies instead. If you have a fireplace, have your partner build you a fire and move a loveseat or small sofa in front of it if possible. Cuddling, gourmet food, good movies, and conversation will be things that are harder to come by once your baby is born.
5. Embrace Pregnancy for a Night
Feeling fat, puffy, emotional, sleepless, and constantly hungry may not seem like something to embrace. If you remember, however, that most people are willing to give a pregnant woman a little more help and attention than usual, you can make a fun night out of it. Invite friends over for dinner before they are headed out on the town.
You can even invite them over for a few drinks and snacks in between parties or bars. The twist is that your partner and good friends serve you and your unborn baby. Sit in a comfortable chair with your feet up.
Make sure you wear something that makes you feel pretty. You can even adopt a “queen for a day” attitude and wear a tiara. Have your partner and friends bring you juice in wine glasses, chocolate, and other treats.
Ask your partner to explain that it’s a night of pampering for you so you don’t have to seem demanding by describing the details yourself. You can have people pouring in and out of your home to spoil you all evening.
Whichever option you choose, make sure you embrace the changes and have a good time. This year isn’t a consolation; it is just a different way of doing things. You’ll soon be introduced into a new world that will seem much more full and meaningful than life has been ever before. Enjoy the road that it takes to get to motherhood, and find new ways to have fun on holidays.
