Making Your Pregnancy Time Well Spent

The Zen Zone

One of the most frustrating aspects of caring for an infant or toddler is the sense that few tasks can be completed in one sitting. And uninterrupted time is unpredictable: your child could nap for one hour, or two, or not at all. When you work on a project with your child around, such as cooking a meal or putting photos into an album, the process divides into stages. For instance, I'll cut the vegetables at one point, mix a marinade 20 minutes later, and throw the meal in the oven when we return from the playground.

While you are pregnant, seek out activities that require sustained focus or energy. Cook a complicated gourmet meal over an entire day. Read a complete book in one sitting. Go to a three-hour movie in the theater. Rearrange every cabinet in your kitchen. You have only yourself to interrupt you.

Rethinking Priorities

It might seem that you will have time for little besides parenting after having a child, and this is true for about the first three months. After that, you can create space for your favorite hobbies or leisure pursuits—but you'll find your priorities will change because you won't have enough time for everything. If exercise is your top ambition, it might squeeze out reading the newspaper every day. If you want to cook a homemade dinner each night, you may not have time to keep up with email. You will continue doing what matters most to you, and what doesn't you probably won't miss anyway. In the meantime, enjoy these last months of relaxation as you look forward to a rich future with your new family.