Nesting?

calhoun53009

I have a close friend who's due in a few weeks and people keep asking her if she's "nesting" yet.  What does this mean??  The first time I saw it, I was like ummm who's turning into a bird??  I don't get it... sorry if it's a dumb question lol

rsrs807

I imagine it means getting the house ready - is the nursery ready, are the clothes ready, all the various baby gear, etc.

staycee

getting your crap in order.

I went on leave at 35w and had a sudden urge to paint our upstairs hall and stairwell.   Just suddenly, it was bugging me and I wanted to get it done.   (in the end DH wouldn't let me because he said I didn't know what I was getting myself into - worked out fine since I ended up being very tired and uncomfortable most days).

With #1 I was on my hands and knees scrubbing all the tile floor at 32w.

btartaroind

Yea, most animals start nesting when they are about to give birth/lay eggs. So I guess it's a metaphor for a woman who is constantly cleaning and getting her home ready for a baby...

tosh24

Women who are pregnant (especially in the latter stages of pregnancy) tend to have this compulsion to get the house organized and things cleaned before the baby comes.

I hate cleaning but vividly remember getting up at midnight because I just had to wash the floors at that moment or the world was going to fall apart. I cleaned every nook and cranny in the house and organized and then re-organized the baby's room and our living area a million times. It is like an exaggeration of a person's normal need to prepare for an event. It's like I had control but I didn't. Just a natural instinct that many animals have, humans obviously included. 

 

Pocky873

Ditto what PPs said re: definition of nesting.

In 3rd tri with DD, I had an uncontrollable urge to clean out my attic and basement (in addition to clearing out our 2nd bedroom for DD's nursery).  It was cathartic. 

calhoun53009

Thanks all

kmm2150

When my mom was pg with us (twins), and was too big to get behind the stearing wheel of a car, she decided to spend a weekend on her hands and knees, cleaning out all the kitchen cabinets and putting in new shelf liners.  I think the combination of an urge to clean/ "nest", plus being so physically uncomfortable that certain positions, like on your hands and knees, are the only thing to alleviate it, work together for this...as well as just knowing that you won't have time or energy to clean your house for god-knows how long once the baby's there.

RodeoRadTech

Pocky873:

Ditto what PPs said re: definition of nesting.

In 3rd tri with DD, I had an uncontrollable urge to clean out my attic and basement (in addition to clearing out our 2nd bedroom for DD's nursery).  It was cathartic. 

LOL!  This exactly.  I was on my hands and knees at 39 weeks scrubbing baseboards, the day before we induced...