There’s absolutely nothing wrong with staying home with your husband in your jammies on the weekend, renting a movie, and cooking dinner. You’re pregnant, after all, and possibly trying to save money, feeling unattractive, tired, or like you have nothing to wear- also, if you’re anything like I am, you’ve been sick and in pain every trimester. Then what’s the point of going out when you so enjoy staying in? Read on to see the value of pregnancy date nights.

As a first-time mom, I already see that once you have your baby, the luxury of out of the house date nights are few and far between. You’ll be so wrapped up in your little bundle of joy (or wanting to go to sleep by 7), that leaving the house at all will be a chore in itself. So take advantage of this wonderful chapter in your life and embrace it, make the best of it, and make an effort to bond with your husband. Take time to get ready and dress up during this spit-up-free time in your life!

The Value of Pregnancy Date Nights

In the picture I included in this post, my husband got me tickets to a country concert for our one-year wedding anniversary. I was so excited for our amazing date day/night planned in Chicago, starting by visiting museums, getting lunch, and ending with what was sure to be an amazing concert. I was feeling great- a rarity for me- until walking around made me overheated, nauseous, and dizzy- I had to sit on the dirty sidewalk, pressing my face against the cool, marble building to get some relief. My husband frantically ran to get me something cold to drink as I envisioned myself crawling 2 miles back to our car because there was no way I could peel myself off the delicious coldness of the building.  Pregnancy + heat + exhaustion + hunger/thirst + blisters on your feet = one very cranky date. I knew I was ruining our plans, but I also couldn’t pull myself out of the physical and emotional discomfort I was in.  After taking a nap in the cafeteria of The Field Museum and then again in some grassy shade at Soldier Field, I decided to carry on. Thank goodness I didn’t let me get in the way of myself because we ended up salvaging our date and had an incredibly amazing night.

 

Everywhere

Don’t just take my word for it- listen to these other women and take notes from their experiences.

“Even though it was sometimes hard to think of something to eat that wouldn’t make me nauseous, I’m so glad that we continued to have date nights at restaurants during my first pregnancy.  It’s very hard to go out with a newborn and it’s even harder to leave them at home with a sitter,  so it’s important to do it while you can.” Lauren

“My husband and I have agreed that continuing the romance in our marriage is SO necessary. For us, it doesn’t necessarily mean going out on a dinner date. We just make it a point to have dinner together and rent a movie without phones by our side. We’ve found even going on walks and grabbing coffee is so nice to do just the two of us. Recently we went out for dinner just us two. He enjoyed a Old Fashioned and I enjoyed a few bottles of sparkling water. It was so nice to get dressed up and just enjoy each other’s company. Since becoming pregnant, I feel like we are both so much more aware of the love we have for each other and it’s refreshing.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in preparing for baby (and really life in general) that it’s important to set time aside as a couple – no distractions. Anthony and I use our time together to make sure we’re on the same page with things, reconnect and just flat out laugh together! Everybody should have those moments together as a couple.” Sam

“During my first pregnancy my husband surprised me with a fun-filled date night in the city. We went out to dinner, saw a musical, and ended the night at the Signature Room for dessert and great conversation. It was so nice getting out of the house and spending much needed time together before our daughter arrived in just 5 weeks after that. Mini dates in our town were also very needed and appreciated during my pregnancy, because once a baby arrives, it’s a lot harder to get out of the house!” Marta

“The last few months of pregnancy, my husband and I had Friday night date nights. It became a running joke that our date was ‘just in case the baby comes this week’ sort of thing. Some nights I was just tired and wanted to stay in, so we had breakfast dates at Egg Harbor a lot. Travel is really important to us, I’m really glad we also took the time to go on a babymoon; we went on a Caribbean cruise and just relaxed with each other.” Sarah