Women everywhere who have been pregnant have felt the nesting syndrome take over their body. The nesting syndrome can happen anytime during a pregnancy but often happens between the 5th and 9th month of gestation. It is a primal instinct but many pregnant women may look a little crazy when they get swept up in the syndrome. Nesting varies from woman to woman just as pregnancy varies in each woman. Some women feel the syndrome mildly and others suffer from an overwhelming case of the nesting syndrome.
Nesting is both biological and emotional. A part of it is instinct. A woman knows her body best. Women seem to know when the baby is about to arrive and thus the nesting syndrome takes over. Pregnant women can be found at this point cleaning vigorously, rearranging the baby’s room and packing and unpacking the labor bag.
Wild animals as well as domestic animals also have a nest it instinct. That is why you will see a mother bird adjusting the weaves of her nest, a mother bear storing food and a mother cat finding a hidden area of the home where she will birth her babies. Pregnant women are just like the mothers of the animal kingdom getting ready for their offspring.
Emotions come into play with the nesting syndrome when pregnant women want to prepare. A woman’s baby deserves the cleanest, healthiest atmosphere and that is a mom’s job. Cleaning, organizing and being prepared are all elements that come into play when a pregnant woman experiences the nesting syndrome. At times the increased energy and overpowering need for pregnant women to follow through with these things before birthing their child can lead to an emotional crisis. Often these crisis’ are short lived because there is often something else to be done.
Pregnant women who experience the nesting syndrome should keep a few things in mind. Read the labels of your cleaning products before cleaning. Cleaning products should be safe to handle and should be handled with proper care. Use environmentally safe brands that use little to know chemicals. If you must use chemicals then put on rubber gloves, a face mask and only use in well ventilated areas. Open up the windows and put on a fan to circulate the air. Pregnant women should avoid cleaning out the cat litter box because it can lead to a problem called Toxoplasmosis, this is a parasite found in a cat’s fecal matter, and if transferred to the unborn child it can cause severe harm. The complications that arise from toxoplasmosis include but are not limited to blindness, deafness and mental development disorders as well as other health complications. Pregnant women need to stay away from the cat litter box.
The nesting syndrome is something that just has to be dealt with by pregnant women and often their husbands too. It can be an amusing time as well as a frustrating time. It is worth it in the end when you bring your bundle of joy home to your clean comfortable well organized home.
