The out-of-office is on, the laptop has been handed back and for the first time in years your diary is gloriously empty. Hello, maternity leave!

After 20 years of teaching pregnancy yoga here in Brighton, I've noticed that the mums-to-be we work with at LushTums tend to fall into two camps.

There are the naturals. Day one, feet up, box set on, biscuits within reach. They don't look back and honestly, I salute you. With my summer babies, I spent my first week of mat leave mostly eating ice cream, and I don't regret a single scoop.

Then there are the rest of us. You've been running at 100 miles an hour for so long that stopping feels weird. You find yourself reorganising the spice rack at 10am on a Tuesday, or sneaking a peek at work emails "just in case". Rest can feel like something you have to earn, and if you do sit down for an hour you might even catch yourself muttering that you're being lazy.

You are not lazy. You are growing a whole human being. That's a full-time job in itself!

Whichever camp you're in, these weeks are a gift. They're a little pause between one chapter of your life and the next, and how you spend them really can shape how you arrive at your birth. So here's my list: the practical, the nourishing and a few things you might not have thought of, with some of my favourite Brighton spots thrown in.

First, the practical bits

Let's get the to-do list out of the way. Ticking these off frees up your head (and your heart) to enjoy the rest.

Pack your bag. Snacks, a long phone charger, lip balm, your own pillow and something comfy to labour in. Pack one for your birth partner too. They always forget themselves!
Fill the freezer. Soups, stews, a big lasagne. Future you, three or four weeks in at 4pm with a baby attached, will be so grateful.
Finish the nesting. Wash the tiny clothes, build the cot and set up a feeding nest on the sofa with water, snacks and the remote all within arm's reach.
Have a date night. In our house date night always means tacos, and Brighton is brilliant for them: Wahaca, La Choza or Carlito Burrito. Anything with pulled pork, or a good quesadilla, and I'm happy. Or go to the cinema, a gig or a long lazy lunch. Enjoy being just the two of you while leaving the house still takes five minutes, not fifty.
Make a visitor plan. Decide together who visits, when and for how long, then write it down. It's so much easier to say "we're not having visitors that week" now than with a newborn in your arms and Auntie Sue on the doorstep.
Write a Helpful Jobs list. This is my favourite. When people ask "what can I do?" you'll have an answer ready: bring a meal, walk the dog, put a wash on, do a supermarket run, hold the baby while you shower. Share it in the family WhatsApp before baby arrives, so the help in those early weeks of postnatal recovery actually helps.
Sort the admin. Car seat fitted, birth preferences written and shared with your midwife, pool is prepped and the maternity unit number saved in both phones.

Try not to cram all of this into week one. One job a day, then stop, is a lovely rhythm.

View of the sea and sky from Brighton beach

Get curious about birth (and beyond)

Mat leave is the perfect time to get to know birth a bit better. Not cramming for an exam, just gently filling your toolkit, so that however your birth unfolds you feel informed, able to ask questions and part of the decisions.

Pop the LushTums podcast on. Perfect for a seafront stroll, or for lying on your left side with a pillow between your knees. Real birth stories, practical tips and lots of honest chat. Listen here
Have a rummage through the blog. From pelvic girdle pain to helping your baby into a good position for birth, there's plenty to dip in and out of. Read the blog
Read the Honest Guides & do your Checklists. Short, clear, evidence-informed and written the way I'd explain it to you over a cup of tea. Induction: The Honest Guide and Your Birth, Your Way are brilliant for these final weeks, and Fourth Trimester: The Honest Guide is the one I wish someone had handed me before my first baby arrived. Explore the Honest Guides
Come to class. Pregnancy yoga gives you a weekly hour to breathe, move and relax to birth, and you'll meet other mums-to-be due around the same time as you. So many lifelong friendships (and future playdates) have started in our hello circle. Find a class near you
Book a Yoga For Birth workshop. Bring your birth partner for three hours of essential practical prep; positions, breathing and massage you’ll actually remember on the day. Explore here!

The fun (and slightly unusual) list

Now for the good stuff. These are the things that turn maternity leave into a little season of your own, and we're spoilt for choice here in Brighton.

Be a tourist in your own town. Brighton Museum or the Royal Pavilion on a quiet weekday morning is a joy. No queues, no school trips and plenty of benches. For something quirkier, the Booth Museum of Natural History on Dyke Road is wonderfully odd or the Toy Museum in Hove.
Take a stroll. Hove Lawns is lovely and flat for a slow waddle, with sea air and a beach hut or two to admire. If you fancy something more countryside I love Stanmer Park. And if your legs (or your pelvis) decide they've had enough halfway, hop on a bus or grab a taxi home. That's absolutely OK! Walking is brilliant for helping your baby into a good position, so I'm counting cake as birth prep.
Find your café. Take a book and stay as long as you like. A few of my favourites are the Garden Café, Wolfox and brunch at Starfish & Coffee. Enjoy a hot drink while it's still hot. It won't be for a while!
Go to the cinema in the daytime. It has to be the Duke of York's, of course! It's one of the oldest working cinemas in the country and a proper Brighton treat. Look out for their parent-and-baby screenings for later on, but right now you can pick any seat and nobody needs feeding but you.
Swim. The King Alfred in Hove or the Prince Regent in town. Floating takes all the weight off your pelvis and back, and that weightless feeling in late pregnancy is pure bliss.
Potter round the North Laine. Tiny vintage knits, second-hand books, quirky toy shops and a good browse at your own pace. Then pop upstairs to The Loft for class!
Write a letter to your baby. Tell them what the world looks like right now, what you're hoping for and what made you laugh this week. It's a gorgeous thing to give them one day.
Make a birth playlist. One for calm and one for energy, then a third for those first few weeks at home. Ask me for some that we use in class if you like!
Have a bump photoshoot. No need for fancy. A friend, a sunny window (or a moody Brighton beach) and your phone are all you need.
Learn something small and soothing. Knitting, watercolour, sourdough or a big jigsaw. Something for your hands that lets your mind wander.
Plant something. Bulbs in a pot that will flower in the weeks after your baby arrives. A hopeful little thing to watch grow.
Make a sofa basket for afterwards. Snacks, nipple cream, a water bottle, a good book and a list of who you can call on. Something handy you can dip into when you need.
Do something just for you. A pregnancy massage (I have lots of recommendations), a long lunch with an old friend or a whole afternoon in bed with a novel. No justification required.
Have a proper sofa day. Duvet, snacks and something easy to watch. My go-tos are Ghosts, Ludwig and Younger (my guilty pleasure!). If you like those, try Detectorists, Only Murders in the Building, Ted Lasso or a cosy Gilmore Girls rewatch.
Get lost in a book. I love proper escapism. Anything by Claire North or Elif Shafak, or try Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or Circe by Madeline Miller. Bonus points if you read it in the bath.

For those who find it hard to stop

If you're reading that list and already working out how to fit it all in by Thursday, this bit is for you.

Rest isn't lazy. In these last weeks your body is doing a huge amount of quiet, clever work, and resting now means you arrive at your birth with something left in the tank. Think of it as part of your birth prep, not a break from it. Plus remember what your body is doing is akin to JOGGING 24/7… so give yourself a break!!

If switching off feels hard, here are a few gentle ways in:

Put rest on the list or pop it in the diary. It sounds daft, but if you're a list person, write "feet up" on it. Then tick it off with great satisfaction.
Try a Guided Relaxation. Even 10 minutes lying on your side with a pillow between your knees counts.
Swap "should" for "could". You could clean the bathroom. You could also have a long bath in it…. hmmmm…
Notice the urge to be busy. No need to fight it. Just notice it, take three slow breaths and see if it still feels quite so urgent.
Practise saying "yes please". When someone offers help, take it. It's brilliant training for life with a newborn.
And practice saying “no thanks”. So you don’t overcommit when you don’t really want to!

And if the busyness is covering up a bit of worry about birth or becoming a mum, that's so normal. Talk to your midwife, come and chat to us in class or have a read of the Honest Guides. Knowing more often makes it much easier to let go.

Enjoy this little pause

There's no right way to do maternity leave. Some days you'll get loads done, and some days getting dressed will be the big achievement. Both are absolutely fine.

Whatever you choose, I hope you find time to slow down, connect with your baby and soak up this quiet before the beautiful chaos begins.

And if you'd like some company along the way, come and join us on the mat. We'd love to meet you and your bump.

Find a LushTums class near you

Explore the Honest Guides