Extreme nesting urge: time to panic or not?

Extreme nesting urge: time to panic or not?

Do you have an extreme need to clean during pregnancy? Are you obsessively cleaning your house before the little one arrives? Yep, then there is only one diagnosis possible: a severe form of nesting urge. Don't need a doctor to tell you that. But don't start panicking right away after hearing this news, because luckily it is completely normal and not a rare disorder. What does it mean exactly? Then read the leaflet quickly ;)

What is nesting pressure?

Are cleaning, tidying, and shopping part of your list of things you can't resist doing during the second or third trimester of your pregnancy? Then nesting urge is the culprit. Although nesting urge varies from pregnancy to pregnancy, the following forms of nesting urges are common to many pregnant women:

  • Washing baby clothes;
  • Cleaning out closets;
  • Painting the walls;
  • Cleaning the house;
  • Organize bookcases alphabetically;
  • Hanging picture frames straight;
  • Store in plastic bags;
  • Ransacking baby stores

No longer in the mood to meet up with that one friend who has forgotten your birthday 10 times and also didn't congratulate you on that promotion at work? A smaller inner circle on a social level can also be a form of nesting urgency. And a very good one at that, in our opinion.

The cause of nesting urgency

While science can normally help us so much with our tendency to explain everything around us, this, unfortunately, does not (yet) apply to nesting urgency. But we are only too happy to speculate on the cause ourselves. It sounds pretty logical that pregnancy triggers your maternal instincts (as well as many other things including Pregnancy Hormones with a capital P) which makes you feel that your house must be in perfect order before the family expands. And for many women, this equals: that there is still a lot to be done. Because "in order" means that the nest is safe, clean, tidy, orderly, washed, shiny - and we could go on like this but you get the point. And yes, this is also confirmed by the theory of evolution.

When can the nesting be dangerous?

Littering in itself cannot harm (if you know and respect your own limits), but it can be dangerous if you give in to certain cleaning or tidying needs. For the following chores, it's better to look at your partner with a cute face:

  • Painting. No matter how much you like it, no matter how much you look forward to it, no matter how high it is on your to-do list: leave it to someone else. After all, paint can contain toxic components, which is, of course, out of the question. Therefore, opt for water-based paint as standard, and hand the job over completely!
  • Cleaning Agents. Certain cleaning products can also contain harmful substances. So skip them! Always make sure you use safe cleaning products and clean with gloves. You can also tell the inner Cinderella in you not to show up for the moment and let someone else do the cleaning.
  • Cat litter box. Even during pregnancy, you are best friends with your furry four-legged friend and take care of each other. Still, the task that consists of cleaning the litter box should be done by someone else. When you come into contact with cat excrement, you can contract toxoplasmosis because of the parasites that can be found in this excrement.
  • Jobs with heavy physical strain. Your belly and back have a lot to endure during pregnancy. Therefore, do not burden them extra with chores that require a lot of strength from your belly or back.
  • Chores for which you need the kitchen ladder. You probably know that from a certain moment in your pregnancy you will waddle through life. And let us tell you, you don't want to be waddling up the kitchen steps. That's just asking for ugly fall problems. Often, though, your partner will be tall enough to do that cleaning job on that tall cabinet in the kitchen.

Babywatcher

Your ultrasound at home

The Babywatcher contains everything you need to make your own pregnancy scans at home.

This Black Friday weekend 10% off!

Babywatcher Rental