Kimberley Klaver: ‘The pregnancy itch is driving me crazy!’

I write this column at half past five in the morning. I am 32 weeks pregnant and the nights are getting more and more restless. I can no longer find my posture and the pregnancy itch is driving me crazy. This comes on mainly in the evening and night and usually leaves me alone during the day. The result: scratching, turning and scratching again.

Restless legs

Also, my legs don’t find rest unless I keep moving and stretching them. A nightly search on Google tells me that I suffer from ‘restless legs’ this pregnancy.

Although I am now exhausted behind the laptop, I just had no choice but to get out of bed so that my hubby can sleep through the night and I can scratch undisturbed in the living room.

Letting go

Is this a trick of nature to let me get used to the broken nights with a baby? A skill so that the transition will be less hard? Then I would rather that I can still sleep properly, but well, you are not always in charge and being able to let go of your own expectations is essential in parenting.

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Leave of absence

Anyway. There’s one thing I’m really looking forward to (besides holding and welcoming our second son), and that’s my time off. And it’s almost here. In a week I will close my laptop and go offline more. With my first son my waters broke at 35 weeks and there was no more time for leave and quiet preparation. I could also forget the maternity period, because I had to stay in the hospital for a while. Fortunately it all worked out and that’s the most important thing, but I’m grateful that during this second pregnancy I got the chance to do things differently during this second pregnancy.

‘No’ is also an answer’

I’m going to stop taking assignments sooner and ‘no’ is also an answer. I take naps during the day, watch my favorite series again, cook, meditate, read books and go for a walk. Of course that is not always feasible with a toddler and my three bonus children who also live with us for two weeks a month – we can speak of a full house and few places or time to be ‘zen’ – but I’m going to try it anyway . Everything stands or falls with preparation and planning. So maybe these nights aren’t so bad after all.

‘5 am’

The house is quiet. Everyone is sleeping. And that gives me time to wake up peacefully. That gives me time to look at schedules and make a weekly schedule. It gives me the time to wake up quietly with tea and meditation, without immediately hearing: “Mamaaa, meee Boooot!” (more bread). And it gives the time to endlessly Google for solutions for restless legs, pregnancy itching and more.

I like this quiet start. So I am suddenly forced to become a ‘5 am’er: a trend that occurs more and more often and is picked up by many men, especially in January. And this is how I go into the new year very hip. With a big belly, irritated skin and crazy moving legs – that’s all.

PS: Tips from other mothers for these pregnancy ailments are welcome on my Instagram page @kimberleyklaver

Kimberley Klaver (34) is mother of Julius Laurens Alexander (2). She studied from the age of 5 to 15 at the dance academy of Lucia Marthas and later HBO Communicatie. She is known for Spangas, Vechtershart 1&2, co-host afternoon show Q-Music and as program maker of Badgasten and Known Baasjes at LINDA. TV. She lives with Michel, who has three children from a previous relationship.