bed rest advice pls!

DandT1206

So.... I had an emergency cerclage done on Thursday after finding that my cervix had shortened to between .7 and 1 cm. I had no symptoms. It was lucky that we caught it at my routine mfm exam. The cerclage was performed successfully and I'm back up to about 4cm! I'm still in the hospital and should be going home today or tomorrow, but for those of you who were on restricted activity/bed rest for 34 months, how did you get through it? I have so much time ahead of me to cook these babies, its just scary. Other than a positive attitude and tons of tv/books, I feel like I'm gonna go nuts. Any advice/ encouragement is welcome.... thanks!

Reilly626

The thing that helped me while in the hospital because the channels were awful was a portable DVD player and a season of tv shows- I loved 6 Feet Under if you haven't seen it. Just get into a series. I also did their baby books- you will need to print out pics for them and write a lot so it keeps you busy. Good luck- enjoy the peace because its nonstop once they get here!!

Ms H13

tv, books, crossword puzzles, catching up on email/facebook, call a friend, paint your nails.  I like the idea of getting started on their baby books, that's a good one.  Best of luck, I know it's hard but you'll get through it!

LadyNikon

time to take up knitting!  or crocheting.  Just remember don't throw them when you get frustrated like I did once.. they are pointy!

AmyJoy728

Netflix for tv and movies. Crocheted some blankets, ordered  a lot of stuff online and did Suduko and puzzles.

DandT1206

Thank you! I may start crocheting. Any physical issues that you had to deal with? Restless legs, back pain, etc? Was there anything u did to help relieve any of those aches n pains that are associated with bed rest?

yinyang124

I am getting through it with Netflix, puzzles, crocheting, baby gear researching, painting my nails (almost everyday lol), reading and attempting to write a research paper. Brief visits from friends help- I find prolonged visits to be a drag because I have nothing to say. The High-Risk board has daily bed rest posts, and we all talk about our high point of the day and answer a question. It's nice because it makes you focus on at least 1 positive thing, even if you're feeling really down. Pre-made snacks that you can grab easily are nice too. A big pitcher of water and ice, so you don't have to worry about getting up everytime you're thirsty.

Physically, you'll notice yourself getting weaker. My body feels restless a lot, and my back aches if I don't support it properly. Warm showers and a heating pad help. My H gives me a lot of body massages too.

Ourfamilyof5

Do you have a need to make any type of photo album? My son is almost 21 months old and I'm STILL trying to get an album done of his first year...hopefully before the twins are born. If I was on bed rest, I'm pretty sure that's what I'd be working on!

elizabeth0705

Hi! I'm on modified bed rest (I'm supposed to spend most of the day in bed or on the couch, but I can get up for 15 min every hour for showering, eating, etc.). I've found that being on bed rest has given me a lot of time to do all of the baby preparation stuff that I need to do, such as: filling out hospital forms/birth plan, writing up a list for my hospital bag, calling around to find a medical supply company that sells breast pumps (my insurance covers this...you might want to check it out if you're considering breastfeeding), finalizing and ordering all of the stuff we need to buy for our babies, reading baby books, writing thank you notes for baby gifts, etc. I've also made a few digital prints for our nursery walls, which is a little tricky to do from bed, but not impossible. In terms of "house stuff," I order groceries online and make lists of general household stuff we need so that DH can run errands on the weekends.

I try to do that stuff during the day from bed, and then I set up shop on the couch in the evening and watch movies or read. 

You'll get through it! 

DandT1206

Thank you everyone!  I just found out I may be able to work from home on my laptop.  That should kill a lot of time.  I think I still want to learn croteching or knitting though. It's something that interested me even before I was preggers.

earlyspring1

So far I've been lucky to be able to avoid bed rest but I read in a magazine at my MFM's office that you can get some places to send you envelopes for birth announcements so you can address all the envelopes before the babies are born. I thought that was a great idea and have that one tucked away in case I do end up on bed rest.