Bed rest - how did you stay sane?

khochanadel · April 2016

After a dilation scare at my routine OB appointment yesterday, I was admitted to the hospital for 24-hour observation. The good news is they released me and I got to go home, but the bad news is I am now on bed rest until I deliver.

If you've been in the bed rest boat before, what did you do to stay sane? They gave me a no-no list of activities and told me what I can do, but I fear I will be going stir crazy and get really depressed having my independence taken away from me - especially since we just moved into a new house, the babies (we're having twins) could come at any time, and there is still so much to do - and I can't do any of it!

JennyS86 · April 2016

That's such a tough situation, but the great news is that you are still pregnant!!
In my experience, we had plenty of time to get settled at home because twins sleep so much at first. (tell that to my 2yr olds that are currently Not napping!).

When I was having lots of contractions in the second tri, I was told to do as little as possible, but not technically bed rest.I felt useless and like a bad Mama, but time passes - this is just temporary. I'm sure you've heard this before, but every day that the twins are on the inside, the better! One day gestationally is more than one day in the nicu!

MsIan · April 2016

I just got off bedrest. Honestly, it's hard to stay upbeat after being on bedrest for a while. Have your DH read an article or two about how hard it can be on you. I joined an online book challenge (goodreads) and planned a lot for baby. Binge-watched tv shows and made one very short walk outside each day to sit in the sun. Sunlight, I discovered, actually had A LOT to do with my mood. Check the "bedrest support thread" for more suggestions.

WVUPetunia · April 2016

Lurker from July... I was on bedrest with DS from 28 weeks to 37 weeks. I found a few things that helped. One was to "get dressed"... I'm talking pajamas to yoga pants and tees, but it still felt like I had "gotten ready" a little bit. Also, I didn't have to be in a bed, specifically... I was also allowed couches, recliners, etc. as long as my legs were up. I tried to rotate my location from the bedroom to around the living room throughout the day. It was fall and cold, but maybe since it's spring and warmer out (depending on where you are), you could lie on a lounger or something outside and enjoy the sunshine and being outside. Otherwise, it was mostly watching TV/movies, reading, and surfing the internet. Sometimes, I did a few crafts that I could do while reclining. I think the best thing for my sanity was trying to mix things up here and there, but there was still a lot of boredom and some tears! Good luck!

doozer1345 · April 2016

Ugh. Hugs. I watched a lot of Golden Girls and read as much as I could about birth and BFing. I hired people to do a lot of work I needed to do around the house. Those adult coloring books help pass the time a lot. I don't know if you have Walmart where you live but some offer an online grocery ordering so all you do is pull up and they load the groceries in for you. If you're wanting to do freezer meals there are tons that would require you to just sit at a table and chuck the ingredients in a zip loc bag and be done. Do you knit or crochet?

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