For Those Mommies That Are Pregnant and on Bed Rest.

First & foremost try not to get stressed about it, it's not good for the baby. I was on bed rest for 7 wks. with placenta previa & my hubby was working a 6 day/ wk. at the time. It was incredibly tough. I filled my time with phone calls, tv, reading & listening to powerful affirmations by Louise Hay. Friends & family visited along with having my cards read.

I was on bedrest with our twins for 9 weeks. I was HUGE and so uncomfortable. We were also in the middle of having a room added to our house and had workers coming and going. It was awful! Our son was 2. I read books and magazines, did crossword puzzles and watched a lot of tv. I also kept a journal (great place to vent!). My husband got a thick, foam, egg crate pad for our bed and it helped my back and my hips. I stressed about the house too but I was determined to carry the girls as long as possible. They were born at 37 weeks and went home with me so
the misery paid off in the end. Hang in there! Are your other kids old enough to help you?

God bless you- the present you are giving your child will last a lifetime- so know that, and prayers and postulates to you. Who cares about the dirty house(of course you do!) but it will need cleaning a lot of other times, and this is the only time you can do this for your child.
Also maybe a board between the box spring and mattress would make it more comfortable.
best, k

Oh, I feel your pain. I ended up being on bed rest for 8 weeks with my first child. I can tell you this... I didn't do complete bed rest for the first two weeks and ended up in the hospital for the last 6 weeks. When they mean bed rest... they mean BED rest. If you think home rest is bad... the hospital is terrible (at least you get to see your family, eat what you want to eat, and don't have people waking you all night long). Please try to rest at home!
When I was on bed rest, I caught up on shows that I missed and did crossword puzzles. But, I admit, I almost went nuts. So, good luck and please try to do your best to rest at home - I know it is super hard! Holding your healthy baby will make it worthwhile!

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I am not where you are right now, but I have been there. All I can say is hang in there mommy, it will be over soon.
Get a good book that you just cant put down. Take up some kind of hobby or find something to do that will help pass the time (something relaxing or restful like crocheting, knitting or making jewelry).

I have been on bed rest since 23 weeks with this pregnancy. I am now almost 34 weeks. Still going strong. The first thing I will tell you (that other people told me and I didn't believe) is that it WILL GET EASIER. The first 3-4 weeks I think I cried every day. I was so lonely and frustrated. But, eventually I got a grip and realized this is such a short time and it just got easier. It became part of my every day life. The longer I keep baby in, the better.

I was really sore the first 2-3 weeks also. Again, that part got easier too. The soreness eventually subsided. I assume my body just got used to it. I did change positions a lot and used heating pads. I would go from laying on left side to laying on right to sitting quite frequently. I also got up to walk around, even if just for a few seconds. I did stretches (VERY light ones) at night right before bed. I also drank TONS of water.

Things I did/do to help keep my sanity:
- work from home
- Organize everything I can sitting or laying down - all those old papers sitting in a pile on your home desk, tackle them! Organize the baby's clothes while laying down.
- my hubby will do the laundry and then bring it to me to fold
- get on computer (laptop pref)
- write in baby's book
- watch tons of TLC (a baby story of course!)
- text and talk to friends
- give yourself pedicures/manicures, all those beauty upkeep things you wish you had time to do before - do them now!
- I have my hubby drive me around in the car on the weekends just to get fresh air and a treat or something. Sometimes I can make it as long as 30 minutes! It's like going to disneyland!
- Word searches/crosswords
- Make lists of things for other fam members to do (can't guarantee they will do them! lol)
- About once a week, a friend will come over with a treat and just to visit, it really does help pass the time
- Read lots of books. I was always interested in history. Now I actually have the time to read about things I have never had time to read about before.

My friend signed us up for takethemameal.com - friends and fam sign up for a day to bring you a meal. Sign up, or have someone else sign you up. It was a tremendous help to us.

Our house is usually a mess and my kids are not dressed and fed exactly the way I would do it, but we are making it. We hired a cleaning lady to come in just once every two weeks and it has helped TREMENDOUSLY. I highly recommend doing that if you can. We are by no means rich but we scraped up the money to hire them because we knew it would be worth it.

Before my bed rest, I did EVERYTHING, and I mean everything. My hubby took care of the lawn and that is it. So, this has been VERY challenging for him and the rest of the fam, but as I said, we are making it! I promise you it will get easier and you are doing something so wonderful for your baby. Once you see that little face it will all be a distant memory!

Feel free to PM me if you want more advice/just to talk! I know what you are going through!

I was on bed rest for 3 months. I had the bed moved to the window so I could have the fresh air and look out at the world. They put cable in so I had things to watch. I even would color. My dad would bring me a color book he saw he thought I would like. I painted and did crafty things. I really could not sit up or walk long at all. I was in labor the whole time. They gave me shots and pills to stop it all but they only slowed it down. So I stayed up on pill time. I got a little refrigerator that was put beside my bed so I could have cold drinks through out the day. I read books, love Lori Wick. Never had a lot of friends so did not do a lot of phone time. When I really needed out my mom would get the car right at the door and put the set down and place pillows in there for me. That way I was still laying but was out of the house. I prayed a lot, talked to the baby, watched him kick me,lol. I got one of those things so I could hear his heart beat anytime I liked. That really helped. I wish you all the best. M.

I started a journal to my dd. You can get blank ones sometimes for reasonable prices. I started with a letter to her telling her how much I loved and waited for her. Then I wrote about how we found out she was in there, how long we had been trying, and what the pregnancy was like. I craved cheeseburgers like crazy! It was a good way of putting everything in perspective. I was on bedrest for about 6 weeks. She came two weeks early, but was healthy. I have also tried to keep it up. Although, don't have as much time as I did back then. I think it will be something she will treasure in the future. Good luck <3

Hi Mommy,
Bed rest is not easy, esp. when you have other children to care for. I was on bed rest in hospital for three months (it was awful for the first 10 days .. since my 2 year old had to change daycare and stay longer hours in home daycare. I had IVs and monitors and if he did come to hospital with his dad, I could not even reach out and touch him coz of all the things hanging around me. I put a Calendar by me and everyday tear the page .. it gives me some feeling that time is passing and one day less to spend. I thought about the baby(or twins, in my case) inside my tummy and reminded me that I need to stay here, no matter what ( I had to go to the bathroom when someone sat nearby me, so I don't faint or fall, and IVs dragged along with me -- even in shower, which had to limit to 5 min. every other day, someone was right there next to me -- it was the most embarrasing thing in my life). I got a diaper from neonatal unit, it was smaller than my palm, and pinned it on my wall -- it gave me courage to stay put -- that my babies need to grow inside me, not outside. You can do it .. it is hard but you can handle it. You are at least at home and not in a couped up hospital room ..
Soon it will have a happy ending.
Take Care

I was on moderate bedrest for 3months and then on strict bedrest for another 3months at the hospital. I could not read anything as I was unable to focus and decided that I would pass my time becoming a tv junkie. I got hooked on Cold Case, First 48 hrs and of course all the baby stories. I had myself convinced that I could solve all the crimes and that it should be my next calling. I also did not allow friends to come visit and involve me in their complicated lives. I felt that it was too draining and of course my family had to resolve their own issues without involving me. No stress other than lying there passing time went by pretty quickly.

I know it sounds a little cliche, but enjoy the break while you can. I was thankfully only on serious bed rest in the hospital for a week. It was a little sad and lonely at times, but it was easier to "check out" of my chores when I was not directly looking at them. I watched a lot of tv, read magazines, knit, played video games, made valentines day gifts for my daughters friends, and spent a lot of time on the internet.

Now my son is 8 months old and even the month he spent in the hospital after he was born is a distant memory.

Best of luck!!