No two best rests are equal. I've spent three of the last five months on bed rest--two separate occasions. Two months after delivering Sunshine, I was ordered to bed due to a bad case if double pneumonia and strep throat. Let me just say, it is never more easy to obey the doctor when you are running a 104 fever.
It does get difficult to behave when you aren't incredibly ill and not having an out of body experience. My first stint of lengthy bed rest was such a case.
29 weeks pregnant. Preterm labor begins.
Sunshine is my second baby. So, since this wasn't my first rodeo I knew the difference between a pesky braxon hicks contraction and early labor contractions. The first one I felt was Easter weekend while visiting family in Houston. I was 29 weeks pregnant.
A quick visit to the doctor confirmed what I expected: Preterm labor.
Along with steroid shots and oral medication, I left with orders of strict bed rest. I could shower and use the restroom--that's it. As for my two year old, I couldn't care for her myself. Eek! What's a gal to do?
If you are in this situation and asking yourself the same question let me impart my bed rest wisdom on you. {wink, wink}.
1. Ask for help. Ask mom, dad, sister, friend, neighbor, old lady next door. You will need help. And don't refuse it when offered.
2. Be honest with people about what you need. People want to help and make assumptions about what you need. It's okay to say, "we are okay on meals, but what I really need is someone to help me take care of my two year old...Or go to the grocery store...Or return my library books." {insert your need here}.
3. Your baby comes first. I know what the late stages of pregnancy does...nesting. Well, you can't. Bed rest is a no nesting zone. But no fear; number four can help with that.
4. If possible bed rest else where. I realize this is not practical for everyone. I tried help coming to me, but it drove me crazy. I saw 1000 things to do, but couldn't do them (or I'd just flat out be bad and do it anyway) I had to explain where everything was at to my caretaker. For me, it was just better for my sanity to become a semi permanent fixture on my parent's couch.
5. Pinterest is your friend. I made a special board of things that I could do while laying there. I also made one for Sweet Pea.
6. You will gain weight. Get over it and tell your doctor to get off your back about the seven pounds you gained this week..what do they expect when the most exertion you're allowed is a bathroom trip?
7. Let it go. This is perhaps the most difficult. Sweet Pea was fully potty trained before bed rest; not so much her little world was tumbled on its head. Whatever it is you are lamenting about...let it go.
8. No one can be Mommy like you. This is especially true if family helps. They will not feed her like you want. They will not discipline at all. They will give her more screen time than you are comfortable with. This was the hardest lesson to learn. An unwillingness to let this one go landed me in the hospital. So let it go. It's a temporary season. You can, and will detox later.
9. Your heart will break. It was so painful to tell Sweet Pea that Mommy couldn't do this or that. I did find ways to play with her from my spot, but she didn't fully understand.
10. Enjoy what you can do. Instead of focusing on the "don'ts" enjoy what you can do. For two months I could sit and do nothing, read without feeling guilty, be waited on for all my needs, snuggle with my daughter, watch copious amounts if television and movies, surpass my Facebook friends on Candy Crush and add about 1000 pins of things I will probably never actually do. And at the end of this it will all be worth it.
38 weeks. 2 days before my water broke.
My bed rest was successful. I delivered a healthy baby girl at 38 weeks. And she was worth every moment of those difficult months.
Leave me a comment and let me know how it goes! And please add any more tips to my little list.
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