More suggestions for your time on bedrest

- Break out that E-reader! I did not have one when I was on bedrest but I will make sure I have one if I am ever on bedrest again.

- Try Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus (Regular Hulu is of course the cheapest option at free though)

- Pinterest. I am dying for an invite but I have been browsing pins for a week. I would have been in heaven if I had this on bedrest.

-Swagbucks- I had personally been doing the surveys to earn amazon GC's to buy groceries and diapers. Every bit helps. I'll put a link in, please note that it is a referral link (I don't want to hide the fact that I will make points when you click and create an account).

- Sandwiches get old. Buy premade salads, steam-able/microwavable meals (Birdseye makes 1 person portions that are sooo good!) and crock pot cans of soup.

Sharing our stories

After a hard fought battle (oops I mean pregnancy) with my incompetent cervix I felt the need to blog. I needed to let others know they aren't alone. I'd like to provide anyone who is following this blog with two more blogs doing the same. This first one is following a mom through her second pregnancy after being high risk and having a preemie. Her blog Confessions of a High Risk Mom is one I am following for sure! The other blog I'd like to recommend is hopefully one that not many will need. The Preemie Resource Blog is an amazing gathering of several stories including NICU journeys, breastfeeding advice and many other useful tips and info. I must say that this blog has been particularly useful to me a few times as well even though LittleMan was full term.

Helpful links

Sorry for not posting for a few days. We had an eventful few days. My sister came to visit (we live far from each other so it was a big deal). Then little man had an allergic reaction to something- but we still have no clue what it was. Thankfully that wasn't that big of a deal and he recovered very quickly.

Today I wanted to share some links that may be helpful.
Sidelines Non-profit for complicated pregnancies and premature births
Bedrest Checklist- (from Sidelines)Take this to your Dr as a guide for your activity level on bedrest
17P info (from Sidelines)
Gestational Diabetes (from Sidelines)
Preterm Labor (from Sidelines)
Pregnant with multiples (from Sidelines)
March of Dimes
ADA Gestational Diabetes page
Baby Center Gestational Diabetes page
Baby Center Bedrest page
Baby Center Preclampsia page
Baby Center Preterm labor page
Baby Center IUGR page
Baby Center Placenta Previa Page
Baby Center Placental Abruption page
Baby Center Excessive Amniotic Fluid Page
Baby Center Cervical Insufficiency page
Preeclampsia Foundation

When bedrest gets depressing

I struggled with my emotions while I was on bedrest. A lot.

I felt like a failure as a woman because I couldn't keep my baby baking without medical intervention. I was so upset at the thought of him being early. I agonized over the health issues that he could face. I cried because I felt useless and trapped. I was upset because I thought my husband could never find me attractive on days when I couldn't stand up long enough to put on make up or do my hair, or even change out of my pj's. I was miserable because my house was a mess and I couldn't clean it. I wanted food but I couldn't cook. I was sick of TV but I couldn't leave the house.

At some points I was just plain angry. Why was this happening to me? I waited to get pregnant until I had finished school and had a decent job. I felt I had done virtually everything right (not that there is a right way or wrong way). To add insult to injury I had trouble getting pregnant in the first place, and now I can't even handle carrying my child to term? I had taken so many pregnancy tests that came back negative that I didn't bother to try another until my husband suspected I might be pregnant. I was shocked when I saw a positive. So shocked I took two more tests and then went to the OB before we both actually believed it. That was the part about being high risk that hurt the most. It was how incredibly bad I had wanted Little Man, how I didn't think we would ever have him, and then to face so many uncertainties. It was heart-wrenching.

Pregnancy hormones certainly don't help the situation. The worst part is the isolation though. Lucky for our generation we are more connected then ever. Take advantage of this- Skype, Facebook, Tweet, go on message boards, or call someone.

Bedrest can definitely leave you depressed. That's precisely why I wanted to start my blog. Don't be afraid to reach out, don't feel alone. You are not alone, there are plenty who have been there or are there right now.

Are you staying hydrated?

Dehydration can cause contractions. Its important to stay hydrated especially while pregnant. When I was pregnant I became dehydrated and ended up in the emergency room. I found it hard to drink water all day so I ate a ton of watermelon and cantaloupe as snack foods. I also ate cereal for breakfast and soups for lunch.

A big help to me was to have a container of whatever I wanted to drink (usually a gallon jug- although be careful to set it where you don't have to lift it to drink from it if you do this- use a straw) and mark it in 3rds. Then I set my cell phone's alarm to go off every so often and made it a goal to have 1/3 gone in say for example 3 hrs. If you keep track of your progress its much easier to stay ahead of the dehydration.

Anyone else have useful tips to keep dehydration at bay?

My friend the DVR

Why is it there is never anything good on TV when all you can do is watch TV, surf the internet or read a book. Daytime TV is awful, I mean AWFUL. There was nothing that I wanted to watch besides Rachel Ray's talk show in the morning. For a few days I became obsessed with CNN (partly because I couldn't figure out how Don Lemon was in his 40's, he looks like he's 22 years old) but that quickly wore off.

One of my smarter moves on bedrest was recording anything and everything that I would find interesting. I under normal circumstances didn't record a lot, only shows I really loved and I never recorded reruns. Once on bedrest that quickly changed. If something was on at 3 o'clock in the morning and I was sleeping usually I would assume it would play again. Now I would record anything so I'd have it when I could no longer take staring at my computer screen or I had finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the 4th time. Now in the morning when all that was on TV was QVC highlighting the latest fashions from the Quaker Factory and I was about to lose it *light bulb* THE DVR! Seriously, I loved that thing. I DVR'ed every Harry Potter movie that played on TV, Psych, Burn Notice, NCIS, and the Soup.

Strict Bedrest

Strict bedrest is awful. I was jealous of those allowed to go down stairs. I would have loved to do laundry- something I would have never ever said before bedrest. I was initally given the green light to do light shopping once a week when I first was in preterm labor. After I ended up in the hospital for several days though everything about my Dr's orders became much more strict. After I had little man this resulted in a two hour Target trip. I filled 2 shopping carts full of stuff I had been so eager to buy but didn't trust to my husband (Ex. nursing bras). My point is your sanity is even more likely to go out the door the more strict you have it.

Here are some things to consider:

Shop online for baby items you still need.
Check to see if your grocery store has a delivery service (Giant uses Peapod in my area)
Check out sites like DoortoDoorOrganics.com for delivery of fresh veggies and fruit
If you have the cash, hire a cleaning service to do a small cleaning of your house
Sign up for deal sites to see if a cleaning service in your area comes up
Try a new hobby- I picked up knitting using Youtube!
Learn a language- seriously the internet is vast and awesome
Have a career that requires continuing education?- try earning your CEU's online
Try watching some new shows
Have netflix? Search for movies, there are a lot that don't just pop up in the categories
Order take out- its nice to have warm food you didn't have to cook/when you can't cook
Have someone rent you some movies
Do your hair/make up/nails
Invite friends over
Have a 'virtual' baby shower if you need to- use skype!
Or bring your baby shower to you if you can
Sign up on all the baby formula and diaper websites- Hello coupons!
Have someone bring you trashy celeb magazines
Read a book before you can't because there is a screaming baby


Feel free to add suggestions in the comments.

Bedrest on a holiday.

 I know what a bummer it is to be stuck on bedrest during a holiday. The second time I was in PTL it was the 4th of July. It sucked. I sympathize I really do. I wanted to be outside at a picnic or at the very least just to be outside! I am sure you want to be anywhere but your bed.


My best advice is to keep your head held high and remember that you are doing this to keep your little one safe. Always take bed rest day by day, don't turn down visitors, ask for help when you need it, and remember the "I am keeping my baby safe" mantra!

Learning to cope Part 3: Money

I was incredibly lucky to be able to work from home, and I know that. It not only helped with the bills but it helped to keep my sanity. I kept me sane when I was tired of TV, the internet, the color of the wall of my bedroom, my curtains and the feeling of being a prisoner in my own home.

At the hospital I was determined though, that if I did not have that option I would find some way to contribute. So again I thought of all the ways I could make things work for me while I was on bed rest. The key is to get creative. I decided I would with help, use craigslist, ebay, and maybe have a garage sale. I would purge my closet (and my husbands) of clothes I didn't wear. I would sell any books I had around the house that I had already read and no longer wanted. I list things things we no longer used but could sell that were sitting in our basement or garage. Never do this without help. I made a list of things that I knew we had but didn't use. I sent my mom or my husband to take pictures of it and I created my ad and posted it online.

Let me say that these things may not amount to a lot of money but I sold a dog crate we were storing in the basement but no longer needed for $50 on craigslist. That money could cover our electric bill for one month. I had made some extra cash while on bedrest and it was a satisfying feeling.

For additional money making ideas you could try selling crafts of Etsy, listing on Fiverr or selling photos on istockphoto. You could also try selling china crystal or silver to Replacements, Ltd.

Learning to cope Part 2: Meal planning

Feeding my family was one of the 1st things on my mind. How would I do this when I wasn't allowed out of bed for more then 10 minutes at a time? Its easier then you think. It just requires a bit of creative thinking, using tons of shortcuts and planning ahead. For me it meant going grocery shopping once a week, with a small list, using one of the electric carts. I stuck to my list, did not stop to look at other products and only went while most people would be at work. I also requested assistance getting the bags to my car and with heavy items.

To make things easy I stuck to one store, looked at their weekly flyer and formed my meals around sale items. Most of my meals were crock pot meals or microwavable meals. I used shortcuts like steamable bagged veggies, pre-made salads, the store's rotisserie chicken, and cuts of meat easy to crock pot.

After I was admitted to the hospital I had to pass my grocery shopping onto my husband. My best advice for sending husbands who don't normal do the shopping is to make them a list and keep it simple. If you want a certain brand and size right it down but don't expect that to be what you get.

For me planning my families meals and creating the grocery list kept me occupied. Continuing to make meals for our family made me feel useful when my husband seemed to be carrying out the brunt of the chores in our house on top of going to work full-time. 

I kept a stash of snacks for myself and my husband. I had a place by the bed for mine so I didn't have to get up and I didn't need to rely on anyone to bring them to me. There are lots of prepackaged snacks out there. I kept them in reach and kept a variety on hand. I also froze bottles of water and juice. In the mornings I brought some back in a small cooler (to catch condensation and keep them cold) so I'd have something cold to drink throughout the day. Sometimes I'd stash some of my cold snacks with them in the morning to enjoy later too.

Learning to cope Part : Panic sets in

Upon hearing the term "Bed Rest" I went into panic mode. Who would do the shopping, the cleaning, the cooking? What am I suppose to do all day? What will I do about work? Little man's room, oh dear lord little man's room is no where near ready!

After spending time in the hospital thinking about what I would do, I formulated a plan. I would continue to feed my family with simple meals that required little to no effort on my part. Planning them would keep me sane, making them would make me feel useful. I would call work, talk to them about working from home (I am so so sooo fortunate that they allowed me). If  I couldn't work from home I would exhaust every resource I had to save money and bring in some cash. I would enjoy my time, and attempt to keep myself from feeling like my bedroom was a prison.

So when you get the dreaded order for bed-rest first and foremost ladies, DO NOT PANIC! Stress is not good for you and for goodness sake your already on bed-rest! ;) Learn what kind of bed-rest you are being placed on, and what you are allowed to do, and what is forbidden. Follow Dr's orders, you want your baby to stay in the baby oven as long as possible. Most of my tips will be geared towards those on a "Modified Bed-rest" but I hope everyone can take something from my words.

Initially my bed rest wasn't that strict and I was allowed 1 day out to go grocery shopping. After I had ended up in the hospital for three days, trying to stop my labor and my bed-rest was suddenly a much stricter version of modified bed-rest. I was allowed up for a short shower, and up for 10 minutes or less a few times a day. I was instructed to stay off the stairs if I could avoid it. I was also instructed not to lift anything heavier then my cat. Why my cat? I have no idea, that was just the example they used. For the record she is 9lbs. Basically I was to remain in bed 95% of my time. Clearly I, and everyone who had/is currently on or will be placed on bed-rest in the future, we are all up for a mentally and emotionally challenging time.