“Bed rest” are two words you don’t really want to hear when you’re pregnant. Whether you’ve been asked to be on bed rest (or restricted movement) at home or at the hospital, both situations can leave you feeling defeated.
We asked moms who’ve experienced bed rest during their pregnancies to share their advice for other mothers in the same position- worth a read if you’re currently facing bed rest, or if you know bed rest may come up in the future- if your pregnancy is high risk or you’re carrying multiples.
Bed Rest Tips From 15 Moms Who’ve Been There
1. Skip the adult coloring books and reading material. Bring on the Netflix binging! You won’t have time for that after baby.
2. Take the help. Use paper plates/plastic silverware. Take the meal train. Embrace the screen time for bigger kids. Figure out how to get ebooks from the library. – missingnoah.wordpress.com
3. Take all the help that is given, in any form! Also take up a hobby, daytime TV stinks! – Beth C.
4. Have someone to call at any given moment, especially when anxiety sets in. A support system is so important when you can’t move from bed. – Britney D.
5. Keeping to a routine, since I couldn’t work, gave me a sense of normalcy and helped me not go crazy from doing nothing! I had a routine of eating breakfast with my daughter before preschool, then I napped. Then I read or watched tv for an hour. Then had lunch etc. It helped my busy body personality feel “normal” while not in my work routine! – Jenny O.
6. Focus just as much in your mental health as in your physical health. It’s so easy to spiral into a bad place mentally If you allow yourself to focus in all the “what ifs”. Don’t google all the possible bad outcomes- keep your headspace positive and determined. I found that simple daily mantras helped.
7. Surround yourself with tons of easy healthy snacks and things to do. Gather book recommendations and have a ready supply of books to read. Find a new show or two to binge watch. Try to find peace with your newfound down time. – Amanda R.
8. My advice is the sooner you can accept bedrest as your current reality the better. Make yourself at home in the hospital- rent TV, get someone to bring your laptop or tablet, read books, leave your door open so nurses come in and chat, and ask if there are any other long term bedrest patients who might like to be friends & visit/chat. Also don’t be afraid to ASK your friends and family to visit. They may not want to bother you, but having company is good and keeps you sane. FaceTime or Skype is also a great way to pass time. I borrowed an electric cooler from my parents and kept it in my room so that I could have food and drinks on hand at all times. Hospital food is never great so being able to have my own food was really important. – Sarah
9. Same rules apply as when you have a newborn- accept offered help, ask for what you need. You literally can’t do it yourself and relying on your partner for everything isn’t a great way to welcome a(nother) baby! – Kristyl R.
10. For my second pregnancy I was on and off bed rest for two thirds of my pregnancy. I let go of my feelings of “too much TV” really fast and we watched A LOT of Daniel Tiger. I also let go of mom guilt and stopped worrying about putting out family member. They are my family, I constantly asked them to help, I needed help. – peanutadventures.com
11. Take advantage of the situation. The best part is that you are forced to rest, which becomes a rare opportunity once your baby is born. Eat all the food that you crave and enjoy all the pampering that your immediate family is offering during the phase! – Gauree
Related: I Wrote A Book About Pregnancy And I’m So Excited To Tell You About It!
12. Don’t fight it. Trying to show that you can still do things will only make it worse. Try to embrace it. Come up with a challenge list- read three books, finish a baby blanket, beat level 142 on candy crush. – Lauren E.
13. Sleep, binge watch all the shows you ever wanted, and don’t feel bad about asking people to do things for you! – Domenica M.
14. I was on hospital bedrest and my time husband bought me a Roku Stick for in the hospital TV. It was a serious sanity saver to be able to lay there and watch whatever shows I wanted. Most importantly though, no Googling symptoms or conditions to put yourself in to a panic reading other people’s horror stories. Staying calm on bed rest is good for Mom and baby. – Erin M.
15. Have a family member or friend create a meal train. Hospital food got old and it was so nice to see a fresh face each evening. This also allowed my husband and I to eat together every night when he got off work.
Overall, it’s important to stay positive, and to know that you’re doing the right thing for you and your baby! It’s not always fun, but it’s worth it. If you’re on bed rest right now, we hope these tips have helped and given you a few ideas.
If you know someone else who would benefit from these bed rest tips, please pass it along!
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