10 Ways to Deal with Bed Rest When You're Pregnant

Bed rest may first appear as a luxury, but for some pregnant women, it is a mandated necessity. Preterm labor is the most common condition, but high blood pressure, unexplained bleeding, and other complications can make bed rest – at home or in the hospital – a necessity for the health of mother and baby. Whether it’s a week or months, chances are you’re going to get a bit stir crazy.

Here are some tips to help (Keep in mind, activity level varies depending on the recommendations of your doctor.):

Everything in Arm’s Reach

Think about what you need each day and what you can do without. Make sure your partner handles all the extras like childcare for older siblings. Ask to have everything from snacks, beverages, meals, napkins, tissues, and utensils bedside once you get up in the morning. You’ll probably want to have easy access to multiple forms of entertainment: phones, music, books and magazines, TV remotes, computers and / or iPads all within reach.

Get a Routine Going

Come up with a daily routine that works for you. Get up at the same time every day. Shower every day, get dressed in comfy clothes, and save the PJ’s for actual sleeping at night. Brush and style your hair. If you’re up to it, put on some mascara and lip gloss for a “look good, feel good” mentality. Schedule things like gentle stretching to improve circulation, time for Facebook, reading, crafts, etc… Consistency, no matter what you do to fill your day, will help ward off monotony.

Create Rooms for a Purpose

If you’re able to move around a bit, take advantage of the different spaces in your home for a change of scenery. The living room for Netflix or watching movies, the sunroom/spare room for reading, the nursery for planning paint colors, décor, and baby names, the dining room for reading up on making post-baby crock pot meals or making baby food.

Movie Matinees

Looking for some pregnancy themed movies to watch during the day? This list of classics and modern choices will leave you crying, laughing, and grateful your life isn’t so terrible right now.

• Away We Go and Waitress are both quirky, sweet, and funny.
• Fargo is a thriller featuring a hero who is a pregnant cop.
• Knocked Up and Baby Mama are good for some belly laughs.
• Where the Heart Is is feel-good and heart-warming.
• She’s Having a Baby follows a newlywed couple who struggle with a new home purchase and pregnancy.
• Nine Months is about an unplanned pregnancy and the relationship issues that ensue with a commitment-phobic baby daddy.

Let It Go

Your partner may have an odd way of folding a bath towel or washing the dishes, but at least the chores are getting done. Don’t rob your partner or a friend’s joy of helping you because it’s not how you would do it.

Reach Out and Connect

It’s never been easier to stay in touch. So mix it up. Invite friends and family over for tea. Snapchat friends, Skype with your mom, blog your bedrest, participate in our forums, take one picture every day of anything you want – your belly, a blooming flower, your lunch, swollen ankles, or cranky face. It can be your photo journal to share or just to look back on.

Move as Much as You Can

Resting in bed may sound fantastic at first but prolonged periods of lying in bed will give you tight muscles and a numb butt. More serious complications like blood clots or bedsores can develop if you don’t move around a bit. Always stay within your doc’s recommendations.

Laugh, Get Empowered, and Learn

Here’s a few Ted Talks to put on your bed rest list:

• We Must Put the Sex Back in Childbirth by Kate Dimpfl
• The US Needs Paid Family Leave – For The Sake of Its Future by Jessica Shortall 
• Breastfeeding Is Everyone’s Business by Jenn Anderson

Shop/Ship

You may not be able to walk around the mall or window shop down main street, but shopping online is the next best thing. Create a registry for your baby shower and pre-order diapers, wipes, and other essentials you’ll need.

Get Your Sleep

One would think this is a given, but when you’re confined to the bed, it’s the last thing you or your body wants to do. Separate your wake time from naptime/bedtime and create a sleepy atmosphere in your bedroom. Turn off the TV, laptop, and phone. Close the blinds and create a temperature that is a bit cooler to sleep easier.

How would you make the most out of bed rest without going nuts? Share your ideas with us!