Follow these tips for bedrest to keep your sanity and provide for the health of your baby while you gestate from the couch or bed.
Surviving bedrest isn't impossible though it may seen so at first. It does require some creativity and ingenuity, but it can be done.
What type of bedrest you are on will determine how you cope with it. Obviously, strict bedrest will be more difficult to deal with and have less flexibility. Bedrest with some privileges will definitely be more tolerable.
If you are able to be up part of the day and only restrict activity to the bare minimum, then what you need to do is just set up an area where you can have some activities available to you. As long as you can sit up and eat meals and make trips to the bathroom, you needn't worry about organizing your area close to those activities.
If you like to read, assemble some books around you where you can reach them with ease. Have some water near by to drink as well as you do not want to jump up everytime for a drink. And make sure there is adequate lighting so you don't strain your eyes.
Find yourself a comfortable pillow or two or three and position them for you comfort, depending on if you rest on a bed or a couch. Where you take it easy will depend on how your home is layed-out. If it is more convenient to be on the couch for daytime hours then do so. If that is the easiest place to reach food and the bathroom you should spend most of your time there. If the bedroom is as easily accessible then it would work as well.
The activities you plan for yourself will depend on your likes and dislikes. TV lovers will find it easy to pass the time while those without access to television may find it harder to pass the hours of each day. A computer that has Internet abilities is a great way to get lost in time. There are an abundance of web sites and chat groups to entertain someone 24 hours/day.
Another great thing to do is organize photos in an album or sort them for later placement in a memory album with accompanying text. If sewing is your thing, this is a great activity to keep you entertained as well.
Make sure you have a telephone by your side along with quick snacks in case you get nauseous throughout the day. Crackers and peanut butter are great eats when on bedrest.
So between biding time with some of your favorite activities and spending time resting, the time will go by quicker than you expected. It is all well worth it when you consider your baby's life and well-being.
