A Day in the Life of Bedrest

Wake up late, wash my face, and walk to my "station" in the living room: either the couch or the portable reclining Lafuma borrowed from my in-laws, complete with movable and tiltable tray table. Here I have a small box with a notebook (for writing letters or making lists or charts), my journal (for documenting nearly everything I feel during the pregnancy - esp as a reference for my doctor visits), my scriptures, the book I'm currently reading, and my Personal Progress book (I'm working on some goals in Personal Progress because I'm still in the Young Women's presidency in my ward and they encourage us to work on earning our medallion along with the girls - it's kind of nice to do it again, really). I also keep my "Tray Table List" so that when I'm being left for a few hours I can run down the list and make sure I have everything before my guardian leaves, my "Bedrest Goals" list which is full of all the things I would like to accomplish while I'm on bedrest, and my "Things to do" list, which reminds me of immediate steps I need to take to accomplish my longer bedrest goals.

Depending on my attention span or my mood I will simply work on these little projects throughout the day, or watch TV. Sometimes I can spend hours writing in my journal, sometimes I'll spend hours making up new lists to organize whatever I can think of to organize and make me feel productive. If I happen to have a good book I can read almost the whole day, and if I have company over or a good movie or TV show to watch sometimes I can spend hours crocheting in one day. Most often, however, I spend a little bit of time doing each activity, moving on as soon as I get bored.

My mother gets Maggie up and going in the mornings and takes her on walks, feeds her, takes her over to play with her cousins or to go shopping, or plays with her at home. Mom fixes my breakfast and lunch as well, and makes dinner for all of us each night. It's so wonderful to have Maggie home where I can watch her play and interact with her a little bit that I never get on the computer while she's home (our computer is temporarily in my bedroom while my mom's room has taken over what used to be our office). And when Chris gets home in the evenings I don't use the computer either because he usually does work for his own business in the evenings. So, on occasions when I am home alone I'll sometimes move to the bedroom and recline in our office chair as best I can while I do some typing, research on high-risk pregnancies, online shopping, email and blogging. It's not the most comfortable thing to be doing so I usually limit my computer time.

In the evenings I make sure I'm stationed on the Lafuma because then the couch is available for my mom, Chris, or any visitors we might have. We don't have any other furniture in our living room besides the couch. The evenings are nicer because there is more activity going on around the house - mom making dinner, Chris getting home, Maggie being put to bed - and I can watch and be distracted for awhile. Otherwise my little activities like writing, reading, and crocheting just continue as long as I can stand it. When I'm tired of those projects the TV sometimes can keep me entertained, or else I'll try to take a nap once in awhile. Naps aren't that great though because then I have a harder time sleeping at night. I'm so inactive that I don't sleep nearly as well as I used to.

I've read in a couple of places that a side-effect of bedrest is difficulty concentrating. I've noticed that I often get bored very quickly if something is not entertaining enough. I have started many books and movies and stopped a short way into them because I was so bored. I don't really like talking on the phone most of the time either. I do really enjoy visitors because it is visually and audibly entertaining and I can put away my little projects for awhile.

I only get on my feet to go to the bathroom and I often take that opportunity to also station myself somewhere else for the next couple of hours or so, which is nice to have a variety in my surroundings when I can get it.

There you have it, a day in the life of bedrest. :)

Pictures!

This is me at 26 weeks.
No, I shouldn't be standing, but I needed a good picture!
My bedrest station - an awesome table with books, pens, phone, remotes, and other essentials. (27 weeks)
Maggie being a cutie.
She's hilarious!

I'm going where I've never gone before!

Hi everyone! Yes, I'm still pregnant. Gestationally, Maggie was born TODAY at 27 3/7 weeks! I'm very excited to be passing this milestone and moving into the third trimester. It's all unknown from here! Bedrest is tough, and the easiest part about it is the physical limitation of laying/reclining all day long. You would never imagine it without having been there yourself. The hardest parts about complete bedrest (I get up only to use the bathroom) are giving up the control and the routines of my household to someone else (in this case my mother) and giving up the complete care of Maggie to my family and friends. All at once everything that I lived for (taking care of Maggie, playing with Maggie, rocking her to sleep, keeping my house clean and inviting, serving my husband, trying to cook, serving in my calling, getting together with family and friends, etc.) either stopped or was given up to the responsibility of someone else. Not to mention how difficult it is to face every day emotionally. I can't cuddle and find satisfaction in being Maggie's mommy and protector all day, I worry about the extra stresses put upon my husband, I get frustrated because I can't clean my house, and most of all I worry and concentrate every day on everything my body feels - pain, aching, soreness, contractions, the baby moving - and I worry that at any moment I could change my position or stand up for a bathroom trip and I will have a big contraction that will mark the onset of labor. I'm nervous about the changes and weakening of my body due to inactivity. All in all, the satisfaction I find in finally reading books I've wanted to for years, completing a few crocheted baby blankets, knitting some hats and scarves, writing letters, watching lots of movies, watching most of the Olympics, and keeping a detailed journal doesn't quite make this experience one I'd like to repeat :). However, being in such a great situation of need I believe has blessed our little family with added gratitude and submissiveness to the Lord's will and I think it has brought us closer together in some ways. We are not without appreciation that this could give us a stronger and healthier baby than we have yet had and we are more excited than ever that we have passed the mark of viability (abt 24 weeks) and no matter when this baby comes now Maggie should be able to look forward to having a little sister join our family. I have been on bedrest for 6 1/2 weeks - only 12 more weeks to go! :) Phew.

I was going to include pictures but blogger isn't letting me upload right now and I can't sit at the computer any longer, so you'll have to wait 'til next time. I'm getting way big, though, and Maggie is so adorable! See ya!

update

Well, bedrest is going well because I have stopped having all those minor contractions and mostly only feel braxton hicks contractions. Yeah! Best of all, my mom came home from her mission to come and live with me so that we don't have to send Maggie away to someone's house every day. What a wonderful sacrifice! (They actually got to leave on their original release date - they had planned to extend. They (mom & stepdad) were serving in the Nauvoo, IL mission.) It's so great having her here. She'll probably be living with us until after the baby comes, which will hopefully be no sooner than 4 months from now. Thanks for all of the book suggestions. I've been reading and knitting and crocheting and so far bedrest isn't all that bad. Two weeks down and 17 to go!