These are some of the things I would suggest to get you through the time. Eventually, it will all feel like a blur as the days roll into each other, but this does provide you a sense of normalcy in an otherwise not normal situation:
- Create some sort of a daily routine. Getting up at the same time, getting ready, and having a "plan" of how you will spend your day helps create a rhythm for your day. The plan could be as simple as reading a chapter in a specific book, or going for an ultrasound in the afternoon. Something about having a routine makes you feel more human, and less like a blob in the bed.
- Get "ready" every day. If you are able, take the time to shower, get dressed, and get yourself ready (hair, makeup) for the day. I understand you may not be able to get up and out of bed, but you can still brush your hair and put it up, wash up, or do something to make yourself feel ready. I made a point to shower every day, even when I didn't need to. For one thing, this kills time, and for another, it provides a breaking point between days and, again, makes you feel more human.
- Develop a good relationship with the nurses. At the hospital I am in, there are 70 nurses who work on this unit and L&D. Usually I meet a new nurse every day but there are a few who have been around more that I have gotten to know. I found that if I was friendly to them, they were friendly right back, and willing to help me out and give me privileges when able to. I even spent some time making a little gift for them. I took a glass jar and used magazine clippings to make a thank you collage on the jar. Then I filled it with hard wrapped candies and left it for the nurses. They loved it, and it definitely got me in the "good books."
- Use a sleeping mask/ear plugs at night to get a good sleep. I had a much easier time sleeping in a private room, but I would definitely recommend whatever sleep aids you need to get you through the night. If you are up in the night, the next day seems that much longer as the day/night kind of blur together. Getting a good night's sleep sets you up to enjoy the next day much more.
- Take up something crafty to do with your hands. Reading and watching TV occupies the mind, but sometimes it is just nice to DO something. Knitting, crotcheting, scrapbooking... anything that engages the mind and the hands is great.
- Call in as many visitors as you can (and ask them to bring you food!). At first I was overwhelmed by the amount of people visiting, but it really does help the time go by. There were only a handful of days that nobody came to see me (when DH was back at home), and these were the longest days.
- If you can't have a lot of visitors, make sure to sign up for an online support group. There are some great sites where you can connect with other moms on bed rest (Check out www.mamasonbedrest.com to start). I didn't have internet available for the first month, so I didn't get plugged in, but I could see how this would be an invaluable resource!
- Be sure to keep your body healthy and happy as much as you can. I was given bed rest exercises to do (every hour, which I didn't follow). I did a good stretch a few times throughout the day and moved my leg muscles whenever I remembered. I also took a jam-like substance called Fruitlax every day to keep those bowels moving. You will get so sick of the nurses asking you about your bowels, but it is best to do what you can to keep them in action, because the alternate is not very fun.
- Keep a journal of your time. I did not explicitly keep a journal (apart from these blog posts), but I had a notebook I used. Every day I wrote down the date and put down anything that happened that day...ultrasounds, baby growth information, blood levels, etc. This helped me to remember details (in case the nurses asked me later) and keep track of my time in the hospital.
- Make the room your own. In whatever way you can, bring touches of your world and yourself into the room. Plants work great to bring life to boring hospital colours. Bring in pictures of family, pets, your house... things that you will miss seeing on a daily basis. Use your own pillow and/or blanket. My dear mother-in-law, bought me a beautiful bamboo humidifier that you could put essential oils into. I didn't want to overwhelm the ward with the scent, but I'd put a slight drop into the water just to bring a pleasant small. It also became the talk of the town and every one who visited my room would comment on it (that, and the collection of baby clothes I had hanging from the shelf).
- When you have a bad day, just get through it. Some days will be especially tough, and you may be grumpy and cry all day. But the next day always starts fresh! Even when you think you can't make it through any longer... you DO. You don't really have a choice. This helped me gain perspective when I felt I was losing it.
- If possible, have benchmarks to look forward to and celebrate them when you reach them. For me, these were the two week increments of pregnancy (28, 30, 32, 34 weeks, etc.). DH and I would always celebrate with some treat. One week my dog came to visit and I got to go outside and see her. One week I was given a pass to go out for dinner. Even when I had to stay in, some days I would dress up, get myself ready, and DH would bring in fast-food. Anything to provide a break from the monotony helps.
Remember, you WILL make it through! What you are doing IS the best for your baby(babies), even when it feels like it is the worst for you. Once you get to the end, you will be happy you stuck it out and put the health of your baby first.
Here are a few other blogs with tips:
http://www.modernmom.com/blogs/lori-bregman/how-to-survive-bed-rest
http://broadwaybabies.wordpress.com/2011/12/
http://futuresupermom.wordpress.com/tag/hospital-bed-rest/
Wow - what a helpful post!
ReplyDelete