Twins Routine

So this post is not so much about our actual routine with twins, but about all the "extras" they don't tell you about when you have babies.  We finally have a pretty good schedule in place, so much so that I am starting to have a bit of free time (what?!?!?).  Still, at any given moment in the day, it feels like there are always tasks waiting to be done.  I have to choose to take time for myself instead of doing the tasks; or else I would never have a moment's peace.  Babies are so much work!  And when I do take time for myself, the tasks are still waiting to be done at the end of the day.  Fortunately, they have become such a part of our routine that we whiz through them and can usually find time to wind down and cuddle up on the couch with a book or TV show before bed. 

For interest's sake (if anyone cares), I thought I'd share what all these extras are that fill the time we are not interacting with the twins.  Oh, and on a side note, I realized that the reason twins are so exhausting is not just all the extra work (I'm used to that), but it is the constant interaction.  I am a true introvert at heart and all day long I am talking/singing/playing with TWO little beings.  That wears me down!  At the end of the day I look forward to the quiet time to clean up, gather my thoughts, and enjoy a cup of tea in silence.  But I do love them to bits!

So, once the kids are in bed, here is what we are doing:
- Clean up bath/towels/clothes
- Put away dinner dishes (or finish cooking/eating dinner if we haven't made it to that yet)
- Clean up toys in the play area (it's nice to have a "grown up" looking home before bed)
- Washing and sanitizing bottles from the day, then putting them back together and putting them away
- Pumping milk for the night feed that my hubby does
- Usually throwing in a load of cloth diapers (I do this every 2 days or so)
- Folding any laundry from the day and *trying* to put it away
- Stuffing cloth diapers to prepare for the next day, as well as refilling diaper baskets for the night/morning
- Finishing any other chores that were started during the day and not finished (cleaning bathroom, mopping floors, etc.)
- Pulling out/prepping any food for meals for the next day
- Finally sitting down with a snack (chocolate) and a cup of tea, celebrating that we made it through another day with twins!

During the day, while the boys are napping, or if they are actually content playing on their own, I am usually making/eating food, cleaning up dishes, prepping bottles, pumping, getting myself showered/ready, putting in laundry, sorting clothes (they grow through things so quickly!) and trying to get to any chores I can.  So you can see why I am kept busy! 

Surviving Hospital Bed Rest

As I near the end of my hospital bedrest stay (*fingers crossed*) I have been thinking about what the experience is like.  For anyone who ends up in the hospital on bed rest like me (not that I wish it upon anyone), I thought it would be helpful to write a post about the things that have helped me get through my time.  I have found it extremely helpful to read other stories of ladies who have been through similar situations.  Somehow it gives me the strength to keep on going on those days when it is especially tough.  At the end of this blog, I gave some links of some of the stories that helped me through.  So far, I have spent just under 6 weeks on hospital bedrest.  The one nice thing I should mention is that I live in Canada, so healthcare is provided and I did not have to pay out of pocket for my mandatory time here.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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."  
4. 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.  
5. 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.  
6. 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.  
7. 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!  
8. 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.  
9. 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.
10. 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).  
11. 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.
12. 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/

Bed Rest Routine

I thought I'd share what a typical day on bed rest looks like for me. One of the 'tips' I read over and over online about bed rest was the importance of creating a routine. This is the routine I have fallen into.

7:30 Wake up for the day.  I am going to try to incorporate some morning stretches here. Wash face and brush teeth.

8:00 Breakfast!  This is usually the best meal of the day so I try to enjoy it.

8:30 Touch base with the nurses for the morning (they come to say hi).  Take morning meds (prenatal, iron, vitamin C).

9:00 Shower and get ready. Everything takes longer and I move slowly to draw things out.

10:00 Nurses do a check on vitals: temperature, blood pressure and babies heartbeats. Some days they do a NST, during which I lie in bed for 30-60 minutes just listening to the beats (and recording with a clicker when they kick).  Meet the doctor on shift.

11:00 Read, catch up on email

12:00 Lunch.  Usually DH or other visitors have arrived. DH and I will talk and hang out.

1:00-5:00 Nap, read, hang out with visitors. This is the longest part of the day but passes quickly when someone is around.

5:00 Dinner (so early, I know). After work, DH's brother and his wife come visit and bring me treats/food/supplies.  DH and I have started playing Scrabble online against each other to pass the time.

8:00 Visitors go home (DH can stay a bit later if he likes). I usually catch up with friends/family online a bit.

9:00 Vitals checked again (some days they come more frequently to check throughout the day).  Meet the night shift doctor.

9:30 Get ready for bed. Read in bed or watch a movie.

10:30 Go to bed. I'm often up 3-4 times in the night to pee and get comfortable but usually wake up feeling rested.

And that is a typical day in the hospital. I don't know if I'd be able to do it without DH or visitors coming to hang out.

Bed rest rhythym

It's officially one week into my bed rest experience, and I thought I'd share what my typical day looks like.  I find having a routine or schedule to my day helps tremendously!  The time really does go by quickly and, more often than not, I find that there are things that I didn't get "done" in the day, rather than I find that I am bored... at least so far. :)

So, here is what my day looks like:

8:00 - Wake up, usually whenever DH gets up.  First priority - food!  I usually need to eat something right away, so I grab a bowl of cereal or make a piece of toast.  I take my time to wake up, stretch a bit, read, and then shower.  My day hasn't officially started until I shower. 

9:00 - Shower, get ready for the day, send off DH and our student, tidy the kitchen

10:00 - Second breakfast (usually with a small cup of coffee).  I try to include some protein here, but often end up with grains and fruit. 

10:30-12:00 - Check emails, read, sit outdoors for a bit.  Usually by this time, I am already tired and could take a nap.  Sometimes I do, but I try to save up for the afternoon if I can.

12:00 - Lunch

12:30 - Depends on how I am feeling, but I try to get a few things done here (folding laundry, dinner prep) but sometimes I am so tired that I just wait till my food has settled a bit and then go to bed.

2:00 - Usually a nap.  This is needed by this point.  Sometimes I can't sleep, but spend my time resting and/or reading.  If I am going to have a visitor, I will try for right after lunch so that I can visit a bit and then take a nice nap before dinner.

4:00 - DH and our student come home.  I may help with dinner prep, or join DH to take the dog to the park, or sit and knit while they settle in.

6:00 - Dinner

6:30 - Help a bit with clean-up, though I am usually pretty tired and find it hard to stand for long at this point in the day. 

7:00 - Sometimes DH and I will watch TV or a movie.  I really am not into watching too much TV in the first place, so I am trying not to have it on during the day.  I find myself spending a lot of time on the computer, and that is enough screen time for me.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I will try to do a yoga stretch for the end of the day.  Now that I have been given the go-ahead, I will try to make it to the pool a few times a week to wind down. 

10:00 - Bedtime.  Usually I hit a wall by 9:30 and I can't do another thing.  I sometimes last till 11:00 and stay up with DH.  I try to have a little snack before bed (cereal, crackers and cheese with milk) to last me through the night, but sometimes I am too full. 

2:30am - Wake up to pee.  Sometimes I won't be able to fall back asleep if I am too hungry, so I might have a "midnight" snack before going back to bed.

8:00am - Start it all over again!

As you can see, it is quite pleasant.  Owing to how tired I am, accomplishing the little amount that I do becomes quite a feat.  Starting next week I will be doing office work in the mornings from Tuesday to Fridays (depending on how I am feeling, of course).  It is super flexible and I will be working with DH, so I am not worried about it.  I'll just have to try to get up a bit earlier to get ready and pack lots of snacks/food for the day.  I will try to work from 9-1 but if that is too much I can make it 9-12.  Then I can have an afternoon nap, and carry on with the day.  I think it will be manageable.  I am so lucky that DH is a superstar and is willing to take on much more at this point in time.  He is walking the dog, doing most of the cooking, doing dishes, shopping... I'm so grateful to have him!