My first pregnancy seemed to be fraught with issues.

I developed an SCH (Subchorionic hematoma) just as I crossed the 13 week “safety” mark. Then after spending far too much time on my feet, I went into Pre-term labor in my fifth month of pregnancy. Which was when I received strict bed rest orders to give my lil’ one the best chance at making it to full term.

I’m not sure what I thought bed rest would be like and, if anything, at first it seemed like a great chance to rest up before my baby boy entered this world.

That was until I realized I most definitely wasn’t supposed to be climbing the over 3 flights of stairs to my apartment. So I packed up the necessary items and moved in with my mom, with the doctor’s orders only to get up to use the restroom ringing in my ears.

Before long I got pretty antsy, who knew being a ever-expanding lump relegated to the couch could be so boring?

So if you are where I was then here are a few fun ways to stay occupied while keeping those feet propped up!

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Get Crafty

 

Make your new baby a  sentimental keepsake while you are stuck in bed.

Knit, crochet, quilt, decoupage ( although that could get messy). Chances are you will never have this much free time again, so find something you enjoy doing and do it!

If you don’t already know how to do any crafty things, now is the perfect time to learn.

So watch those countless Youtube videos, read DIY’s on Pinterest, teach yourself a new skill that will serve you for the rest of your life!

 

Find a Few Good Netflix Shows to Binge

 

At this point I’m not sure how society functioned in the pre-Netflix era.

I remember weekly trips to blockbuster as a kid, but those actually required wearing decent clothing and leaving the house (ughhhh).

Few times will a Netflix subscription come in as handy as when you are on bedrest. You can binge watch shows to your hearts content and then find more to love.

Honestly the biggest issue is finishing a series and knowing that by the time the next season comes out you will be elbow deep in diapers and running off of two hours of sleep.

Pro Tip: Maybe avoid the overly sentimental dramas unless you want to spend the next two hours in a hormone induced cry fest.

 

 

Find a Book Series and Get Addicted

 

I am a card-carrying bibliophile and I was pretty much groomed to be one since birth. As a child, TV wasn’t allowed Monday through Thursday and even on weekends was limited to a few hours (of course now my parents are the first to hand over technological devices to my five year old).

I have to say there are few ways to get out of your head and get your mind off of your situation and worries than getting lost in a good book!

Back when I was on bed rest I discovered an unlimited book subscription service which has since sadly been bought, so now I subscribe to a Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans.

You don’t actually have to have a kindle to read these books, pretty much every existing mobile device allows you to read on the kindle app. Honestly the subscription service is cheaper than buying a single book and I have been pleasantly pleased with the selection.

If you have no idea where to find a great series, after all even on bedrest there are so many books and well a lot of time, but not enough time to read them all, goodreads.com has changed how I read and what I read.

I won’t go into all the details at this point but it is sufficient to say that you can add books you love and goodreads will generate similar titles which you can save to your “to read” list for later.

 

 

Start a Blog

 

This one probably seems a little out there, but I wish I would have started A Little Knick A Little Knack when I had that much free time.

It probably would have been a lot easier than my current situation of juggling two kids while my husband works insane hours.

Blogs take time and are a great way to share stories, knowledge, and life experience.

You can share your struggles with your pregnancy and your hopes and dreams for your child, you can share the best baby books you’ve read so far, or put all that information about baby products you’ve spent hours researching into one place for the next mom.

Plus babies are expensive and a blog can be a great way to generate a little extra income on the side (or a lot if it takes off).

But making money from a blog takes time, you need quality content and a decent amount of it, you need to promote it so you can find your audience, and so much more!

So if you’ve ever had any inclination to start a blog go forth and do it.

 

 

 

Rest While You Can

 

The first few months of parenthood can be exhausting.

Maybe your hoping that your new bundle of joy will sleep through the night from the day of their birth, and I hate to burst your bubble but not only is that highly unlikely, honestly it isn’t allowed per most medical professionals I’ve come in contact with.

As I’m sure your research has informed you, newborn babies have extremely small stomachs and really can’t (or shouldn’t) go more than about three hours without eating.

My second child actually would have slept for hours left to his own devices, but due to weight issues we were required to wake him up every two hours to eat (no rest for the weary).

So sleep now! Close your eyes and enjoy the peace. Take siestas at two PM. Before you know it you will be bleary eyed and tired like the rest of us postpartum moms you see shuffling around the grocery store.

 

 

Keep a Journal

 

While I was on bedrest, I kept a journal and wrote each and every entry as a letter to my baby. It helped me feel connected to this little life I was trying so hard to protect and it reminded me why everything I was going through would be worth it.

I wrote about my fears and hopes.

I wrote about the countless doctors appointments and how he was growing.

It was my outlet and it strengthened the love I already felt.

So keep a journal, they may never read it, but use it as a way to voice all that inner turmoil I know you have going on. Focus on the future and the dreams you have going forward for your lil’ one.

 

 

Scrapbook

 

All new mothers take a TON of photos.

Currently I have 12,248 on my phone and the vast majority of them are of my children.

Honestly I haven’t been the best about actually doing much with them until recently and a lot of good they do sitting in the cloud.

So get a jumpstart and create scrapbooks for all your baby’s future milestones.

Make your own baby book and leave space for you to add the printed pictures once you have them, leave blanks for your baby’s height, weight, the date they first crawl, and every other milestone that will be here before you know it.

I promise it will be a precious keepsake you will be thankful to have for years to come.

 

Have Game Nights

 

My husband and I occasionally pull out our phones and play Taboo or Heads Up using apps. It always ends with us laughing and feeling that “spark” that drew us together years ago.

Cards games are also extremely easy to play in bed, in fact I distracted myself through labor by playing more than a few games of war.

If those aren’t your thing then pull out Monopoly and with all the excess time you have maybe you will actually manage to finish a game.

 

 

Look into Online Certifications/ College Classes

 

I have taken SO many college classes online and love the flexibility they offer.

So if you don’t have a degree or if you do and are looking for ways to build up your resume look into courses you can complete online (who says you can’t be productive in bed).

I would highly advise looking at your local community college’s offerings because they tend to be more reputable than some of the solely online schools and they are fairly inexpensive.

Just be sure to read the course description because some classes still require you to take tests in person and some are semester based meaning they take longer because you can’t work ahead.

Personally I would look at self-paced fully online courses so you can have it wrapped up before your lil’ one makes an appearance.

Some of the courses I’ve personally taken matching this description  are Medical Terminology, World Literature, American history, and continuing education for my cosmetology license, but they will vary based on your school’s offerings and where you are in your education.

 

Get Your Life in Order

 

Spend your newly found free time to draw up a budget and a calendar.

Go though those 10,000 spam e-mails and get rid of them once and for all.

Set up auto-payments for your bills for when you are in that tired post-baby haze.

Make a birth plan and set up your registries.

Create a calendar with all your loved ones’ birthdays so you never will forget again.

Make to-do-lists and honey-do-lists ( which are especially important while you are stuck in bed).

You can get control of your life now in your PJ’s to make it easier once your little one arrives.

 

 

Get a Friend to Visit

 

Bedrest can get lonely really quick.

I was lucky in that by staying with my mom I at least had her company so I didn’t go stir crazy. But if your husband works crazy hours and you are spending more and more time alone, reach out to your circle of friends and see if they are willing to come distract you for a bit.

I think one of the hardest things about bedrest is feeling isolated from the rest of the world, so ask those you love to bring themselves (and therefore a bit of the world) to you.

 

My story had a happy ending, my son was induced at 37 weeks due to pre-eclampsia and Cholestasis.

He was born healthy and today is a very happy energetic five year old, which makes every minute I spent on bedrest more than worth it.  I hope if you are reading this the rest of your pregnancy goes well and remember to take care of you!

Sending lots of love and strength,

Beth