Bedrest: HELP, need tips, advice, etc.

[khakismom]

My SIL has just been placed on bedrest for the last 6 weeks of her pregnancy. I have some ideas on how to help her, but nothing beyond the basics since I never had to deal with this.

Can you guys provide me any good ideas on passing the time? Good Web sites to surf (besides here of course ;))? Besides the basic, get good books, mags, movies, do your thank-yous, what other suggestions do you have for her to pass the time?

And also, what can I do to be helpful for her and my brother? TIA!

[Marisa6826]

Oh yuck. I know there's a website specifically for women on bedrest. You get assigned another 'bedrest buddy'. The name completely escapes me at the moment. Maybe somebody else here knows what I'm talking about?

-m

[COElizabeth]

I believe the website is sidelines.org. I wasn't aware of it when I was on bedrest but heard of it afterwards.

I would ask your SIL what are some of the projects that she had wanted to do before the baby comes and see if there is any way you can help her with those. They might not even be baby-related. For example, I really wanted to do my wedding scrapbook before James was born (yes, I had procrastinated on it quite a bit!), but I didn't get to because I wasn't able to go buy the right size pages, etc. If someone had offered to do detailed errands like that shopping for me, I might have been able to do that project in bed. One thing I did do was have my DH borrow baby announcement books from a local stationer so I could make the final decison on that while I was on bedrest.

It can be frustrating to have your nesting instinct colliding with your doctor's orders to stay in bed, so anything you can do to help her feel like she is still getting ready for the baby will be appreciated, I'm sure! I hope that things go smoothly and that your niece or nephew arrives safely in a few weeks!

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
EDD #2, 10-30-04

[jk3]

I was on bedrest for over 2 months with my DS. I second the recommendation for Sidelines.org. I signed up for a buddy who had gone through a similar experience + we corresponded every few days. This helped a lot.

Although at the time it sucked, in hindsight I definitely appreciated some quiet time. I am a highly active person + bedrest definitely cramped my style. Each day is LONG but with some perspective it's doable.

Some of my friends cooked for us from time to time which was a huge help. Calling + checking in definitely helps too. It's easy to feel isolated especially if your SIL typically works outside the home. I loved having visitors but she might not. If she does, bring your kids by frequently. =)

Jenn
DS 6/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030603/2/5/1/-5/.png

[pritchettzoo]

You've got a pretty good list going.

As far as books (and even movies) go, have her check out the local library's website. Our library will let you put books on hold and request them from other branches--then you or whomever can pick them up for her. They're all nice and neat and collected at the desk in our library. She may have to call to add you as an authorized user on her account, but I did that over the phone for my mom.

Ask her if there's anything you can do to get the house in order. I was told to stay off my feet for the last two weeks and it was miserable. There was so much I wanted to do because I didn't want to come home to a crappy house with the new baby AND have everyone come see my crappy house when they came to see the baby. It was very stressful! Depending on your brother, you can pass the list along to him and just "supervise" ;)...

Freeze some meals for them for afterwards. She might have been saving this until the end, and now she's not able to do it. Ask her to make a list of what she'd like and then assign them out or do it yourself. Also, make sure she has food for during the day.

Go grocery/necessity shopping for her.

If she can afford it (or if you want to give her a present), have a manicurist come in and do her "paws and claws" (a la Marisa). I wanted a pedicure right before going to the hospital so my toes weren't all nasty. And her hands will be in all the pictures holding the baby!

Anna