7 Tips To Cope With Pregnancy Bed Rest!

7 Tips To Cope With Pregnancy Bed Rest!

Pregnancy is the most valuable time in every woman’s life. However, the condition and complications during it vary from woman to woman. Some women get through this very easily while others may have some complications. Likewise, some women are prescribed bed rest either from the first trimester or in the last few months of their pregnancy, depending upon their condition.

If you are prescribed a bed rest for your pregnancy by your doctor, it can affect you in a lot of ways, both emotionally and psychologically. It can be very isolating, since you will be spending a great amount of your time alone in your room while everyone around remains on-the-go. Therefore, it is important to stay positive and focus on a healthy and happy pregnancy no matter where you spend it. Hence, here are few tips to cope with your bed rest phase and stay positive during your pregnancy.

1. Stay Social and Keep Communicating

Share your condition with your close friends and loved ones over the internet, telephone or in person. Make them visit you regularly so that you can vent your worries and have a good time with them. Play a board game, watch a movie or simply have a cup of tea together. It will help you release your stress and anxiety. Plus, don’t hesitate to accept kind favors for household tasks, childcare (if you already have them) cleaning or setting your room etc. Also, there are websites that connect you with other women who are on bed rest to help each other get through this time with their experiences. So, if you are on an extended bed rest, you would definitely want to reach out to like-minded women who know exactly how you feel.

2. Look Forward To The Reward

Motivation and incentives keep you going! When you focus that you are not just pregnant but performing a miracle by growing a baby inside you, despite all the sufferings and pains,  you will realize that this difficult time will quickly pass by and you will be rewarded with a sweet little angel who will call you mama. Even if you have only glimpses of this awareness, it will make your bed rest manageable and help get you through.

3. Distract Yourself

 

Keep yourself distracted from negative thoughts and ignore all the pregnancy incidents you have ever heard.  Do something creative, like knitting a blanket for your baby, writing a pregnancy journal or scrapbook or if you never had enough time to compile a scrapbook for your older children then this is the best time to do so!

4. Work from Home

Bed rest is a nightmare for a person who is used to going to work every day. Obviously it compels you to leave your workplace which may cause even more psychological stress on you due to financial losses or staying totally at home. If your work is mainly computer or phone related and you think you can easily work from home, and it wouldn’t affect your rest then have a candid conversation with your employer and ask if you can work from home for limited hours maybe. But if your current job isn’t work-from-home friendly, you can consider applying for online or freelance positions to stay productive and earn and income.

5. Meditate

So what if you can’t go out and relax?! Meditation is something that will give you a piece of mind and help you relax and relieve your stress and anxiety. And, if you are an exercise person then you can even do certain exercises while you are on bed rest. Consult your doctor or yoga instructor to suggest you exercises and postures that you can do in bed.

6. Pamper Yourself

When it comes to pampering yourself, nothing beats a good spa massage. It will relax your stiff muscles and releases stress. Plus, getting a prenatal massage, a facial, manicure or a pedicure while on bed rest will do wonders. Call your local spas or ask you friends to refer you a good massage therapist who make house calls. Not only this, but to boost your self-image even more, dress up nicely every day. Keep yourself clean, tidy and fresh. This will definitely help you get through!

7. Read and Enjoy Your “Me-Time”!

Reading an interesting novel will keep you entertained and time seems to pass quickly when you are engrossed in a book/story. Avail your “me-time” and make the most of it because once you become a parent, you are never going to get a chance to indulge yourself in a novel again! 

This is the best time to develop habits of pampering yourself. Just stay positive and do the things that interest you because soon this time will be gone and you will be sitting with your partner cherishing the memories you have created during your pregnancy!