A note on bed rest

I was on bed rest with grade 4 placenta previa for 8 looooong weeks before my son was born. The first few days after being a full time stay at home mum for 16 months prior were kind of like a holiday. Watch whatever I wanted, have a nap if I wanted, go to the toilet alone, long hot shower for as long as I wanted. But after that, it was hell.

I spent 1 hour a day with my daughter which was the hardest part. When she would leave for the day I would cry and cry.

I lost muscle tone and my legs would ache. The food was awful and depressing. I had no privacy in hospital and as a public patient I had virtually no control over which doctors would oversee my care. It was luck of the draw really. And quite often I’d be attended by a medical student or registrar overnight who would know less about my condition then I did.

I also had people on Facebook telling me to relax and enjoy the break from my toddler. I had a friend trying to induce herself early starting at about 32 weeks and it made me so mad! There I was trying my best to keep my baby in as long as possible and she couldn’t wait to get hers out!

No, bed rest is no holiday. Time goes slow and it feels like you’ve been in hospital forever. I went weeks without stepping outside, and days without walking more then 10 steps at a time.

My advice for those who find themselves on bed rest is to take up a hobby, I knitted and did needlework. Take a laptop and watch movies and TV series on DVD. Have frequent visitors. Get visitors to bring you food. Mobile Internet! Make sure you understand your condition. Make a calendar and mark off the days. Cry if you have to. And if possible, see if you can do at least part of your bed rest at home if you live close to the hospital.