In addition to my weekly trip to Google about survival rates, I also Google tips on how to pass time on bed rest. Some of these tips are helpful, most are not. The biggest tip that all have in common is make a schedule. In my first post, I shared my schedule, but I will admit today I followed no schedule. It was a lazy Saturday and Dave came to visit, so no schedule was required.
Here are some tips from Parents.com (http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-life/bed-rest/activity-checklist/) on how to survive best rest and my thoughts on these suggestions.
1. Catch up on your reading
Very good tip, especially if you enjoy to read and have had a list of books in your head for a while and no time to read. So far I have read 2 books - "The Girl on the Train" and "Me Before You". I am half-way through "The Light Between Oceans". So many friends have dropped books off that I will definitely have enough to keep me occupied for the next 16 days.
2. Play board or card games
Tricky to do in the hospital, unless you have found a little squad of other pregnant women. It's hard here to maintain that squad. There are some women that are in and out within 48 hours and the rest of us are usually confined to our beds/rooms or in and out of appointments/medical visits or trying to escape our rooms when visitors come. It makes it hard to get to know the other long-term residents here. After a while you do get to know who has been here roughly the same time as you and, if you are strange like me, you have given them nicknames. Dave gets to be subjected to my nicknames for the other long-term women and me being concerned when they disappear for a little while (like the woman that disappeared all weekend who is pregnant with twins. I found out from her husband she was out on a weekend pass when I finally saw them on Monday). I wonder if they have given me a nickname?
3. Watch Movies
Yes! I have watched a few movies, but with a plethora of interruptions from the medical professionals (who I adore because they are doing such a wonderful job here on this unit and don't mind having stop in for a chat about my status) and randomly falling asleep it's hard to watch a full movie at any one time. I much prefer to stream a television show, usually as trashy reality TV show (Bachelor in Paradise, Big Brother, Amazing Race Canada, etc.) or Gilmore Girls on Netflix.
4. Get a Manicure.
I am not one for manicures, but I desperately need a pedicure, but my 34 week pregnant belly is proving to cause difficulties in me reaching my toes.
5. Channel Your Inner Poet
Not quite my cup of tea. I will pass on being a poet.
6. Journal or Blog
For the first two and a bit weeks, my brain was buzzing. They give all women admitted to the antenatal unit a notebook to write in. My notebook has turned into a massive list of things to do when I get out for my Mom's estate and things I need to do to sort of my own life when I return to it, so not really ideal to write all my thoughts it. The idea to start a blog came to me after my brain became too full and I needed to organize my thoughts. Now all of you get to read the inner thoughts of my hospital bed rest brain.
7. Create
I guess Art with Hal would count? I have never been the creative type. For a while when my wrist/hands were free from IV's (my forearm becomes the site for my IV when my hands become free) I was able to work on my Girl Guide camp blanket, but had to give that up the past 10 days as my left or right hand has been home to my IV port. I also tried those adult colouring books. Those are not as relaxing or stress-relieving as they advertise. Why are the little areas you have to colour in so small? What if I pick colours that don't compliment each other? Why do these exist? Who finds these relaxing? If my windows could opened, they would be out on Murray Street right now. My friend Pam heard my rants about them that the next time she came to visit brought me children's colouring books! Colouring in Disney Princess' and Minions has been much less stressful.
8. Scrapbook
I was joking about this with my roommate yesterday. I can't imagine dragging scrap booking supplies in here. We hardly have enough space for our clothes and personal belongings. Plus you want to limit items that you have here in case you go to the other side (L&D) and your poor husband has to pack all your stuff up, even worse if the nurses have to (they work hard enough and don't have to deal with my endless "keep busy supplies"). It might turn into a packing nightmare. Plus, all this stuff eventually has to make it's way home in a car with a newborn. I would like to limit the amount of trips we are taking to the car when I finally get to walk out the door as free woman!
9. Shop Online
I do online window shopping almost daily. I got sucked into a 2 hour Etsy block hole about 7 days ago. Poor Dave got 15 different screen shots of onesies I wanted to order. I finally was able to narrow it down to one.
Without time on the outside to shop to prepare for baby, a lot of the extra items we will need (and some we don't, but I think are too cute to pass up) when we finally get to go home I have been buying and having sent to Dave. If anyone has some spare time and is really awesome at organizing, please let me know. I left our nursery in a very big mess and since our baby shower it's gotten a little bit more chaotic.
10. Pick Baby Names
Done and done. We picked out a girl and boy name before our anatomy scan at 19 weeks. As most of you know, this name is a secret until she arrives. Muhahaha! I am dreadful at keeping secrets and this one has been hard, especially when you get a nurse you haven't met (I think I have met almost all of them now) and she asks what your baby's name is. I have to admit, 2-3 nurses do know her name, but they also are sworn to secrecy to not share, especially when visitors are here.
11. Plan
The article says to plan baby's nursery decor. We were fortunate enough to have decorated her room in July, so this is all done. The organizing of her room is all that's left.
Baby A's nursery, minus the computer/desk, plus 700 other things.
A little bit of Star Wars
12. Design
The article recommends designing your baby announcements. I might leave this one to Dave since he is much better at designing than I am. I think I need a lesson from him on how to change the layout for this blog.
13. Learn
I was determined to take up knitting when I arrived here. I have needles and wool and YouTube tutorials. It takes a long time to make something though and although I have lots of time, I lack a little something called patience. My scarf for a mouse looks really awesome though.
Most days I do a combination of reading, enjoying the black hole of the internet, watching movies/TV shows, eating/thinking about what I want to eat, wandering the hallways and chatting with my roommate. I am trying to enjoy the last two weeks of boredom and finish up little things I haven't had a chance to do, especially the thank you cards from everyone that has been so generous to Baby A.
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