Pregnancy comes with its own set of stupid obstacles, completely void of what real life needs and expects from you. Case and point? bed rest. Now, If you've had a difficult pregnancy, laying in bed all day might sound nothing short of magical. However, once you've been forced to do absolutely nothing day in and day out, those excited feelings quickly turn to resentment. There are a few struggles women on bed rest know all too well and none of them are particularly pretty (or fun).
In my case, I was ordered to bedrest for having low amniotic fluid and hypertension. Apparently just standing almost killed me (who knew?). While I hoped for and was honestly happy for the bedrest, once it was ordered I soon realized that bedrest meant I actually had to stay in bed. All day. Every day. As in, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all the freakin' time. If you think about it, that's a long, ridiculous amount of time to be in bed. However, it was all in the name of birthing a healthy baby and having a relatively low risk of experiencing labor and delivery complications so, in the end, I did what I was told and hoped for the best.
Growing and carrying a human around is a lot of work and our bodies, for numerous reasons, sometimes just can't handle it. So, from a woman who made it to the other side, here are some struggles women on bedrest know all too well and hope to never endure again. After all, the devil you know beats the devil you don't (even when that devil comes with sheets and a nice comforter).
You're Tired Of Watching The Same Television Episodes Over And Over Again
It may seem like a trivial complaint but exactly how many episodes of Modern Family can I watch? The answer is too many.
Yes, this is where things like Netflix comes in handy but, way back when I was pregnant, I didn't have it. In fact, I had to settle for basic cable and DVDs to get me by which is the worst. Have you ever watched Drumline seven consecutive times? Yeah, me neither.
You Have The Urge To Nest, But Can't
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had an intense urge to clean everything. I'd sit, for hours, and look at the tiny clothing after repeatedly prepping the room for her arrival. When you're on bedrest, you can't do any of the normal nesting actions and so you'll stare longingly at the wall and count down the minutes, realizing you took standing and doing normal human stuff (like nesting) for granted.
You're Literally Tired Of Laying Down
In the beginning, you'll beg for more rest because your body is adjusting to pregnancy and it's exhausting. By about the second day of bedrest, you'll take all that back. If you've never laid in bed for longer than a day or night, it's the stuff nightmares are made of (and then some). Soon, you'll be screaming "I just want to stand for a minute!" Then you'll wonder how your life spun so out of control that you're begging to simply stand up.
Ah, the joys of pregnancy.
You Can't Bring Yourself To Read Another Baby Book
I love reading, don't get me wrong, but if you've read the baby books cover to cover, rereading has the opposite effect when you're on bedrest. I think I actually began to forget all I learned after seeing the same mind-numbing words over and over.
If you can't stomach another one, I hear diving into something obscure, such as a romance novel, may help break the cycle of boredom.
When You Finally Stand, Your Body Is Confused
All that laying comes at a price. Sure, your baby is doing much better but your muscles have atrophied and limbs have forgotten how to support your frame. (I think this is the literal definition of sacrifice, you guys.)
If You Need Something, You Have To Wait Until Someone's Home
Bedrest often means lying and waiting, waiting and lying, then lying and waiting for unknown amounts of time. If your partner works, you could go hours without any help (or food). This feeling is especially awful when you can see the remote but can't actually reach it.
If No One Visits, You Spend A Lot Of Time Talking To Yourself
When I was on bedrest, my family was in another state and my partner worked full time. I did have a few friends that visited here and there but they had their own life things going on and couldn't drop everything to babysit me. Basically, I was all alone most of the time and it often took a toll on my mental health.
Aside from the fact that it was totally impractical not to get up at all, it was also pretty lonely and I may, or may not, have created imaginary friends to get by.
There's A Possibility You'll Go A Little Crazy
I've always been a cat lover but in the days of my bedrest, my cats were my best friends. Of course, there's also the possibility I developed a little bit of hysteria. As "fun" as it sounds to a busy-body like myself to relax in a bed; with nothing else to do all day, it's just not for me. Not even a little.
Sex Is Probably Impossible
Your romantic partner may be totally OK with not having sex while your physician may not have given the green light. However, the reality is you're still a woman with sexual needs and pregnancy hasn't changed that.
Bedrest has stolen so many things, why does it have to take this, too?
You'll Actually Start To Miss Exercising
Gone are the days you could get up and exercise at your leisure. Now, it's become all about what's best for the baby. While you may have never thought you'd think, let alone say, you miss working out; your swollen feet and aching legs are proving otherwise.
This was the time during my bedrest I made countless plans to get back into pre-baby shape. Of course, after giving birth I tossed those right out the window because who has the time now?
You Can Only Journal Or Knit For So Long
I piled up mounds of journals while pregnant. Some had letters to my unborn daughter while others were ramblings of the wandering mind. I tried to learn how to knit by buy the time I kind of knew what I was doing, my fingers also swelled and doing anything with my hands became painful.
Everything Hurts And You're So Uncomfortable And There's Nothing You Can Do About It
With all this laying around, you'd think I'd feel like a million bucks. Nope. Once I was cleared and able to move freely, my body no longer knew what to do. Laying down hurts! Standing hurts! Pregnancy hurts! There's really no way around it.
While there are struggles women face on bed rest, the main objective is to keep baby healthy until delivery. You might lose a little bit of yourself in the process but the end result is worth it, right? Right.
