| 28 | But is it Impossible?

| 27 | A Few Bed Rest Mommy Blogs

photo: jenniferramos via ETSY

To feel like you are not the only one, following bed rest mommy blogs, in addition to the super resources that I have provided you throughout my blog, there really are some great resources out there for us. And do not forget to click on the links to the right hand side of this page, under "Lovely Links" for support groups, resources and other time passers.  


Below are two bed rest mommy blogs, which are current, and that I read often. And it's nice to be able to comment on their blog entries to provide them with some positive encouragement. We all know that we need that!


http://whatwhywhereandwhen.blogspot.com/

http://awaitingmybabyboy.blogspot.com/


Happy Fourth of July Weekend!  And it is July... a new month, a month down, a month closer!  You got this Mama's!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 26 | Be Proactive - Clear Communication

http://pinterest.com/pin/47795809/

Clear communication between you and your healthcare provider(s) is so important.  I have not had a good experience/communication with my healthcare providers throughout my bed rest and think that things could be a little bit easier if that were not true.  

The day I was "prescribed" bed rest, I was told "well we want you on bed rest, hope you have short term disability, if not looks like your husband will need to get a second job, see you next week, if anything happens you can not blame yourself".  No joke. If I knew then, what I know now...

You must discuss with your doctor, in detail, what activities she/he will allow you to do. Sidelines has a bedrest checklist that is designed to help you know what questions to ask. These questions can help make communication clearer for you, your family, and your doctor. It helps to be clear on what activities are and are not allowed! Use the checklist or a journal to write down questions and take notes. This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download the free reader click here.

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 25 | Being On Bed Rest: Boredom, Guilt And Lots Of Online Shopping

photo: thedreamygiraffe via ETSY

Here is an article/blog entry via NPR (National Public Radio).  You know that we bed rest mommies enjoy reading other bed rest stories to see the similarities in our challenges, feelings, doings, etc. Check it out.






Click Here > Being On Bed Rest: Boredom, Guilt And Lots Of Online Shopping

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 24 | Some Normalcy - The Nursery!

While I am about 85% done with Baby Josie's nursery, I sure still love looking at ideas online.  


My three favorite places for nursery inspiration are:

1. Lay Baby Lay (Mommy Blog)
2. Pinterest (just type "nursery" in the search box)
3. Project Nursery

This is a distracting and fun time passer which I have spent hours looking at.  


Enjoy Mama's!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 21 | Your Birth Plan

photo: adriamoynihan via ETSY

I know, with being on bed rest, you feel like "THE DAY" is never going to get here. I sure feel that way! But the day baby comes will be here and soon. 


Have you ever thought of doing a birth plan? Well, whether you have or you have not, I have come across a great template via www.thebump.com which is simple and to the point. A big part of me feels that why do a birth plan?  So much in my pregnancy has been out of my control and surprises seem to pop up often. Just let what ever happens, happen. But then I feel that there should be stuff in writing with what I prefer.  So my plan is to complete this birth plan via www.thebump.com and have it with me a the hospital as a form of communication to the medical staff. And be sure to include your partner in completing your birth plan as well.  


And remember, this is something else to pass your time away!


Birth Plan via www.thebump.com


Another week down and it is almost JULY!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 20 | Bed Rest & Groceries

photo: ieatstars via ETSY

Did you know that there are many online grocery websites that deliver groceries right to your home?! I came across a list of about 50 online grocery websites, and while I am fortunate to have family who has time to do my grocery shopping (my husband and my Mom), I am sure that this can be a challenge in many lives of bed rest mommies. Also, in regards to cost, it seems to me that the price for delivery is very minimal on some of these websites.  I have not checked them all out, however.  So, if you have found that getting groceries in a timely manner is difficult, you want to check this out.  Remember, you are eating for more then one nowadays and adequate nutrition is very, very important.

List of 50+ Online Grocery Delivery Services

I hope that you find this helpful ;  )

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 15 | Today's Time Passer, Tomorrow's Treasure

photo: aboundingtreasures via ETSY

I have mentioned, briefly, in one of my first blog entries, how I am creating a "Journey to Baby Josie" book. Even though I'm on bed rest, and this has been a roller coaster ride, I do want to remember my pregnancy through pictures and words. I can not tell you how enjoyable it is to be making this book.  


I have been taking pictures since I found out I was pregnant. Those go into the book. Also, anything from inspirational quotes, my Facebook status update, verses from children's books, how I am feeling when a particular picture was taken, go in to the book. And of course Josie's many ultrasound pictures. I can spend hours working on this, hence the "today's time passer, tomorrow's treasure.".


So how am I making this book? I am using www.blurb.com and I love it. I also made my wedding guest book from this website. You create a free account and software downloads onto your computer. It is like scrap booking, but electronically. Approaching my 8th month this weekend, I have about 50 pages complete in this "Journey to Baby Josie" book. What a book this will be. Oh, while creating an account is free, there is a fee for printing this professional bound treasure... well worth it!


I am so excited to read to our princess when she gets here. I do have some of your typical baby books waiting for her, but I was thinking that I would love to make a few books. Now I am talking simple picture books with a few words, for I am not poet or writer. So, I think I am going to make a "Josie's Family" book. Collect pictures of everyone in our family and make a book.  Something simple like having a photo of a family member and listing their name (Mom, Dad, Oma, Uncle Steve, Aunt Katherine, etc.). Now when reading parenting articles, "they" say that babies love faces. So what better way to create a learning treasure that baby will love then creating your very own photo book of family faces.


Now for this creation, I plan to use www.shutterfly.com. I feel Shutterfly is a better internet source for a more small and simple book. 


See Mommies, now these are literally today's time passers, tomorrow's treasures!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 13 | Never Ever Give Up

photo: theloveshop via ETSY

While most of my bed rest days are not bad and I am rather positive, I sure have had my handful of days where I just want to pinch myself and wake up.  These are the days that all of my usual positive bed rest time passing activities such as blogging, forums, Facebook, making Josie her book, taking pictures, etc. is so far from what I want to be doing.  There are days where I feel like this will never be over.  

Today I came across a quote, "It may seem impossible until it is over.", and my goodness that is my lightbulb moment quote to repeat to myself when I feel this will never be over.  I love quotes, like this one.  Quotes and inspirational words are some of the little things that can truly make a big difference and what can get me through my bad moments.  With that being said, I wanted to leave you with some of the great places to get some of words of wisdom:

DailyOm - Daily inspiration and also horoscopes.  I know, kind of cheesy, but these are not like the ones you find in the back of the newspaper or "Shape" magazine.

Quotable Cards - So many quotable cards, it can even be fun to look at all of them.  Perhaps buy one to hang up in your home!

ETSY - You know I love ETSY!  If you go to ETSY and type in "Inspirational Quotes" a whole bunch of handmade items with inspirational quotes come up.  Not only is it great to be inspired, but it is fun and kind of takes your mind away from the "moment" and lets you enjoy all of the pretty handmade things.

This may not seem that much of a resource or tip, like the ones I have provided previously, but I feel that sometimes it is the small things, like some simple words, that can get us through our bad times.  

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 12 | Birthing Classes & Bed Rest

photo: maiziejane vie ETSY

As a first time Mommy-To-Be, I had planned on taking a birthing class, like most first time Mommies & Daddies do. Just like everything else, once I found out I was had to be on bed rest, the plan of taking a birthing class, well, went out the window... so I thought. Just like everything else, we Bed Rest Mommies just have to adjust, think outside the box and more forward. 


Below I have for you some resources that enable you to bring a birthing class right into the comfort of your home. These resources are affordable as well. Compared to the $200+ for the at hospital classes.

The Best Birth | This super resource offers the class in three different forms; book, DVD and  online class.  Each option is under $40.  To learn more about The Best Birth, click here.

Laugh & Learn | This option also offers a birthing class in the form of a book, DVD and online class.  The Laugh & Learn is a series that also offers a class in breastfeeding and newborn baby care. You can purchase the series together as a set or individually. For more information, click here.  Also, for the cost of this resource, click here.

Now there are other resources but these are the two that I have heard a lot of great things about.  Both resources have some great feed back and testimonials on their websites, so be sure to check them out.

Lastly, don't hesitate to contact the hospital (or check with your doctor) which you are delivering your baby to see if they have any online birthing courses.  That is becoming more and more common.

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 11 | Bed Rest Books that Bring Comfort

photo: nestahome via ETSY

I have mentioned previously that I am not one for books to pass my time away, due to my lack of attention.  However, what I failed to mention is that I am all for books when they pertain to something that I can easily relate to.  Never mind when you are going through something that you just want to find some peace of mind, like books related to bed rest, I am all for ;  )

Here I have for you a list of some bed rest books that I think are good resources for us Bed Rest Mommies, and once again, reading is another time passer!  

By the way, it is Friday... another week down!!!

Days in Waiting: A Guide to Surviving Pregnancy Bedrest 
by Mary Ann McCann 
While there are no "quick fixes" for bedrest, there are some realistic and practical ideas that can help women and their families. This book is intended to help all bedresting women, their spouses, children, and families and friends.

The High-Risk Pregnancy Sourcebook
by Denise M. Chism
The High-Risk Pregnancy Sourcebook helps women understand the special circumstances of their pregnancies and the various methods of enhancing the chances of having a healthy, full-term baby. In addition to giving background on normal changes, the book includes complete information on the various disorders of pregnancy, including gestational diabetes, toxemia, and placenta disruption. 

The Bed Rest Survival Guide
by Barbara Edelston Peterson

Pregnancy Bedrest: A Journey of Love
by Wanda Hale 

Bed Rest
by Sarah Bilston
The fictional diary of "Q" who examines her life while she is on bed rest during her pregnancy. You can read more about the book at its dedicated web site here: http://www.bedrestdiary.com/ 

For additional books, including books for you to read to your younger children to understand your bed rest, please check out this wonderful website, Sidelines.

In addition to books, this online resource, Sidelines, is a national support network for high risk pregnancy.  Add this to your resources for sure!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 10 | Thank Goodness for the Internet

photo: no9images via ETSY

I am not much of a TV watcher. And reading books, well, my attention span is lacking lets say. So I guess you can say my MacBook Pro and the internet are my BFF's while on bed rest. From blogs to Facebook, bed rest chats, bed rest forums, ETSY, creating a photo book and so on, oh thank goodness for the internet!






| PINTEREST |  I wanted to introduce you to something that I think is quite exciting and fun. My real BFF (not my computer or internet) showed me this great online tool called Pinterest via www.pinterest.com.  


What is Pinterest? Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste.  We Bed Rest Mommies can use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things; nursery inspiration, favorite baby clothes, baby gear... you name it, you can pin it.  


If you are like me, you are always online, bookmarking things. Well Pinterest is like your own virtual book/pin board for you to organize all of the great things you love. So I say create an account today and get started. It's great and it is a wonderful TIME PASSER!  We looooovveee time passers ;  )


| TOP 50 MOM BLOGS |  Another super time passer is reading blogs.  I love Mom blogs!  I get so many great ideas from them, which I am able to save/pin these ideas on nothing but... Pinterest.  Checkout the top 50 Mom Blogs of 2010 via www.babble.com.


| ETSY |  I LOVE ETSY!  Just about everything for Baby Josie's Room is handmade from Etsy.com.  What is Etsy?  Well you will have to check it out for yourself, cause I would write all day about it.  It is the perfect place to buy custom handmade items.  For me I have bought everything from my wedding invitations, wedding favors, a baby quilt, vintage Disney records to frame for Josie's room, custom pillows, vintage children's chair and so on.  Again, you can use Pinterest to save items that you would like to return to and perhaps purchase.  Another great time passer without a doubt!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 9 | Please Read - Bed Rest & Exercise

photo: Cabin via ETSY

I am in week 10 of bed rest and approaching 30 weeks of pregnancy. I have lost muscle, gotten quite weak and have gained, well, pregnancy weight. Getting out of bed or off the couch, I find myself doing a form of Lamaze just to get up.  The cherry on top was this past weekend... I was laying in bed trying to get to sleep and as a stretched/straightened out my leg, I got a muscle cramp in my calf, often referred to as a charlie horse, and it was bad. Later in that evening, it happened to my other leg.  

I have been meaning to get serious in my bed rest exercise for the past month or so.  But to be honest, I am not nearly as diligent as I should be. I few leg lifts here and there and that is it. When you read about the repercussions of muscle deterioration due to bed rest, it is not uplifting that is for sure.  And that is not what WE need.  And knowing that simple exercises are in our control, is something we should really take advantage of.  Because you all know best, there is so much out of our control these days... right?!

Are you ready to boost your MUSCLES & MOOD?  And this is a time passer, and something to add to your daily routine...   ;   )

Well here are some of the resources I came across:

1. Article | How Exercise and Bed Rest in Pregnancy Can Co-Exist
2. Article | The Bed Rest Workout: Moves you can do on your couch or bed to help stay in shape, both physically and emotionally.
3. DVD | Bed Rest Fitness DVD
4. Video Clip | From the creator of "Bed Rest Fitness", Ms. Turner-Lee, also founder of Mama's on Bed Rest & Beyond, click here for her short clip, "Linguini Legs".

While I like to keep my posts short, sweet and to the point, I want to leave off with the BENEFITS to women who regularly perform the exercises while on bed rest and the health benefits:

• Maintenance of muscle tone and physical strength
• Improved circulation
• Reduction in the risk of leg clots leading to strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms
• Increased endurance during labor
• More effective pushes during delivery
• Decreased recovery time postpartum
• The emotional assurance that she is doing something great for herself and her baby

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 8 | Productive & Passing Time Away? Sounds Great!

photo: toxicguineapigs via ETSY

Often I feel like what else can I do to pass time away? Additionally, being a Bed Rest Mommy, I can be a little harsh on myself and I just want to be productive.  I then wait for the frustrations to settle, reality to kick in, breathe then I can see a little more clearly.  You know this roller coaster that I am talking about, huh?  


Well, from one Bed Rest Mommy, to another, here are some of the productive time passers that I have been doing recently:




1.) GREETING CARDS: Father's Day is fast approaching (Sunday, June 19th). With that, I have been visiting www.tinyprints.com and making some really fun and cute Father's Day cards. One for the VERY special Daddy-To-Be, for my Dad, Stepdad, Father-In-Law and Grandfather-In-Law.  You can customize these cards with your very own photos and words.  There are so many amazing designs to choose from. Also, Tiny Prints will label and stamp the card and send it to the recipient directly. So I pay $3.99 per card and then Tiny Prints charges you the .44 cents for postage and that is it.  LOVE THIS, you must try this out.  Again, it's a productive time passer!


2.) HOSPITAL BAG: Depending on my day, I get very excited about packing for the hospital. I do have this thing where I will not start to do so until I hit 32 weeks... I "feel" like if I do it sooner, I will jinx myself.  You know how we Bed Rest Momma's think.  In the meantime, I have found a list and I printed it out.  If there are things on this list I do not have, I either get it via internet or add it to my list for the hubby to pick up.  Click here for the baby arrival list which I am choosing to use.  Also, the Mommy who put this together has such a cute nursery design blog, you must check it out, "Lay Baby Lay".  See, packing and a fun blog... more time passers!

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 7 | Never Enough Support

photo: Honeyboo via ETSY

In addition to the support resources that I often talk about, here are a few more. While I know there is the saying "less is more", personally I feel with the more support we have, it is "more is more" ;  )  I feel that with all of our situations so different, we do have commonalities and that is that we want our babies here as full term and as healthy as possible. The more support we are able to give one another, whether it is tips, resources, perspective, etc. the stronger we feel, emotionally, which in turn, the stronger we are physically.

1. Mamas on Bed Rest & Beyond: Information, Coaching Support and resources.  Everything a high risk pregnant mama needs to have a transformative pregnancy experience.  Please visit their Facebook page by clicking here.  Also, their website at http://www.mamasonbedrest.com. This resource has some amazing hands on stretching and exercising videos for us bed rest mommies to do right in bed... go figure ;  )
2. Better Bed Rest, Online Support for High Risk Pregnancies: Better BedRest, Inc is a non profit that supports moms on bedrest due to High Risk Pregnancies. They offer support, resources and referrals through weekly calls to the moms across the US. Better BedRest's mission is to provide outreach to help others understand this "invisible crisis". BBR offers a one time Emergency Grant up to $500 to help a mom pay a bill while on bedrest. A bedrest mom must prove she is losing an income. They fundraise for their emergency grant fun and anyone can donate on their website! They are always looking for grant opportunities so let them know if you have any good ideas! They need phone volunteers, women who have been on bedrest or have a connection to bedrest. Visit their website for the application. Further questions? Email info@betterbedrest.org.  Also, visit their Facebook page by clicking here.

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."

| 6 | Frugal Comfort & Clothes

photo: truthgoddess via ETSY

Just like every other Mommy-To-Be, we on bed rest want to be comfortable and would love to have some cute maternity clothes, too. Okay, so we don't go out in public, except for doctors visits, BUT to be wearing something that makes you feel good, that can only add to the positive outlook you need to make each day that much easier.  Just a small piece of the positive puzzle, but a piece nonetheless.

Other things to take into account is that being on bed rest, we can not go out shopping.  Also, most likely we are on a striiiccctttt budget.  With all of that taken into account, here are a few of the places via internet that I go for frugally comfortable clothes for this ever changing body.

1. Old Navy Maternity
2. Target Maternity
3. Forever 21 Maternity
4. Other:  Granted I am spending my last trimester in the summer, but my biggest buys are getting summer dresses that are not "maternity" by design, but rather "regular" summer dresses.  The key to buying "regular" summer dresses is that to get a size, or two, bigger, that the material is flowy and that the style is empire waist/seam of the dress is right above that belly. Also, tie waist dresses where you can bring the tie up to above your belly is great as well. Keep in mind the length of that dress if you are not buying it "maternity" for that length with shorten ALOT due to the big belly and perhaps other growing areas of that beautiful pregnant body ;  )

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"It may not be easy, but it is possible."