Life
To be honest, I did not enjoy pregnancy. I was tired, swollen, and in considerable pain. So when I was ordered on bedrest for preeclampsia, I was actually looking forward to it. I imagined bedrest would be relaxing and just what I needed to keep my baby cooking long enough for him to be healthy. I quickly realized that the experience was anything but relaxing. Fortunately, I also learned that there are people who will change your life when you're on bedrest, and in the most surprising ways.
The idea of staying in bed, having food delivered to you, and watching endless Netflix shows might sound ideal, but when you're on bedrest you're just bored, anxious, and frustrated. In other words, if you're you're going to need some help. For example, I had a friend who came over and watched shows with me, and my mom was kind enough to clean my house. And, of course, there was the pizza delivery person... who quickly became my BFF.
I was 31 weeks pregnant the first time I was ordered on bedrest, so I wasn't prepared to suddenly stop working and "take it easy." I didn't have enough maternity leave to take time off work so early, either. Fortunately, my boss and co-workers were understanding, and I was able to telecommute. Another lifesaver, to be sure. So while being stuck on bedrest is far from being on a vacation, there are people who can make your experience a little bit better, including the following:
Anyone Who Brings You Food
When you are on bedrest you quickly learn which food places deliver to your home. And if you're "lucky" enough to be on bedrest at the hospital, the people who bring you food — and extra dessert — will be your BFFs in no time. Pretty much anyone who brings you the food you crave when you are pregnant and on bedrest is a rockstar.
Your Boss
The first time I was put on bedrest, my boss agreed to let me telecommute until my baby was born. It was so awesome, because I only had 12 weeks of maternity leave, including any time off I had to take before my baby was born. There's no way I could have gone back to work when my baby was 6 weeks old, so that flexibility changed my life.
The Cast Of Your Favorite Show
I needed a distraction to stop myself from Googling my symptoms and worrying incessantly about my baby. I tried Grey's Anatomy, but it just made me more anxious about my health. Top Chef made me hungry, Parenthood made me cry like a proverbial baby, and HGTV made me want to DIY my baby's nursery. Turns out, The West Wing was the ideal distraction from my predicament — no babies, no food, no medical stuff, and all the politics I could handle.
Your Mom
It was so hard to resist the urge to nest, clean, and go shopping for baby. Enter: mom. My mom helped so much by cleaning my house, picking things up from the store, and doing daycare drop-off and pick-up. She was already my BFF, but her help was life-changing during pregnancy.
Your Partner
The last time I was pregnant, I was put on bedrest again, this time at the hospital. It was so much worse. There’s absolutely no way I could’ve done it without my husband there supporting me. He kept me company for a week before baby was born, and, more importantly, kept me calm when all I wanted to do was freak out.
Your Co-Workers
My co-workers were awesome during my bedrest. I worked from home for six weeks, and they did everything from have daily teleconferences and online chats with me to bringing documents and baby gifts to my house. It made me feel so much better about having to go on bedrest before I had things wrapped up at work.
Your Mail Carrier
My mail carrier was already one of my favorite people, since they brought me all of my orders and baby gifts. But, she would also stop to talk to me every single day about how I was feeling, which made all the difference.
Your Plumber
There are few things more annoying than a dripping faucet you can’t do anything about. I normally would be the one to fix things like that, but I was on bedrest and there was no way I could fit my pregnant body under the sink to check things out. I was so tired of hearing the constant drip, so I called a plumber to fix it instead. Sometimes the little things can be life-changing.
Your Doctor Or Midwife
So yeah, while I was on bedrest at home I had to see my midwife or doctor every single day. While on bedrest in the hospital, the nurses became my BFFs. Some days I worried that they would get tired of seeing me day in and day out, but they were the only adults other than my husband that I saw on a daily basis. They also did a pretty good job of explaining things to me, and were the people who broke the news that I was going to finally have my baby. They were amazing.
Amazon Prime
Now, I know Amazon Prime isn't a person, but it is actually made up of a lot of people. Lots of magical, beautiful people who enable you to complete your baby registry, order diapers, and finish getting ready for your baby's arrival even if you have to be on bedrest for the last weeks (or months) of your pregnancy. Talk about MVPs.
Check out Romper's new video series, Bearing The Motherload, where disagreeing parents from different sides of an issue sit down with a mediator and talk about how to support (and not judge) each other’s parenting perspectives. New episodes air Mondays on Facebook.
