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Bedrest Butler ~ Shopping, Support, Encouragement!

30 Jan

I am pleased to introduce you to a great resource for bed rest families!  Bedrest Butler is an all-inclusive site that came about after one of its creators endured a 63 day bout of bedrest.  This site is run by  a mother daughter team who are passionate about making the bed rest experience better for other moms and families who experience it.  Kelly was 26.5 weeks pregnant with twins when her bed rest ordeal began (he story is detailed on the site) and her mother, Pamela, was right by her side doing everything she could to help her daughter through.  They learned so much about surviving bed rest that they knew that they had to share to make other moms’ experiences better.

This site offers a page full of bed rest survival items that have been hand selected to be the best fit for the bed rest mommy’s needs.  You can shop for cozy lounge wear, pamper baskets, snack combos, and entertainment baskets.  Each one has been well thought out to cater to the bed rest mom.  Bedrest Butler also offers free shipping on orders over $100.00!

There is also a resource page that is a quick guide to the best bed rest resources on the web (many of which I have also recommended!).  The ladies at Bedrest Butler also found out first hand that when you’ve put on bed rest, you don’t know where to go for support and doctor’s aren’t always on top of pointing you in the right direction.  So they have complied this quick list to make finding your resources short work!

And lastly they have a blog where they relate stories and experiences.  Blogs are a great way to really connect to other moms who have had the same experience. They talk about the experience of bed rest, not just the facts.  This provides so much comfort in an experience that can be truly isolating.

So please take a look at their site and see if any of their goodies would make your days in bed better!  Connect with them now:

Website  ~ http://bedrestbutler.com/

Facebook  ~  http://www.facebook.com/BedrestButler

Twitter  ~ https://twitter.com/#!/BedrestButler & @bedrestbutler

 
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Posted by on January 30, 2012 in Amazing Bed Rest Resources, Sanity Savers

 

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Getting Social

02 Sep

As a mom on bed rest one of the things you mourn is the loss of social interaction you are used to. And while you husband, partner, family & friends do their best to entertain and visit it’s something that only other bed rest moms can relate to as we are the ones staring at the same four walls every day. And while your loved ones may be doing their absolute best to keep you entertained, it’s hard for them to understand that you have lost a large chunk of your daily social stimulation that includes work, shopping, riding the bus or train home, play dates, school, etc. This loss can take a toll on your physically and emotionally. The first 8 weeks I was on bed rest I was extremely depressed and felt disconnected to the world outside. Summer was about to start and I was going to miss it all. And no one understood. So to keep some level of social interaction going I was on Twitter & Facebook daily. To be honest I didn’t know much about Twitter at the time and wasn’t using it to the best of my ability in my situation. This changed when I was found by Angela at @Keepemcookin. She Tweeted me and invited me to join her forum on Keepemcookin.com. This changed everything for me! Suddenly I was not only connected to a whole new set up people, but they were also on bed rest and knew how I felt, why I was feeling it, and could relate to me in a way no one around me could! From here on I worked to set up social networks of people who “got it”. Being in touch with these people was so beneficial to my physical and emotional wellbeing! It gave me something to do each day for interaction. It made people aware that I was indeed pregnant! Sounds silly but when you’re on bed rest it’s like you’re having a secret baby that no one knows about. You just disappear one day and then show back up with a baby! So here’s my advice for staying connected ladies:

 

1) Join Twitter- If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a social networking site. However, you don’t post a ton of personal information and pictures, where you went to school, who your family is, etc. You simply post updates of 140 characters or less (similar to a Facebook status update) whenever you feel like it. Whether it’s 2:00pm or 2:00am. You can be anonymous or you can display your name. You don’t have to know people to follow their updates and when you choose to follow them it doesn’t mean they have to follow you back. Here’s where it gets good ladies! If you want to find other bed rest moms (like @keepemcookin found me) you simply use the search function using #bedrest. The pound sign (or hash tag as they are called on Twitter) is like a flag to add that Tweet to a category so others can find you. This can also be helpful if your baby comes early as you can attach #NICU, #Preemie, or other similar terms to connect with mommies who are going through the same thing. Using Twitter during bed rest (and even after) allowed me to create my own cheer section! I linked up with mommies all over the world who know what I was going through! It also gave me some late night breast feeding buddies to chat with after I had the baby! So join and be sure to follow me at @embracebedrest !

 

 

2) Join Keepemcookin.com- There are so many amazing bed rest resources out there! Mamasonbedrest.com, bedrestanbeyond.org, sidelines.org, etc. But for the purpose of social interaction I want to speak about Keepemcookin.com. This is an interactive site that allows moms to post questions or their stories on the forum and other mommies will cheer you on, lend an ear, or offer advice and encouragement. There is Roll Call each Monday where you pst your progress an what took place at your doctor’s visit that week. This allows you to keep up with the progress of the other mommies too and cheer them on! The site also hosts live chats where you can live chat with other mommies as well as specialist in the pregnancy field! This site gave me back a piece of myself as well as encouraging me to start my own site to help bed rest families.

 

 

3) Get a job- I was on bed rest for 23 weeks. FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) requires employers to hold you job for 12 weeks, however in many situations your bed rest will last longer than this. I was not able to return to work and therefore lost my job. But long before I lost my job, I was mourning the loss of being able to be productive each day. So I did some research into work from home job opportunities. I will only speak specifically about one here as I have first-hand experience with it. There are so many scams out there that I would not want to steer you to something that I didn’t know was legit first-hand. I will just caution you to research extensively before committing to any work from home program. The site that I ended up registering for was oDesk.com. On this site, you register as an independent contractor. You create a resume of all of your talents, programs you’ve worked on, schooling, certifications, etc. as far back as you like. Lay it all out there! Once you have been “oDesk Certified” you may begin looking through their extensive data base of job listings. You can do things like contract or budget preparation, payroll, data entry, writing, call center, etc. Additionally, employers will search for contractors and may offer you a job on the spot or invite you to interview! I had an offer within 48 hours of setting up my profile for a full time job! I had to decline as I didn’t want to commit to a full time job knowing that I could be in labor any day and then the NICU after that. Jobs are categorized in two ways. They are hourly or contract. Hourly jobs can be a few hours a week to full time- all from home! Hourly job payment is monitored by oDesk to ensure payment to the contractors. Contract jobs are a bulk pay for a job regardless of the amount of hours worked. Contract jobs are not monitored for payment through oDesk and run on a trust system. All work through oDesk will require a web cam as their system takes screen shots of the work you are doing while you are on the clock as well as pictures of you at the computer every 10 minutes to ensure accurate billing for jobs. It’s a great system! I ended up doing a job for a company overseas writing pregnancy articles for each week of pregnancy and a few additional articles as they were building a web site for expecting moms! It was a great job for me! Working gave me back another piece of myself I had lost to bed rest. So please check into this and see if it would be a good fit for you!

 

 

4) Give back- One of the biggest adjustments for me when I went on bed rest was switching from giver to receiver. You all know what I’m talking about! I was always the one running food to a new mom, taking other kids to school, cooking for sick friends, etc. So to have the rug pulled out from under me and all the sudden be put on the receiving end of all of this was a tough pill to swallow. One of the best things I did for my spirit when I was on bed rest was to volunteer. My church had a ministry where a group of women knitted hats and scarves for the homeless. So I called and signed on. My husband picked up a large bag of yarn and before I knew it I had my first full box of scarves ready to help those in need! This helped level the giving vs. receiving playing field. For you, your volunteer opportunity may be stuffing envelopes for a local charity, knitting or crocheting hats and blankets for the local NICU or maternity ward, or calling your child’s school teacher and seeing if you can help cut papers or prepare lessons. Trust me; it will give your spirit a lift. All of that self-pity (okay, a good portion of it) goes out the window once you can create a better balance for yourself.

 

 

So in the end ladies, this is about finding new ways to do the things you have lost. That’s what my whole blog is about. Offering you ways to get back the pieces of you that you are sacrificing to bring these beautiful babies into this world! Remember, although it feels like forever, it’s just a short period of time and the payoff lasts a life time! So get to work and get social!

 
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Posted by on September 2, 2011 in Amazing Bed Rest Resources, Sanity Savers, Your Home...for now.

 

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Guest Post From Thee Baby Lady~ “Baby Names”

17 Jul

I first met Christy while I was on bed rest last year.  She and I became Twitter friends and she was an amazing source of support for me during my pregnancy.  She has continued to encourage me as I work to help other mommies and their families while they navigate the ups and downs of bed rest while trying to still enjoy their pregnancies.  Christy has offered up this blog to help you choose just the right name for your little one while you are working to keep him or her in your belly!  Enjoy!

 

 

Thee Baby Lady is a “Baby Professional”, spanning 30 years
experience with newborns, infants, and toddlers. Her mission is “Helping
moms…make babies bright”. From pregnancy through the first years of baby’s
life, she can help. ~ Nursery essentials consultant, baby massage instructor,
postpartum doula, newborn care, travel “nanny”, infant & toddler food
classes, baby sign language, and more.
Her first children’s book is set to publish in July 2011.

 

 

 

Baby
Names – A Guest Post

By
Thee Baby Lady

 

Let’s
talk about baby names! One of the things that will surely occupy your mind
during your pregnancy is what to name your baby.  Choosing a baby name is an important process
and remains with your child for a lifetime. That is why I like to talk about
it! Listed below are some questions for you to ponder and then you can read
about a fun project that I started.

 

Getting started questions: How do you decide on a baby
name? Does your partner offer suggestions? Will family members want their name
and legacy carried on? Is there a special person in your life that will
influence your decision? Do you select a name based on the meaning or how it
sounds? Or both? If you are on pregnancy bed rest, devote some of that time
researching baby’s name choices.

 

In
March 2010, I was inspired to start a “Baby Name of the Week” project for a year’s worth of baby names. Starting with “A”, I worked through the alphabet,
taking turns selecting one week as an A girl name, then an A boy name.
Twenty-six letters multiplied by two (girl name, then boy name) carried us
through 52 weeks that equaled a year.  I
restarted the alphabet in March 2011 and am selecting new names this year.  The best place to feature this became my Facebook fan page. The name is
announced on Wednesdays, with an opportunity for fans to guess the pre-selected
name on Tuesday.  This “guessing game”
has become an anticipated weekly event. Maybe you will be inspired to find a
name from the weekly announcement and join in with us. You can also review the
collection of baby names from the first time through the alphabet on my website.

 

As
a final note, keep this in mind: the name you choose for your baby will soon
become the name that you speak 500 times a day (rough estimate) as your child
gets older.  I am sure some people will
agree with me on this!

 

You
can find Christy on Twitter at @TheeBabyLady
and actively posting tips on Facebook
from maternity through toddlerhood.  Find
more of her in-depth articles at http://TheeBabyLady.com.

 
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Posted by on July 17, 2011 in Sanity Savers, Your Home...for now.

 

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Bring The Party To You!

26 May

As you know, bed rest can make you feel very isolated at times.  When I was on bed rest I was envious when my girlfriends did things without me.  So as a bed rest mom, you need to get creative!  Social interaction, while exhausting at times, is vital to your mental health.  Therefore, I want to provide some suggestions on ways to bring the party to you!

In recent years, at home sales parties have become popular all over again!  But long gone are the days of TupperWare ladies!  Today’s parties can be functional, fun, or naughty!  Hosting an at home sales party is a great way to get social interaction, entertain without having to bare the stress of being the one who does the entertaining, and a great way to receive free product which is especially helpful if your household budget has been strained by your bed rest experience!

Before I list off several at home party options, here are my tips for holding a successful bed rest party!

1) Decide what type of party you would like to hold.  Then locate & contact a local sales representative.  She/he will help you determine the date, size of party, and even assist in providing invitations in most cases!  Many sales reps will also have a hostess (that’s you!) packet with a check list of things you can do to create the perfect party!

2) Send out invitations.  Like I said, many sales reps will have these on hand for you.  But if not you can create quick and simple E-Vites that will send email invitations to your guests.  This may be a better option for the bed rest mom as trips to the mail box are often out of your realm of control!  Make a guest list ahead of time and be sure to encourage your guests to bring a friend!  Remember, the more sales the rep gets, the more free product you receive!

3) I would suggest that you make your event a potluck.  Your friends should understand that you are unable to prepare treats and snacks so have them sign up for things like drinks, snacks, and even disposable napkins, plates, etc.

4) Get Pretty!  The day of the party wear something nice and put on your best make up!  On bed rest how often do you get a reason to get gussied up?!

5) Have a specific friend arrive early to help you get chairs set up and to be available to answer the door as your guests arrive.

6) Sit back, have fun, and encourage your guests to buy as much as possible as the amount of your free product directly relates to the amount of sales at your party!

So here are several options for at home sales parties!  And yes, TupperWare made the list!

1) Candles~ PartyLite  & Scentsy are great options!

2) Make Up & Skin Care~ The Body Shop &  Mary Kay

3) Accessories~ Purse Party, Cookie Lee, Bella Shaye, Silpada, All Dazzle, Miche Bag, & Between Moms (This site offers a list of at home party options!)

4) Food & Home Goods~Pampered Chef, TupperWare, Simply Tasteful, &  At Home America all offer a variety of kitchen, home, and food items that all of your friends could use!

5) Romantic Items~ I know!  I know!  It’s been a while as bed rest has taken its toll on your love life!  But there will be a time when these items may come in handy!  And it’s a fun type of party to have with your girlfriends!  Try these: Passion Party, Intimate Expressions, & Pure Romance.

No matter which style party you choose, have fun!  And plan to take several naps the next day!  This is a great way to reconnect with friends you don’t see as often.  Bed rest doesn’t mean you are stuck until baby comes.  It just means you learn to live a different way for a while until your miracle arrives!

As always, if you found this post helpful, be sure to leave a comment to help other mommies decide if this would be great for them!

 
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Posted by on May 26, 2011 in Sanity Savers, Your Home...for now.

 

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Mini Fridges- A Bed Rest Solution

11 Apr

As you may be finding out already, bed rest presents so many daily challenges.  To be on strict bed rest requires a strong support system in place.  When I was on bed rest my husband was home with me and the kids 5 days a week and worked weekends.  Therefore on the weekends I required a “babysitter” to help me with the kids and to provide basics like meals.  I was blessed to have this system in place.  But many mommies to be find themselves alone for hours each day while thier partners work, they don’t have a partner to assist, or they are on full hospital bed rest.  There are so many thngs that come into play for each individual.  And even if you have a strong support system in place, it can be down right frustrating not to be able to have the ability to do basics for yourself, like get a snack.

So if you find yourself without around the clock care, or you are just looking for a little independance, my tip today is to invest in a mini fridge.  Mini fridges come in a variety of sizes and styles.  They don’t require a lot of space and are portable so they can be relocated from the bed to the sofa if need be.  If you find a small enough version this may also be a viable option for hospital bed rest moms.  They range in price from about $20 to over $200.  Click Here for a guide to mini fridges with information and reviews to better help you decide which would work well for you.

Having a mini fridge set up will give mom the opportunity to eat fresh and healthy foods the moment she wants them.  Cheese, meats, etc. will stay fresh and be on hand 24 hours a day.  Because when baby wants to eat- baby wants to eat!  This will also help dad to feel better knowing the food he leaves for mom will be avaiable for her without her having to get up while he’s at work.  And once bed rest is over, there will be ample opportunity to still use your fridge as you travel with baby!

Here are a few links to sites where you can find mini fridges for sale:

Ebay http://popular.ebay.com/home-improvement/mini-fridge.htm

Become.com http://home-and-garden.become.com/mini-fridge

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n:284507,k:Mini%20Fridges&page=1

Nexttag.com http://www.nextag.com/fridge-mini-portable/stores-html

As always, if you find this tip helpful be sure to come back and leave a comment to help other mommies!

 
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Posted by on April 11, 2011 in Sanity Savers, The Man Cave

 

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Plaque Craft- A Guest Post by Homemade Happiness

10 Apr

 

This guest post is brought to you by Amber from Homemade Happiness.   While Amber was never confined to full bed rest, she has suffered pregnancy loss and thus restrictions with her pregnancies.  She has an amazing heart and wanted to help mommies who have been left on bed rest so they can be successful in making it to term!  Thank you Amber!

Hi, I’m Amber from Handmade Happiness! I’m so excited to be doing this tutorial for you all!

To get started you’ll need to acquire your supplies. Where possible I’ll site online resources where you can get the supplies. Where I couldn’t find the proper item online I’ll site the store(s) at which I found them. I’ll give a detailed enough supply list that you can send hubby, parent, or friend after!

So let’s get started!

You’ll need:

A wood plaque, mine was 7×2 and 3/4 inches thick, you can use any size you’d like though- Bought at Michael’s in a bundle of 20 for about $5 but couldn’t find it online.

Acrylic paints- Can be found online at Michael’s Arts and Crafts

Paint brush assortment- Can be found online at Joann’ Fabric and Crafts (it states online only actually!)

Pencil

Paper

Scissors

Tape

Two containers to hold water, one to wash paint off of brush one to rinse it off

Paper towels or dry rag

Computer and Printer, optional

                                      

Now, before you begin, send your plaque with hubby or someone to sand down the corners and edges. They just need to be smooth and flat, nothing fancy, unless you want it to be!

While your plaque is being sanded, go ahead and find a font you like! I use Microsoft Word for this step. Once you find a font you like type out (twice) what you want on your plaque. Resize it to fit the plaque and print out a copy. For my plaque a 72 point Brush455 BT fit wonderfully because I added some design element. If you just want it to be a name make the font bigger to take up the plaque. (PS after using this font I had thought I might want to use a less detailed one next time!)

       

Take your pencil and cover the back of the paper behind your print. Make it pretty dark, you’re pretty much making it into a carbon paper wannabe! But make sure you don’t rip it, this was the reason for two prints!

If you don’t have a printer available you can carefully draw your wording on by hand.

Once you get your plaque back cut out your print and tape it into position.

Outline around the outside of all of your letters, transferring them onto the plaque.

Remove one side of your print and peek under to make sure it’s transferred well. If not place it back into place and go over the spots that are lacking. Go ahead and take the print off of your plaque.

If you’re adding a design element, draw it on now. Don’t press to hard, just enough to make a light outline. You can do little flowers, cars, fish, animals, shapes, letters numbers, whatever goes with your personality or room.

     

Now it’s time to start painting. Start with your lightest color. Be careful to stay in your lines but don’t fret if you have a boo boo! Paint is easy to deal with as long as it’s wet, just blot it with the corner of a dry paint brush until it’s gone or very light. If you went onto a color put a little more of the right color so it looks right again.

Continue with the next color.

  

And so on, until you’re done!

Now it can be set up on top of a dresser, you can put a hole in the back to hang it from a nail, you can get a picture hanger to put on the back. Whichever you want to do for where it is going!

 
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Posted by on April 10, 2011 in Family Fun, Sanity Savers, Your Home...for now.

 

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The Hardest Conversations

02 Apr

When pregnancy doesn’t go according to plan, you find yourself having some of the hardest conversations you will ever have to have with your partner.  When I hemoragghed at 13 weeks, it wasn’t initially clear whether or not it would be healthy for me to maintain the pregnancy or not as it could risk my life, not just the baby’s.  My husband and I had to have a conversation that we never thought we’d have to have.  We had two other children that needed their mommy.  We decided to leave it in God’s hands and embarked on the hardest 23 week journey of our lives. 

But that wasn’t the only hard conversation we had to have.  Being that my bed rest experience started so early, we spent the majority of our time wondering if our baby would be delivered early and if so, would he survive.  Therefore we needed to talk about how to handle it if our baby didn’t survive.  We had to decide whether or not to hold him, do foot prints, etc.  God graced us by introducing us, via an online clip, to an organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep and the amazing work they do to help families in these situations.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is an organization that aids families in the documentation of little lives lost.  They believe that no matter how short your child’s life, they were here.  They mattered.  And it is their goal to assist families in documenting that life, beautifully.  Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep hosts a network of volunteer photographers across the country who offer their time to take beautiful and professional portraits of your baby with your family.  So your baby remains a part of your family always.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep’s work was featured on The Today Show in a beautiful segment.  It is tough to watch but also beautiful.  Please take the time to view it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlKhrCORF8w  This clip gives you insight to what it means to the family before and after the birth of their daughter.

I have nothing but gratitude that our family did not have to utilize their services.  And as you all know, the goal is to keep your sweet baby cookin as long as possible to ensure a safe delivery.  But there are several factors that each of us bed rest mommies face. Some families, such as the one featured in the Today show clip, know before delivery that their little ones won’t be with them for long.   My husband and I wanted to be prepared with our options in the event that our son wasn’t with us long.  I am glad to have come across this organization and therefore I wanted to share it with you.  It’s a beautiful thing they do.  They bring light to a dark, dark day.  Please visit their website.  http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/home/

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2011 in Angel Babies, Your Home...for now.

 

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Help Prevent Preterm Birth- A Guest Post By Keepemcookin.com

26 Mar

This guest post was provided by Angela over at Keepemcookin.com.  Angela Davids is the founder of Keep ’Em Cookin’, an educational organization that provides current information on high-risk pregnancy and offers online community support for women on bedrest.  Her site made a monumental difference in the quality of my life on bed rest.  Through her site, Angela provides pregnancy resources, support, and best of all a place for you to communicate with other moms who are currently on bed rest!  I am grateful to have her share her knowledge on embracebedrest.com!

 

Four Phrases to Help Prevent Premature Birth

 

By Angela Davids, founder of Keepemcookin.com 

High-risk pregnancy is much more common than you may realize. Nearly 1 in 4 pregnant women in the United States will be placed on bedrest due to complications that can lead to preterm birth. You wouldn’t travel to a foreign country without knowing a few key phrases, right? So as you travel the uncharted territory of Pregostonia, learn these four essential phrases for communicating with your OB about preventing premature birth.

1) How long is my cervix?

The length of the cervix between 14 weeks and 24 weeks into a pregnancy is an excellent indicator of the risk of preterm birth. Most OBs will schedule an ultrasound around 19 to 20 weeks. Ask the sonographer to take note of your cervical length at that time, and write it down for yourself. If the length is below 4 centimeters, request a transvaginal ultrasound to get a more accurate measurement. If you experience any signs of preterm labor in the weeks that follow, request another transvaginal ultrasound so a current measurement can be compared to the previous measurement.

2) Am I a good candidate for 17P?

If you had preterm labor or a preterm birth in a previous pregnancy, or if you have a short cervix, ask your doctor about the benefits of 17P (17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate). This progesterone supplementation is currently available by injection (given weekly from 16 weeks to 36 weeks). There are also progesterone suppositories available by prescription.

3) Should we do an fFN test?

The fetal fibronectin (fFN) test is a very effective tool for determining if preterm labor is likely to happen soon. Fetal fibronectin is a sticky protein that keeps the baby’s fetal membranes attached to the mother’s uterus during pregnancy. This protein is normally detected in vaginal secretions before 22 weeks and after 35 weeks when it begins to break down naturally. This test may show that fetal fibronectin is present, even before other signs of preterm labor occur. A negative result reassures you that there is more than a 99 percent chance you will not deliver within the next two weeks. A positive result does not guarantee that labor will occur within a specific time frame, but it does allow you and your doctor to treat the preterm labor more aggressively in order to prevent preterm birth.

4) Something just isn’t right.

It’s called women’s intuition for a reason! You know your body best, and when something doesn’t feel right or suddenly seems different, that’s the time to call your doctor. You may think you don’t have the right words to describe what you’re feeling, but call anyway! Nurses, midwives and doctors are familiar with what you’re experiencing, and they’d always prefer that you call than wait until it is too late to prevent preterm birth.

 
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Posted by on March 26, 2011 in Your Home...for now., Your Pregnant Body

 

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Koku Cutting Board= Easy Bed Rest Cooking!

23 Mar

 

You all know that I am a big advocate of cooking even when you are on bed rest.  It allows you to feel “normal” and still take care of your family.  So when I came across this little gem I was super excited!  This is the Koku All-In-One Cutting Board.  As you can see, this cutting board not only provides a stable cutting surface, but it also offers portability and organization of your food items!  Isn’t it beautiful?!  I wish I had one of these when I was on bed rest!  But wait!  There’s more!  This bed rest dream offers the following:

  • A large side drawer
  • A compartmentalized side drawer
  • Reversible cutting surface (one side has edge grooves to catch juices)
  • A built-in grating & cutting surface that catches the contents in a large bottom drawer
  • Click here to view the company demo

I initially spotted this item on Ebay but you can purchase it directly from the web site for just $39.99.  One of the great things about this item is that it can be used beyond your pregnancy and bed rest.  It’s a great addition to any kitchen!

As always, if you find this post helpful or if you purchase this item to help you in your bed rest journey, please come back and leave a comment to help other bed rest mommies!

 
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Posted by on March 23, 2011 in Bed Rest-ipes, Your Home...for now.

 

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Infertility Warrior- Guest Post by Cyster World

16 Mar

Cyster World is a brave mama of a 20 week angel baby and is currently pregnant again and on bed rest and working to make it to full term!  Her blog, An Infertility Warrior chronicles her bed rest experience and her desire to become a mother despite her infertility challenges.  She graciously wrote this guest post so others would know that despite many challenges, she is keeping her eyes on the prize and that you can too!  Thanks Cyster World!  Follow her on Twitter @Cysterworld and be sure to visit her blog http://pcosflowerchica.blogspot.com/

Coping with being 2 weeks more pregnant than my last second trimester loss

 I should start with a disclaimer; I have a ton of things wrong with my reproductive system. I have PCOS. My PCOS is so bad that my ovaries look like a bunch of grapes and I don’t get periods…ever! I have to take medications to induce a period, but I don’t ovulate when I do. I’ve always said I have tons of eggs, but they are hanging on for dear life! They simply won’t come down. On top of that I have a condition called Incompetent Cervix (IC). So my cervix has a funny habit of dilating with no warning when I am pregnant. Needless to say, getting pregnant is nearly impossible for me and carrying a pregnancy to term is equally difficult. I’ve lost a pregnancy before because of IC at 20 weeks, spent the next 4-5 years trying to get pregnant again, and now I’m currently 22.5 weeks pregnant. I’m sitting here almost able to taste pregnancy viability. 24 weeks – roughly 10 days – and my baby has a chance of making it.

So I call myself an infertility warrior. Not an infertility sufferer, not a woman trying to conceive, not an infertile woman – I’m an infertility warrior. That’s because this has been a 5 – year war. I simply refuse to accept that I won’t be a mother. I also have come to accept that becoming a mother with infertility challenges is an incredibly long process. It’s not about each cycle, but it’s about trying approach after approach tweaking and revising until we find the right combination to get me pregnant. Getting pregnant is just half the battle. Once I manage to get pregnant, I’ve got to keep this baby cooking long enough to bring a life into this world.

Here I lay, 14 days into a 14-week stint of doctor ordered bed rest – because like clockwork, my cervix decided to start dilating after 20 weeks of pregnancy. I was also on bed rest for about 3 weeks early on in this pregnancy. I’m lucky enough to be on modified bed rest instead of strict bed rest. This time I had a cerclage put in, so the stitches are holding for now! It’s easy to give up hope when you are on bed rest. This time is filled with fears and anxiety – and the time moves incredibly slow. I find myself hanging on every wiggle / poke my baby-to-be gives me. I find myself obsessively working on my registry and planning for a baby while being unwilling to buy anything for fear of this pregnancy not making it.  I have a few tips that I have that are helping me tremendously:

  1. I took up a hobby… I’m crocheting – and I’ve made 7 blankets in a month already!
  2. Attitude – I refuse to succumb to depression or negative thinking. I’ve channeled all my energy towards doing what I need to – in order to survive this
  3. Planning – I spend at least 3 hours a day planning for this baby. Planning the nursery, planning for cord blood banking, planning my registry, etc.
  4. Sharing my story – Join forums for women on bed rest, tweet with other infertility warriors, blog your heart out, and share your story with loved ones and friends
  5. Don’t ever count down – count up! I count how far I’ve come as opposed to stressing about how many days I have left. It leaves you with a sense of achievement.
  6. Make the most of my space – I also hang out on the lawn chair in the back yard – to get a “change of scenery”.
  7. Get an online pregnancy buddy – I have many due date buddies with similar situations – and we track our pregnancies together. It gives you a chance to think about something else other than yourself
  8. Spend some money on good TV options – I have on-demand, Netflix, apple TV, Xbox, PS3 and a Nintendo Wii. Needless to say – I have couch activities J
  9. Work from home – if you can. Working from home allows me to burn 8 hours a day on my cell phone and laptop. With 8 hours for sleep – that leaves me with only 8 hours a day

 

Finally – take it a day at a time. It’s a very long period of time to be stuck in bed, but if you do your time and you do it well – you’ll make it through this. I keep the same perspective over and over – this is a short-term sacrifice for a lifetime of gains!

 
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Posted by on March 16, 2011 in Angel Babies, Sanity Savers, Your Home...for now.

 
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