Bed rest and The Day I Laughed at My Doctor

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I’m 33 weeks pregnant and recently was having signs of early labor, after an afternoon being monitored, they determined baby was staying put for awhile but I needed to “take it easy” for the remainder of my pregnancy.  I laughed out loud.  I’m a work at home mom and have a very energetic 3 year old boy. The same three year old that also happened to give up naps a few weeks ago.

How was I possibly going to maintain “restricted activity” for the next 4-6 weeks?

Pinterest Activities

I started searching Pinterest for activities for preschoolers! I found some great fall activities, a few letter and number recognition ideas, sensory activities and our favorite was a post about making creation stations. The Monster Station was so fun! I think I enjoyed it more then MJ. We also did a Jack-o-lantern station and I’m planning a bug station for next week.  All you need is construction paper, glue and some googley eyes! We’ve made sponge blocks, made our own play doh and created halloween decorations for the house.  With a little prep after bedtime, I was able to prepare several activities for next day with things I mostly had around the house already or could pick up at the dollar store.

Ask for and Accept Help

I put out an email to my close friends and family and explained the situation and asked if anyone would be interested in spending a few hours with my darling boy. That was the easiest to ask for help with because he’s generally a blast to be around. I also had to work at accepting other kinds of help. Someone offered to help with light cleaning and another friend brought us dinner one night. Being the primary “chef” in the house, I can not express how much that simple meal helped.  To not have to be on my feet preparing dinner was a huge relief! A neighbor offered to give us a bin of legos they were no longer using and those were a huge hit!

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Audio Books and Interactive Songs and Games

You can get audio books from the library or stream them online with Youtube. I found Mary Poppins to be a big hit! We could lay in bed and listen to the story. Or quietly play Play Doh and listen to the story. MJ is also into interactive songs right now. I can find a comfy place to sit and either sing the songs or play them on youtube and he can dance, swim, twirl and burn on some steam.  His favorites right now are “Let’s Go Swimming,” “The Grizzly Bears,” and “Going on a Bear Hunt.” We were also gifted a couple simple card games. Go Fish and Slapjack have been very entertaining!

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Busy Bags

Since MJ decided this was also a good time to give up naps, I’ve been trying to implement a “rest time” in his room in the afternoon.  It’s not going as well as I’d hoped but we’re making it work. I started collecting some of the activities we already own and putting them into groups for days of the week. My goal is to have one different bag for each day of the week.  In the bags I’ve put some of the more interactive books we own that he can “read” and look at by himself, puzzles, coloring books and some of the Pinterest things we’ve made! Most days I end up sitting in his room with him, helping him engage with these activities, but it buys me 45-60 minutes of calm time.

Sponge Blocks
Sponge Blocks

Shows

While we can’t watch shows all day, TV interspersed throughout the day has been a saving grace.  When MJ has been go go go  for a while and I just need a minute to rest and close my eyes, we snuggle on the couch and watch an episode (or three!)  of Wild Kratts! I do sometimes feel guilty about this time, but I have decided to give myself grace here! It’s not forever and he does lots of other awesome engaging things each day! We get outside as much as we can, read books and he goes with his grandparents once or twice a week. This family support has been huge! On the weekends, my husband takes over as primary parent and I rest as much as I can!

Have you ever been on bed rest, while having another young child to care for? How did you make it work?

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