50 Things to Do on Bedrest

Disclaimer: Please consult your physician before beginning any activities.

1. Make a list of all of the foods you will eat when you get out of the hospital and off of the gestational diabetic diet.

2. Daydream of chocolate chip cookies with peanut butter between them.

3. Watch it snow outside your window.

4. "Decorate" the pine tree outside your window with "Christmas ornaments" in your
imagination.

5. Have your husband bring your children to your window to see you. Use sign language to communicate with your five and three year old.

6. Get as much information as possible about your situation and how to care for a very tiny premature baby.

7. Learn the nurses names.

8. Learn the nurses children's names.

9. Swap pictures of your children with the nurses because now you've become family.

10. Add sushi to your list of food.

11. Color a picture for your children out of the latest Toy Story coloring book.

12. Be gracious when your son critiques your picture you colored because "the wings on the rocket are supposed to be red, not yellow."

13. Find out how many times you can order sugar free jello from room service before someone says something.

14. Begin watching the "Trilogy" movies with your husband, starting with Lord of the Rings and ending with Pirates of the Caribbean.

15. Watch a documentary on eggs. The incredible edible egg!

16. Play Tetris on a hand held game.

17. Pray. Alot.

18. Pray some more.

19. Text random messages to friends and loved ones.

20. Count the holes in the ceiling tiles. There are 60,284 holes in my current hospital room.

21. Take a very, very long shower everyday, caring not for the wasted water, because it is the only time you get to stand up all day.

22. Drool over your husband's pizza and french fries while you eat Another chef salad.

23. Take your blood sugar, one more time, because you failed the gestational diabetes test by ONE point. Don't be bitter!

24. Make a list of all of the things you need to buy for the baby. Then, begin handing out assignments to the wonderful relatives helping you.

25. Scare the bejeebers out of your nurses by not breathing in the middle of sleep a couple of times a night.

26. Get fitted for a CPAP machine and a prescription for a sleep study for sleep apnea when released from the hospital.

27. Take a tour of the NICU at midnight.

28. Update your blog. If you don't have a blog, start a blog.

29. Surf the internet for infomration on a c-section, since you've never had one.

30. Establish a living will.

31. Listen to praise music.

32. Facebook. Twitter. E-mail. Read blogs.

33. Learn to read every monitor in your room.

34. Find pictures within the pictures on the wall. There's a black panther in the beautiful mountain scene. My last room had Wonder Dog in the clouds.

35. Experiment with putting your snack by the window and watching it freeze!

36. Have someone straighten the very crooked clock on the wall.

37. Chat with the chaplain, making contacts for your church plant.

38. Learn the nurses schedules, so you know what day is best to deliver, giving you the best chance of entering the NICU before it has been 12 hours of recovery time for you.

39. Read buckets of information on pumping breast milk for a preemie and subsequently nursing.

40. Have a chat with the IT Tech about the lack of internet access in your room. This could result in it being fixed within five minutes flat.

41. Take time to share your thoughts, fears, and feelings with your husband.

42. Nap.

43. Get very frustrated when a "light" goes out on your imaginary Christmas tree outside. Search through the strand of lights until you find and replace the burnt out light bulb.

44. Don't make the mistake of telling anyone about the light in the Christmas tree outside, you might get a psych consult.

45. Get a visit from the "quality control" team of the hospital, to answer some questions, because "you've been with us so long!"

46. Do Not under Any circumstances watch "A Baby Story" without first finding tissues. When the nurses scold you for crying because you were watching "A Baby Story" and tells you to change the channel, listen to them.

47. Move from your left side to your right side for a few hours. Reverse. Repeat.

48. Take an extra trip to the bathroom. Brush your teeth again. Comb your hair again. Reluctantly get back in the bed when you've run out of "legitimate" things to do.

49. Read comments, encouragement, e-mails, and text messages from friends and loved ones. These will get you through the day better than anything else!

and

50. Remind yourself daily, it will all soon be worth it!!!!