quick clicks

twins today articles

twins today q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

The Bed Rest Blues

Moms Share Their Tips on How to Survive

By Kendeyl Johansen

"Accept your condition, write a list of questions for the doctor and interact with the baby during your time on bed rest. I read to mine regularly. I also assured her that she'd be all right and that we'd both come out of it unscathed. By reassuring her I reassured myself and kept my fears at bay. I also believe in the power of affirmations and that the ones I said to my baby actually helped my pregnancy to have a happy outcome."
– Isabel Viana, Durango, Colo.

"To decrease boredom, rent a laptop computer or at least rig up the desktop so you can use it comfortably while lying down."
– Pam Kock, Cincinnati, Ohio

"Read some of the classics and skip all the TV. Also, if you have never been crafty and someone suggests you start crocheting, don't listen unless you want to frustrate yourself."
– Leanne Ely, C.N.C., Rutherfordton, N.C.

"Ask for help with baby-sitting and housework. Encourage visitors – preferably close friends, so you won't feel embarrassed to have them seeing you in your nightgown and with no makeup, etc."
– Bobbi Dempsey, Hazle Township, Pa.

"Catch up on any reading or video watching you've been wanting to do. Once the baby comes, it will be a long time before you can make uninterrupted time for those things again."
– Serena Gordon, Croton on Hudson, N.Y.

Want to see more?

• Talk about it!
• Check out our Article Library.
• Keep Those Babies in There: Avoiding Premature Delivery with Twins
• I Wish Someone Had Told Me...
• I Wish Someone Had Told Me What I Needed to Know About Bed Rest