Just put on bed rest

[spk926]

I was experiencing some high blood pressure yesterday afternoon so I called the doctor and he wanted me to come in right away. I did and they rechecked my blood pressure twice and it was still high both times. I have also been VERY swollen this pregnancy so I'm sure that plays into it somehow.

So my doctor said I'm now on bedrest. I started crying when he told me as I had rushed to him after school (I teach first grade) and didn't have a chance to grab my stuff, say bye to my kids or anything. They drew some blood and I go back on Thursday to go over those results. I also start with weekly ultrasounds on Fridays to check on baby.

So yeah this is just a poor me post. I know it's best for baby but I can't help worry about how this affects my FMLA, pay and all that stuff.

[MamaMaui24]

I'm sorry. Hopefully it will be a temporary bed rest.

Try to relax. Maybe some online Christmas shopping?

[w2w]

How far along are you? Home bedrest or hospital bedrest?

I am sorry. For me, my hospital bedrest did not affect my maternity leave at all - I was covered by the short term disability policy during that time and got my full pay. Once I had the baby, I started my reg mat leave.

Hope everything turns out great.

[dcrunnergirl]

I'm so sorry. Bedrest sucks. I was on home bedrest from 22-28w, hospital bedrest for 4 weeks (28-32w), and home bedrest again from 32-35w.

The first two weeks are the hardest, but then you get into a routine and adjust. If you want some survival tips, let us know. Also, the High-Risk Pregnancy board on the Bump has daily bedrest check-ins.

[CloudBee]

I'm sorry. I hope it's just temporary. I agree with the poster above - do some online holiday shopping.

[jessnpaul]

Bedrest does suck, but you're pretty far along at least. I was on hospital bedrest from week 24-28 and then home from 28-32 (baby came at 32 weeks). Home bedrest is a million times better than the hospital!

Online shopping is fun... I did my entire registry while on bedrest so it was like window shopping

[pugz]

(hugs) it is really scary to be put on bedrest suddenly. I was put on bedrest at 33 weeks and while some parts were nice (not working, being able to relax) it did get old quickly. Home bedrest is definitely better than the hospital though, so so so much better!

netflix, amazon instant streaming, and hulu plus are your friends! I watched season 1 of Revenge and then all 6 seasons of Wonder Years. And GBCN kept me preoccupied too

[Deleted]

I'm an elementary teacher as well so I know how much it means to you to say goodbye to your students. I had HBP scare at 20 weeks. I was on bedrest until they got the results of my blood test back (so about 4 days). I was put on medication and able to return to work since my liver enzymes were normal and no protein in my urine. I may be a SS case but there is still hope. As far as the weekly tests go, they are not that bad. Just hang in there.

[Deleted]

I'm sorry. Hugs to you. Don't worry about school right now. You'll figure it out.

[spk926]

Thanks everyone! For those asking, I'll be 33 weeks tomorrow so at a pretty good spot.

Online shopping is a good suggestion but I was actually on top of it this year and already have all presents bought, wrapped and under our tree. I guess it's a good thing now though.

DH is going to the store today to get groceries and a blood pressure cuff so that I can test at home daily.

I think we need to get Netflix again so that I can watch some series and find stuff to keep my busy.

[pugz]

watch Friday Night Lights if you haven't already!

I also used the time to make type up address labels for our birth announcements

[elocrates]

So sorry to hear that. I've done bedrest twice (25w to 36w and 28w to 36w). Blech. I know there's nothing we can say that will make it better or make you worry less. Like PP mentioned, the first two weeks are the hardest. 33 weeks is a great gestational age!

I found that taking a shower, drying my hair, and putting on a little bit of make up every day was key to keeping my mood in a good place.

Sending good thoughts your way. Let us know if you need to talk or vent.

[dcrunnergirl]

Dec 11, 2012 10:42:40 GMT -5 elocrates said:

So sorry to hear that. I've done bedrest twice (25w to 36w and 28w to 36w). Blech. I know there's nothing we can say that will make it better or make you worry less. Like PP mentioned, the first two weeks are the hardest. 33 weeks is a great gestational age!

I found that taking a shower, drying my hair, and putting on a little bit of make up every day was key to keeping my mood in a good place.

Sending good thoughts your way. Let us know if you need to talk or vent.

This was definitely true for me too. I showered every day after breakfast and put on clean clothes (ok, yoga pants or shorts).

I also usually tried to make the bed daily and just layed on top of the covers during the day so when I went to sleep at night, I could feel like I was climbing into bed rather than just laying in my own filth all day. That also helped. I'm not sure what your recommendations are, but I had to stay laying down on my left side all day, even to eat if possible, for most of my bedrest.

[satama]

Sorry! Bedrest can really suck. I agree with the shower and makeup suggestions. I was also given the ok to lay in my reclined for part of the day in our Tv room, that helped with a change of scenery. For the BP I was eventually put on side lying bedrest to keep it down and at that point made my husband inflate the aerobed so I could still lay in the tv room during the day.

Order yourself some seasons of shows you have wanted to watch. Or if you have the option you can probably watch a lot of stuff on demand.

Sorry you didn't get to say goodbye to your students. Can you send in a note for the sub to read to them?

[dcrunnergirl]

A few other things that helped:

--DH brought me a huge cooler of food every morning, so I'd have a variety of food and drink to choose from without getting up nor was I tempted to go wander the kitchen. Sometimes, he'd sneak in treats like a milkshake or brownie.
--DH ate dinner with me on the bed every night. It helped me feel more normal to not be eating every meal alone (since he was at work all day).
--On Saturday nights, DH would get a special takeout meal for us, we'd find a movie to watch, we'd turn the lights off, and declared it our date night. We even did this when I was in the hospital--he'd squeeze into the bed with me to snuggle and everything.