How to Survive Bed Rest When You're Pregnant

While not all women are advised bed rest during the course of their pregnancy, a lot of expecting women are instructed by their doctors to stay in bed for a few weeks, a few months, or, for some, during the whole duration of their pregnancy. Women are advised bed rest for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: an incompetent or a short cervix, risk of pre-term labor, gestational diabetes, and based on complications during previous pregnancies. If you are pregnant and advised bed rest by your doctor, know that you are not alone in your ordeal. To make time pass more quickly, here are some things you can do while in bed rest:

1. Catch up on some reading. This is the perfect time for you to catch up on some reading. Remember all the books you bought last time Barnes and Noble was on sale? Or all the books you ordered through Amazon? Now is the time to actually read them. If you're not much of a book hoarder, why not order some Parenting Books and become an expert in raising that little one growing inside your womb. Here are a few books you may want to check out: Your Baby and Child by Penelope Leach, Your Baby's First Year by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with your Baby by Tracy Hogg and Melinda Blau.

2. Watch movies and television shows! You can order titles or watch movies online through Netflix, or have someone rent them for you from Red Box, which is available in most supermarkets ($1 per DVD rental!). You can watch baby classics like Three Men and a Baby and Baby's Day Out, or some contemporary ones like The Back-Up Plan or Knocked Up. These funny baby movies will surely help pass the time you have to spend in bed, and at the same time happily remind you that you're doing the sacrifice of bedrest for your little bundle of joy. As for TV shows, there are a lot of hits you can choose from such as Modern Family, The Office, Big Bang Theory, Outsourced, Off the Map, Grey's Anatomy, and many many more. You can also ask someone to get you the boxed sets of your old favorites like Friends or Lost and have a marathon in bed!

3. Spend time with your baby. It may seem like you are the only one forced to stay in bed all day, but don't forget that your baby is with you! Read short stories or novels to your baby; talk to her or him, tell your baby about how excited you are about giving birth and what you'll do together in the future. At 25 to 28 weeks, babies can already hear outside sounds, so go right ahead and have a conversation with your little one.

4. Surf. With a smartphone or an iPad, you don't even have to be sitting down to go online these days. Go on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networking site you prefer, and stay in touch with your friends who may be wondering where you've gone or how you've been. Update them with your pregnancy, books you've been reading, or movies and shows you've recently watched. Being in bedrest doesn't mean you have to be a lonely, deserted island; with technology these days, it's so easy to stay in the loop! In addition to online surfing, you can also play games on your smartphone or iPad; check out Angry Birds!

5. Lastly, do remember that you are advised bed rest by your doctor for a reason, so take this time to actually rest. Enjoy the feeling of not having to rush to a meeting or do errands. Sleep when you can, take naps, and just relish the feel of your comfortable sheets while thinking about how cute your little one will be. Try to savor every minute of this time of rest since pretty soon, you'll be up all night and all day taking care of your baby.

If you have other suggestions for pregnant women on bed rest, feel free to share in the comments section below!