This is Part 2 in my series of posts about twins/multiples. If you are expecting twins or multiples in your family and your doctor tells you that bed rest is necessary to prevent your babies being born too soon, please take this seriously. There is a very good chance the babies are going to come before full term anyway and you don’t want them to come until their lungs are fully developed and they are ready to be born. Ignoring a doctor’s advice to go to bed is not a good idea and may put your babies at risk.
60 percent of twins, 90 percent of triplets, and virtually all higher-order multiples are born before their due dates.
Staying in bed all day may sound tempting and the first few days it isn’t much of a challenge but after that, lying around while life outside your house goes on without you isn’t much fun. My doctor advised me to go to bed and stay there about the second week in October of 1991. Our twins were due the end of January. What made it complicated was the fact we already had three other children. Two of the three were in school. Staying in bed while my other children needed me was very, very hard, but what kept me there was the doctor’s dire warning that if the twins were born this early they might not make it. I went to bed and stayed there and I’m so glad I did.
The Longest Autumn Ever
Besides the usual pastimes of television, books, and magazines (I didn’t have a laptop back then), here are some things you (or someone you know who is expecting multiples) can do.
1. Teach yourself to knit or crochet. Make baby booties or crib caps. If you make extra you can donate them to your hospital.
2. If you have children at home use this as an opportunity to read and play board games with them. My son (the one not in school yet) loved his private time with mom.
3. Accept help from others. Not only did my husband step up to the plate but church family, co-workers and neighbors brought food and pitched in to help. Sometimes we are the helping hand and sometimes we are the hand reaching out for help. It’s okay to let others help you!
4. Write thank you notes and send cards to others. If there is one thing I learned from my period of bed rest it’s that time slows down. Getting a card in the mail can be a real pick-me-up. Make a list of people who have helped you and send them a card. Then make a list of others you know who are sick or elderly and can’t get out of the house much. Let them know you are thinking of them.
5. Focus on the positive. It is very easy to get depressed and think about all the things you should be doing and can’t. Keep reminding yourself of your purpose….Get those babies here healthy!
6. Visitors are so important. If you are reading this and you know a young mom on bed rest, please go visit them and help them pass some time. Do a couple loads of laundry for them while you are there and take a casserole with you. It means so much!
7. Have study time and family time every night when the older children get home. Just spending time together as a family will remind you of what is really important and what isn’t.
8. Find a television show you missed while it was out and watch the series. My cousin recommended Justified to me this weekend. I’m not on bed rest but I still may watch it!
9. Keep a journal. Write about your experience, your thoughts, and feelings. One day your babies will grow up and read it and realize the sacrifice you made to get them here and love you even more!
10. Put a calendar on the wall and mark off the days. Celebrate each week closer to delivery with a little treat. Have a masseuse come to your house or let a friend do your nails.
One of my grandmother’s favorite sayings was “This too shall pass.” It may seem like you are in bed forever but you won’t be.
I hope these tips help but most of all, I hope your babies are born healthy!
And remember, they don’t stay little long. Enjoy!
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My children and grands and husband are my everything!
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Love those names! Please tell your daughter congratulations for me and tell her to go to bed! The cervix can actually repair itself and thicken back up if she will get enough bed rest. Mine did and like I said in the article….it was sooo worth it!
I put this on my daughter’s and my shared board so she will see it immediately. The doctor put her on bed rest then she talked him into letting her go back to work on light duty. I’m sure his idea of light duty and her’s isn’t the same. Plus they just bought a bigger house and will be moving shortly but I’ll be there to oversee that. She’s 24 weeks now and holding out as long as possible. Did you know that now they can insert some type of sponge and stitch the cervix? I was amazed hopefully it won’t come to that. She is wearing down and said she was going to take leave very soon. I can’t wait for them Isabella Grace and Caleb Patrick I think of them every minute!
You certainly were a dedicated mom even before those boys were born.