Surviving bed rest
Mamas on Bedrest: 4 Must Haves for Bed Rest
February 2nd, 2012Recently I was contacted by a writer for the Huffington Post (yes, we’re headed for the big time, Mamas!!) and was asked,
“What would you consider essential for a mama on bed rest?”
I didn’t have to think very hard. Beyond a computer for internet access, a tv and remote control and handy snacks, there are 4 things that I believe EVERY mama on bed rest needs. Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, consider giving mama one of these “Must Haves” to better her bed rest.
Help. While issues such as bleeding and preterm labor can occur emergently, the bed rest prescription often comes out of the blue and as a complete surprise to mamas. A mama arrives at the OB for what she thinks is a routine office visit, a complication is noted and then she is either sent home on bed rest or admitted to the hospital. From that point on, she is in reaction mode. She has to deal with her job, make arrangements for childcare, make arrangements for household care….Mama needs help. If you can assist mama with childcare, house keeping, shopping, or managing any of her other myriad of obligations, you will be bringing mama much needed relief.
Body Pillow. Pillow support is a must for mamas on bed rest. At any given time I had about 6 pillows wedged around me, including a full body pillow, my “main squeeze” at the time. (Didn’t leave much room for the husband, but I was comfy!!) Body pillows have come a long way since my pregnancies but one that I like is sold by Special Addition Maternity and Nursing Store called the Snoogle (R). This large c-shaped pillow is long enough so that mama can wrap herself around the pillow and support her knees, hips, belly and neck. It is reasonably priced and can be shipped just about anywhere. Covers for Snoogles are also available. For tips on how to best position yourself while on bed rest, check out our on the subject.
Massage. Contrary to popular belief, being on bed rest is not fun nor is it restful or comfortable. Even with a body pillow for support, mamas develop various aches, pains and stiffness. Additionally, since they are not very mobile, they don’t have their usual circulation and may develop distal extremity swelling. If at all possible, I recommend that mamas on bed rest have massages at least once a month-2 times a month or even weekly if possible (but that can be pricey, I know!!). A skilled prenatal massage therapist can not only soothe mama’s sore and achey muscles, she can stimulate circulation so that blood is flowing back up towards the heart and reduce swelling-especially in mama’s lower legs and feet. A skilled massage therapist can also massage to stimulate lymphatic drainage, again moving fluid out of the distal extremities (hands and feet) where it tends to pool.
Bedrest Fitness. Mamas on bed rest, like all mamas need to move. The problem is they are on restricted activity so most mamas have no idea what they can do. When I was facing bed rest, this was one of my major concerns, especially since I was a prenatal fitness instructor. So I produced Bedrest Fitness, a set of modified prenatal exercises for women on prescribed bed rest. To see a sample of what Bedrest Fitness is all about, click here. You can purchase a copy here.
So those are the 4 “Must Haves” for Mamas on Bedrest. Of course there are other things that will only make her bed rest situation better, but the aforementioned items are the minimum. Mamas, what are your “Must Haves” for a better bed rest? Be the first to Share your comments below and receive a gift card. We’d love to hear from you and your suggestion may be just what another mama needs.
Mamas on Bedrest: Comparison is the Cruelest form of Self Sabotage
January 2nd, 2012Over the past couple of days, various people that I follow on twitter and facebook and whose blogs I read were reporting their blog stats and business successes. They all seemed to have had “banner” 2011’s. I didn’t have a bad year, but it was nothing to brag about (so I thought). I was feeling down and beginning to slump into that negative speak, i.e. “I’m not doing anything special, so why bother.”
For me, 2011 was a year of ups and downs. I blogged a lot and for my efforts my blog was named one of The top 50 Pregnancy Blogs (#38) by Babble.com. Color me surprised! How many days did I write a blog only to wonder, “Is anyone even reading this thing?” Someone was!
I attended BlogHer (sponsored by Hologic, Inc) and had the opportunity to meet many of the women bloggers I so admired. I also found myself a sought after blogger for the issues of mamas, pregnancy and maternity/paid leave advocacy.
I had the opportunity to talk with and interview a number of phenomenal people all working on behalf of mamas and babies. Kim Updegrove is the executive director of Mother’s Milk Bank Austin and she shared with us the lifesaving qualities of donor breastmilk. Beth Jackson Gagne is a mama who developed the BabyStayAsleep infant sleep system out of her own frustration dealing with her son’s reflux. Founder and Executive Director Elan McAllister shared with us her non-profit passion, Choices in Childbirth, that advocates for women having the ability to birth the way that they choose. Psychologist Dr. Diane Sanford shared with mamas the importance of self care. Kim Hollins, a college senior, shared with us her passion for early childhood education and the development of African American children. And we capped off the year with an interview with the extraordianary midwife and childbirth educator, Jennie Joseph.
But for me, my greatest moments were speaking with mamas themselves! Brenda Torigiani shared her personal story on developing life threatening Peripartum Cardiomyopathy and gave us all a wonderful education on the condition. Charisse Mora-Medina, a mama to a preemie and now someone I’m proud to call friend, shared her rollercoaster experience of having a very premature infant and the subsequent care of a fragile child and now rambunctious toddler. And then there are the tens of hundreds of mamas with whom I’ve had the great pleasure and honor to share and speak into their lives during their pregnancies. It is a heady experience to speak with a mama in Australia or Ireland or to receive an e-mail from a mama in the UK and the many mamas here in the US. (Thank God for Social Media!!)
It’s so easy to compare myself to people who’s blogs are pulling in thousands of people per day or month or year and to feel inadequate. It’s easy to feel meager in the face of companies who are boasting thousands of dollars in sales. I created Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond to serve mamas and to provide support for a high risk pregnant mama’s life. Obstetricians and Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists work to ensure that mamas deliver healthy babies and stay healthy in the process. They don’t address how she’ll maintain her job, how she’ll pay her bills, who will clean her house or buy her groceries or how she will care for children she already has. They don’t readily address her fears or anxieties. Obstetricians and Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists take care of patients. That’s a good thing. I like to think that I take care of “Mamas”- and all that being a mama encompasses. I’ll continue to tweek Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond to better serve mamas who need my services. But mostly I will continue to work with and for mamas because I like doing it.
So if you find yourself comparing your pregnancy to your friend’s (who isn’t on bed rest) and feeling inadequate. Stop! Don’t compare your cervical length to that of another mama’s on a forum. Don’t beat yourself up because medications stopped one mamas contractions and you delivered early. Comparison is the cruelest form of self sabotage. It makes you feel badly and hides you from your greatness. So stop it, Mama! (And that’s a word as much to me as to you!!)
Mamas on Bedrest: 3 Steps to Combatting Money Fear
December 12th, 2011
“To combat Money Fear you must be truthful about where you are so that you can figure out where you need to go.“
~Manisha Thakor
Manisha Thakor is, in her own words,
A personal finance expert, author, and passionate advocate for global women’s economic empowerment.
She has her MBA from Harvard and did her undergraduate work at Wellesley College. She is a chartered financial analyst and is a financial fellow and guest lecturer in finance at Wellesley College.
I first had the opportunity to hear Manisha Thakor speak a few weeks ago when I tuned into a teleconference called Money Peace. It was put on by one of my favorite entrepreneurs, Christine Arylo. Arylo gathered 4 women money experts to discuss how to get control of your finances and how to release the fear around finances. It was a really awesome teleconference. (I have included the link to the page. I’m not sure if you can still listen, but you can get some great information!).
While the entire teleconference was inspiring and informative, Manisha’s words really struck me. She stated, quite truthfully, that people are often so engulfed in fear, they can’t even begin to take the necessary steps to untangle themselves from their own messes (and I’m paraphrasing here!). She is so right! Sometimes our finances seem so overpowering that we can’t even see how or where to make amends. Well, Manisha to the rescue. She offers these 3 steps to start on the path to financial awareness and eventually to freedom from financial fear.
- Know your credit score. Today, it is very easy to access your credit score from the three leading credit reporting companies-Equifax, Esperian and TransUnion.
So often when women are put on bed rest, their whole lives get thrown up in the air. What tends to fall the hardest are their personal finances. So many people are financially strapped these days that one little blip-and bed rest is not a little blip!- and things are thrown all out of whack.
But things don’t have to stay whacked. After the initial shock, take these three steps; find out your credit score, assess your net worth and see how much you are saving. You may not be as bad off as you think or the picture may be as dismal as you are thinking. Regardless of the case, you now have a starting point from which to make changes. You may want to contact a financial planner to see how to make changes. If you can’t afford one, I would at least recommend that you peruse Manisha’s site and read her blog. She has a lot of great information readily available for free.
Finally, don’t panic. You will make it through. Sometimes our greatest leaps are made when we first climb to a standing position from a hard fall. If this is your hard fall, don’t despair. Nowhere to go but up now. Dust yourself off and prepare to fly!
How are you financing your bed rest? Please share your tips below so that other mamas can benefit. Be sure to subscribe to our blog. The RSS subscribe is the orange circle in the upper right hand corner of our webpage. Connect with us on Twitter (@mamasonbedrest) and on our Facebook Page.
