I have now been at home for about 3 days, and I have noticed that there are some good things and some bad things about being at home:
Pro: The food is better
Con: I have to make my own food instead of it being delivered to me in bed
Pro: I have more freedom to move around and get out of bed
Con: I abuse that freedom and bend the rules of bed rest a little bit. I have been pretty good, but it is really tempting to sometimes get up and unload the dishwasher or organize a few things. I haven't been up for more than 15 minutes straight more than a couple of times a day, however, which I think is permissible because I have shower privileges and a shower takes about 15 or 20 minutes.
Pro: I have all of my stuff
Con: I have all of my stuff and it distracts me from what I should be doing
Pro: No more monitoring, shots, or interruptions. I have been able to sleep much better in my own bed
Con: No more monitoring, so I don't know if certain things are normal or not. I guess if what I have been feeling is not normal I will find out if I have progressed at my OB appointment on Monday afternoon.
Pro: I have very few responsibilities
Con: One of my normal responsibilities is Simba, and he is not a responsibility right now because he is visiting his grandma and grandpa. I miss him. :-( Thankfully, he is coming home the evening before Thanksgiving. :-)
Pro: I have much more privacy at home
Con: Part of that privacy is from Keith because he can't swing by and see me during the day. I don't need privacy from Keith - I would prefer seeing more of Keith.
Pro: I don't have to sit on that light blue "soaker" that they put on hospital beds in case of accidental fluid losses (like if you pee your bed)
Con: If my water breaks I'm not sitting on one of those soakers (Keith said that he is tempted to smuggle one out of the hospital for home use...just in case; it can always be returned after the baby is born). Question: How do you prevent ruining furniture if your water breaks when at home? Do you just hope that you aren't sitting on the couch or laying in bed? But what if you are? This is really concerning me and I would like to know what other people have experienced if you are willing to share.
My water breaking was my first sign of labor (unusual) and it wasn't just a trickle like my OB said it probably would be - it was full force, water balloon popping style. I had been nervous about this happening so I did something as a precaution. We had been given a hand-me-down crib mattress protector that was just a flat piece of absorbent material (not fitted) so I put that under the sheet on my side of the bed as well as a towel so if it broke when I was sleeping it would hopefully help contain the mess. My water actually broke while I was on the couch but, even though it was a lot, it really just got on my pants because I jumped up and ran to the bathroom so fast! I had also been wearing a pad because I had had a little bloody show so that helped. So, as someone who has had this happen to them here's my advice - put something under your sheet (a couple of towels will probably be enough), wear a pad, lay a towel/blanket under you when you are on the couch, have a quick escape route to the bathroom, and try not to worry, it wasn't that bad!
ReplyDeleteThose are really good ideas! I will probably implement most of them. :-) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou can get those blue pads at medical supply stores, like Columbus Pharmacy. We got one for mom when she first got out of the hospital!
ReplyDeleteI think Keith is going to borrow one from the hospital for me. :-)
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