<\/p>\n
*This is the ninth piece in my surrogacy series. Thanks for following along!<\/em><\/p>\n The #1 response from people who found out I was on bedrest was, \u201cAren\u2019t you so bored?\u201d Bored was not at all the term I\u2019d use to describe it. You know how your brain turns on as you settle in to bed each night? And everything you need to do the next day (or week or month) races through your mind? That was my brain on bedrest.<\/p>\n Each person\u2019s bedrest instructions are a little different, according to their situation and doctor. Mine included lying flat as much as possible, drinking water around the clock, a quick shower every other day, and keeping my stress level down.<\/p>\n Even though I was in bed all day and night, there was never a moment I was \u201cbored.\u201d Wonderful friends brought over great books and movies, I found TV shows I\u2019d never had the chance to watch, there were lots and lots of texts\/phone calls for updates and for touching base\u00a0with my babysitters, and Pinterest and Facebook were wonderful sources of middle-of-the-night insomnia entertainment. But on top of all of that, my mind was constantly wandering.<\/p>\n Having a smartphone that lets you Google every tidbit of information out there on your particular situation (24\/7!) is a little dangerous. I wanted to read about every single person I could find who\u2019d been in my shoes. I wanted to know how far along each person had gotten and how the baby had fared with each delivery. I wanted to know their secrets for getting past each milestone with PPROM. It was my constant \u201cproject\u201d to find as much information as possible, so I knew what was going on at that point and what would need to happen (to me or to baby) with each \u201cwhat if\u201d scenario.<\/p>\n I texted often with the bio parents to let them know how the days were going, and the bio dad sent baby growth updates from an app on his phone.We loved seeing how each day made such a difference in this little one\u2019s development. It kept us thinking positively and being grateful for each day we crossed off the calendar. Our first goal was to reach 24 weeks gestation. SO MUCH changes for the baby at that point. There is SUCH a better chance of survival. So, we just had to keep on keeping on until we got there. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *My parents made a fun basket of goodies for Jeff and me to share while we watched the Gator game from bed. It was so strange not to be at the home games. This little guy was throwing wrenches in our plans left and right! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n In order to keep stress at bay, I had to take a medical leave from my position as the managing editor of Giggle Magazine (a wonderful local parenting magazine) because that type of work is deadline-driven, and the stress level goes up as print day draws near. I felt horrible doing this because we were just days from going to print (which is when I normally edit and edit and edit the drafts), but as I\u2019ve learned, your body doesn\u2019t care what your plans are.<\/p>\n I wasn’t in pain, but I was really uncomfortable. I’m a side sleeper and I needed to stay on my back at all times, so that was a huge adjustment. I was also leaking amniotic fluid whenever I stood up, sat down, readjusted myself, or simply turned my head in an odd way. And every single time it happened, I worried it would be the leak that started my contractions. It was a constant fear.<\/p>\n I desperately wanted to stay calm and keep the baby in a relaxed atmosphere. I talked to myself in my mind a lot (I know that sounds crazy but it helped!)\u00a0and would remind myself to breathe deeply and slowly several times a day. It made me feel like I was doing something to help the situation. I guess we never know what\u2019s going to happen next, but as someone who likes to plan and be organized, this \u201cwait and see\u201d thing felt so bizarre to me. My mind and body wanted to be doing something proactive all the time.<\/p>\n One of the hardest parts of bedrest was being secluded from my boys. We wanted to keep their routine as normal as possible, so the sitters still came each day and stayed until Jeff got home from work around 9-10 p.m. My parents and aunt also took turns spending several days\/weeks at a time at our house caring for the boys. I stayed upstairs all day (to the boys it was like I was at work), and each evening they\u2019d come up to \u201cvisit.\u201d I could hear them downstairs, which was wonderful and painful at the same time. I loved hearing their sweet laughter, but hated being on the outside of what was going on. But, we had to limit their time upstairs because, as little ones do, they wanted to bounce on the bed and jump in my lap and have pillow fights \u2026 not good for my stress level (or Jeff\u2019s as he\u2019d watch me try to protect my belly). We knew it would be worth this odd, lonely arrangement when a healthy baby boy was born!<\/p>\nBedrest Boredom?<\/h3>\n
Just Calm Down<\/h3>\n
The Next Step<\/h3>\n