Anyone have experience with being on bed rest?

[lillygator]

Were there any items or things that were essential or lifesavers for you?

I have a friend on bedrest and am trying to think of ideas for a basket of some sort but all I can come up with are books, magazines, movies, puzzle books, etc....

 

[golfgal]

Netflix subscription. You can run it on a laptop or stream through a Wii, BlueRay and some cable/satellite boxes. YOu can give temporary subscriptions for 1-3 months depending on how long she will be on bedrest.

 

[dawson5]

Not personally, but my neighbor across the street was a high-risk pregnancy. She was on bed rest for about seven months. Lots of library books, magazines and she discovered Cafe World, Farmville and some of the other facebook games. I think she did some crosswords and needlepoint also. I really think it depends on what they are interested in. If it were me, I would love for someone to sit with me and get me started on learning to knit.

 

[leith78]

I second the Netflix subscription! There's only so much Law & Order reruns you can watch without going crazy. Also, if you live near your friend, stopping by to chat and visit can do wonders for the spirit. Bringing by meals and pitching in with everyday chores can also be a real blessing. The longer your friend is on bedrest, the more support she will probably need. Bedrest can be very isolating, and you're a great friend for trying to make this journey easier for her.

 

[momto3pirates]

My sister was on bedrest from 20 weeks due to placenta previa. Things like offering to help with grocery shopping, cleaning house, cooking, entertaining the other kids were really usefull. She was able to work from home but could only get up for a little bit at a time so cooking and cleaning, grocery shopping were out. She also said she appreciated it when we would just come over to visit. Being stuck in one place for that amount of time was driving her crazy.

 

[robinb]

Were there any items or things that were essential or lifesavers for you?

I have a friend on bedrest and am trying to think of ideas for a basket of some sort but all I can come up with are books, magazines, movies, puzzle books, etc....

A reclining chair and a computer. I became active on the DIS when I was on bedrest with my DD .

I also liked having a bed tray for food. I could only be on my feet or sitting up for a TOTAL of 15 minutes per day and the bed tray was my friend.

 

[Disfan1]

Great ideas so far! maybe also a Nintendo DS and some games - I was on bedrest for 3 months when I was pregnant with my son. I wish they had laptops back then - I would haved loved that LOL

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Were there any items or things that were essential or lifesavers for you?

I have a friend on bedrest and am trying to think of ideas for a basket of some sort but all I can come up with are books, magazines, movies, puzzle books, etc....

Oh yes, twice. I survived with cable TV and a SUPER NINTENDO. (Yes that dinosaur.)

If I was on bedrest today, easy peasy with the internet, cell phones, electronic books, and the Wii or other video games including NETFLIX.

I am not a fan of the DS so I veto that, speaking as a gamer. I need my full size TV.

Cards, newspapers, magazines like People or whatever she is interested in is good as well.

 

[momrek06]

My dearest friend and her 28yo sweetest daughter (Amy) were visiting last week from Boston. They wanted to get some sun and warmth which the northeast has not had allot of at all.

Anyway, Amy is having major surgery in May 4th. She has struggle 5 years now with Ulcerative Colitis and will be having her colon removed. She will be on bedrest for 2 months after her first surgery and prior to her second surgery (July 6) which the MD's will go back inside and reconnect everything up. Then 2 more months of bedrest. She will not return to work until Sept.

She is buying an Ipad2 for the hospital. She is also going to start a blog on her surgery.

I am going to keep an eye on this thread for more tips to pass on to Amy.

 

[Green Tea]

Sidelines.org is a support service for women on bed rest or in high risk situations. They will match her with a mentor to help.

 

[deegack]

ditto netflix also gift certificates for a local cleaning service or grocery delivery. Even some prepared food. I remember one of the things that stressed me was not pulling my weight anymore and my house being dirty when guests came. So being able to order groceries helped my husband out because it was one less thing on his list.