Best Rest with Children??

E.,
I have done the bed rest thing with two of mine. It is hard to get that downtime unless you are willing to let the everyday routine go a little lax for a while. We would read alot, or play games while I was sitting/ lying down. You could have them run to their room and bring you something that is soft, hard, blue, small, big, sticky, etc. and then make up fun or funny things to do with those items like balance it on their head, sit on it, dance with it, hide it and help little bro find it color a picture of it. Do things that keep them moving, but allow you to rest, then use nap time for total rest time. Also when the kids are raring to go and my husband and I are beat, we do a dance party. We turn up some really fun music, and cheer each of the kiddos on while they exhaust themselves trying to one-up the other on his/her new moves. After 2 pregnancies with blood pressure struggles, I finally found a way to manage it on my own through lots of research and reading. If you limit your sodium intake, especially foods high in sodium nitrates (i.e. lunch meats, and frozen/processed meals), and increase your protein intake, along with a supplement of omega fish oils (alot, ask your doc how much is safe to take, I took 3-1200mg capsules 3 times per day), and use a very good prenatal vitamin, along with liquid calcium, you may be able to eliminate the need for bedrest all together, and all those things are healthy choices for pregnancy anyway, so it can't hurt. I was able to correct my high blood pressure problems with my last 2 pregnancies, and no bedrest! The high blood pressure had started to really take off with the third pregnancy, but after about two weeks of changing diet and supplements, went to normal, and I avoided the problem altogether with #4. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to chat more about this.

Completely childproof one room in your house that can be closed off like a bedroom. Supply it with plenty of toys and snacks and such, and that is where everyone lives until Daddy gets home from work. This way, you rarely have to get out of the bed, and your kids are never out of your sight and can't get into much trouble. Keep the window open on nice days, and the curtain open all day so they don't feel so claustophobic. As soon as Daddy comes home, have him take the kids out to a park, or out back to run.

If you belong to a local mom's club or church, they usually help out TONS! Even if you don't belong, calling one and asking for help usually will get you some vollunteers.

Maybe once in awhile you can take them to a play area where he can run off his energy and you can sit with your feet up and watch him and read a book to the little one. OR pick a special time when you can give them a quiet craft to do, something that will keep them busy at the table so you can be sitting too. I would definately taked bed rest time when they have their naps. Do you have a sitter that can come over and help you entertain him and help you?

I know you've mentioned in previous posts that you go to church. I wasn't on bed rest but after our daughter was born other women from our church brought over dinner, helped with cleaning, childcare, etc. Worth asking, I bet they're more than willing to help!

When I was young my mother was on bed rest with my brother. It was hard and boring for her but dshs provided so much support to her. She had a nurse come over every day and she also had a lactaid nurse who would come over and help with all sorts of things like even laundry and stuff. There is so much help out there for this kind of thing just start looking into it you can find a lot of women even mothers that will come over and help during the day. Good luck to you and I hope every thing works out

I'm so sorry to hear about your blood pressure. Do you have any family members around? I was on bedrest for almost a month with my 2nd pregnancy. My older child was 2 and very active. My dad would come and help out (grocery shopping, playing with my son, etc.) so I could lay on the couch. If you don't have family nearby, perhaps you could ask a neighbor or someone you know to help you out for a few hours a day (maybe someone who's retired)? Those are just some thoughts i've had. Hopefully you won't be put on bedrest.

Check out http://www.blueribbonbaby.org/ifyouarepregnant/daily-preg...

Dr Brewer states that high blood pressure in pregnancy is most often caused by a lack of protein. I had a friend ready to go on bed rest, and when she followed his diet, she didn't have to. Try it and see!