Pregnancy and Bed Rest

REST. A four letter word everyone wants profusely in their life. Add another three letter word BED to it and out goes all the amusement. While everyone needs a few hours of rest nobody wants to be on bed for every minute of the 24 hr day. When my gynecologist recommended (read ordered) me to stay in bed for fifteen days I contemplated myself insanely depressed after the fifteen day ordeal.

That was my initial reaction. What can I possibly do? And with two kids under the age of six how can I possibly d o that. But given no choice I settled myself in bed and slept. For the first time in five years I slept in daylight without any disturbances and more importantly without any guilt! And thus my resultant reaction was WOW!

Here was my chance to sleep as much as I wanted to, a favorite pastime I had to forgo once I had kids. It was essential I rested because that’s what the doctor ordered. And I had to for the fetal well being of my child even though all the pleasure was mine! I could finally get to read all the books I had put on hold for a more peaceful time. I could watch all the movies I had time to buy but not enough time to watch.

I would get to be treated like a princess. Not one foot out of bed was allowed and that meant I could boss my husband around. “I need a glass of water”, I need a big packet of chilly nimco chips, I want brownie ice cream from hotspot”, “put the DVD in the DVD player”( a task my husband had never even attempted before in our seven years of marriage!) , became my favorite phrases and my poor husband had to keep me content and I cherished every moment.

Bed rest meant a break from the monotonous fixed routine my life had become, waking kids in the morning, getting them to school, back from school ,feeding them, playing with them and then forcing them to go to bed. I was free from all these maternal obligations as they had become my husband’s domain. All I had to do was put my feet up and stay cheerful. And I vowed to enjoy each minute of the fifteen day all paid for hiatus from life!

So the fifteen blissful days passed and it was time to visit my gynecologist/angel again. Secretly a little tired of the rest I hoped for a relaxing term from my gynecologist but that was not to be. The fifteen days rest turned into a month and then months. The gynecologist (read devil) even hinted rest for the entire pregnancy! Nine months! Are you insane was my third and final reaction. Nobody wants that long a break from reality. There is a limit to how much TV you can stare at and how much reading you can get done in a day!

And I learned it’s true, be careful what you wish for! But here I am 3 months and still surviving, I have to for my baby’s wellbeing but this time the word pleasure has gone out of the equation!