Technology is your friend

Let's move on to what it probably my favorite piece of bed rest (or anytime) equipment - The Laptop.

You laptop can open up up to a world of amusement and can also keep you in touch with the outside world.

For starters, consider getting a game of some kind. I know...I know....You probably not into blasting aliens or slicing up zombies or whatever you envision your typical computer game to entail. Look again. In the past several years a whole new genre of gaming as appeared. There are several games that I really enjoy and that have ever required that I wield a BFG. Check out the following:
The Sims series - you can probably get the original sims off of ebay for a song or try out the current Sims2
Civilization - The original civilization has come a long way. Civ4 features fab graphics, new leaders and narration by Leonard Nimoy! While your there check out the Civilization IV - Colonization, as update of one of my all time favorite games!

If neither of these games are doing it for you check out BigFish games. There are literally hundereds of games that that you can download and try out for free for about an hour. If something catches your fancy you can buy it right away for $20. Plus, they add a new game almost every day!

Interested in games, but not interested in paying for them? Check out these lists of open source games, freeware games and commercial games rereleased as freeware. These games generally don't feature the flashy graphics or soundtracks of their pricier cousins, but for the price who can complain. I might also add that some of them can be a little tricky to get working and you may have to tinker a bit.

Okay - you have expored your gaming options, lets move on to another fun aspect of the internet, social networking. You may be familiar with Facebook, mySpace or Twitter, but you may not know about some of the great resources for moms and moms-to-be. There are thousands of site out there full of pregnancy and parenting stuff. Some are great, some are just mediocre. Here are a few of my favorites:

CafeMom - Like MySpace for moms
BabyCenter - lots of good info for pregnancy through your kiddo's 9th birthday
Ask Dr. Sears - Dr. Sears, much like Martha Stewart, you either love him or hate him. Since I am a crunchy granola, breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping mom I love him. Give it a read, if you find im too touchy feely move on.

Don't forget blogs. Clearly, you know all about blogs. There are probably about a million blogs for every interest out there. A great way to find some new blogs is to try out a web app called Stumbled Upon. Essentially what stumbled upon is all about is getting you to a random(ish) web page. Try it out, but be warned, it can be adictive.

Finally, I want to mention my newest addiction, NetFlix. In case you are unfamiliar with NetFlix it is essentially a movie rental site. You set up a Queue and they mail you a DVD (Or two or three or whatever depending on you subscription level). You watch the DVD and then mail it back in a prepaid envelope. If that were all that there was to it, that would be pretty cool since you can rent movies ithout leaving your bed. But wait there is more! You can now watch content online. No waiting! Right now! There are a TON of movies and, my favorite, TV shows. You can catch up on a whole season of CSI or Numb3rs in just a few days! It is a life saver on those days when there is nothing good on TV (like every day).

So there you have it. Some, but by no means all, of the great ways to entertain yourself using your laptop. I will revisit the laptop in the next few days when we talk about other ways to retain your sanity.

Making the Most of What You've Got

So you've got all your essentials together. Let's discuss briefly how to put them all to the best possible use.

We'll start with the TV. I realize that this may seem like a no-brainer. I mean how complicated can a TV be? You turn it on, flip around for a while, when you finally find something tolerable you settle in. The fact is, however, that with the advent of modern digital TV and satellite TV you may have literally hundreds of channels to choose from. Everything from Dora the Explorer to Forrest Hump (not making that up!) at your fingertips. I'm not saying that you should watch nothing but NOVA for the next month, but it does pay to be a little selective.

First, do not torture yourself by watching children's programming. If you are a first time expectant mom you may want to get a feel for the kiddy fodder out there. DON'T! You will have the next 5 years to catch up with Diego, Olivia and Blue. Enjoy grown-up TV while you still can.

Alternately, this probably isn't the best time to be tuning into Skinimax. To put the not so delicately, you are in no state to become aroused. Orgasm is WAY too close to labor for comfort. Don't put yourself into a position where you may be tempted to enjoy yourself a bit too much. Save that sort of thing for after the baby is born....you just may need it then. Okay.....moving on.

There are some genre that are okay in moderation (in my opinion), but that you probably don't want to over watch. These include Talk shows, Soap Operas, and Baby shows. There are vast differences among morning talk shows. I would be loath to compare Maurry with Oprah. While I find Martha interesting in an inferiority complex inducing sort of way, I feel a little nauseous every time Elizabeth Hasselbeck opens her mouth. All I'm saying here is choose wisely. You could easily fill your day with vapid, semiliterate chatter, but you'll hate yourself in the morning.

Moving on to soap operas. I have never been much of a Soap opera kind of girl. I tried very hard to get into one of them (I can't even remember which) one summer during college, but I could never really connect with the characters. I will only say that if you get addicted you may be in trouble because it is unlikely that you will be able to keep up once your baby is born.

Finally, the baby shows. you will invariably stumble across some sort of show involving the trials of other mothers-to-be. These can be interesting to watch but take everything you see with a grain of salt. Many of these deliveries are high-risk pregnancies. Don't stress!! Remember this is TV - not your life.

So there is it....enjoy what your TV has to offer, but remember that you have other options. We'll talk about some of those tomorrow.

Bed Rest part two - Ameneities

Okay....So you have picked out your base location for the next few weeks. You are reclining (you ARE reclining aren't you??) amongst a comfortable next of pillows and our husband is lovingly standing my your side saying "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Why yes.....yes there is. Lying on your back left side all day is hard work. You are going to need some supplies to keep you from losing your mind. Let's start with the obvious.

• Television with a remote - You may not be a big TV watcher, but desperate times call for desperate measures. You are going to have a lot of free time on you hands and sometimes an hour of vegging out in front of the boob tube is just what the doctor ordered. Besides, at least you can keep up with the important events of the outside world (like Jennifer Aniston's love life or the details of the current feud amongst the gals on "The View"). A remote control is an absolute must here. You can't be getting up every half hour to change the channel. If you have a TV without a remote (do they even exist anymore?) consider getting a new one. If you have lost the remote for the TV you currently have a new universal remote is easily obtained from Target, Wal-mart or pretty much anywhere else that sells batteries. Further, that new remote will provide you hours of entertainment trying to decipher the setup instructions and figure out the codes for your TV and VCR



• A laptop computer -If you have a laptop, that's great. If you have a laptop connected to a wireless or even wired internet connection even better! If you don't have a laptop see if you can borrow one from someone or even rent one for a few months. If you have a laptop, but it's not connected to the internet consider setting up a wireless network in your home. They are pretty easy to get started and your local cable company or internet provider will likely be more than happy to help you out (for a monthly fee of course).



• Telephone -Whether you have a cell phone, a cordless phone or a rotary dial phone it will need to be within arms reach. Should you begin experiencing contractions your best move is to roll onto your side, grab the phone and call your doctor NOT to get up and wander round the house looking for your cell phone. Not only is the phone an important safety consideration but it is also one of your more important links to the rest of humanity. Your friends and family will be calling (sometimes incessantly) to check in and chat. Depending on your temperament, this may lead you to choose a phone with caller ID and the ability to turn off the ringer. The phone will also allow you to call your husband or significant other to remind him or her that a trip to the grocery for mint chocolate chip ice cream is imperative.
• Cooler or mini-fridge - Even through your not hitting the gym, you are still creating a new person and that takes calories. Assuming you don't have live in help someone is going to have to put together something for you to eat during the day and some of it is going to need to stay cold. A mini-fridge is probably the ideal here because your assistant can merely toss enough goodies in there to last a few days and it won't need to be replenished daily. Admittedly, however, a cooler is probably a more economical option. It is important to make sure that your cooler is actually keeping things cold. I recommend the use of reusable ice packs. (You know, the kind with that mystery blue liquid encased in impenetrable plastic.) Ice will keep your food cold, but it will also make everything rather wet. There is nothing worse than grabbing that lovely tossed salad that your husband bought you from that nice little french bistro and finding that it is swimming in the melted ice keeping your Fresca cold.

So there you have the basics...the bare minimum you will need to come through all this with your sanity. Tomorrow we will discuss some inspired ways to make use of all these items.

"Strict bed rest" - at first it doesn't sound so bad. I mean, what woman couldn't use a few days of laying around, having her every need fulfilled by a devoted husband. At first I envisioned a small, bedside fridge filled with all of my favorite treats. Fresh salads delivered to my bed side, chocolates magically appearing on fresh, crisp sheets that had been changed while I took my doctor approved 5 minute daily shower. My mind whirled with the prospect of exotic cheeses and the occasional sweet from my favorite little bakery. I made mental lists of the novels I would finally complete, the lovely projects I would churn out from my bedroom, and the intricate plans I would lay for my new baby.

Sadly, the reality of bed rest doesn't really live up to the hype, but you WILL survive and I hope that I can show you a few ways to make it a little less tedious.

Part one - the basics

First things first, you will need to determine exactly what "bed rest" entails for you. Doctors proscribe different types of bed rest dependent on the severity of your condition, you pre-existing risk factors as well as a myriad of other factors. Have a frank discussion with your doctor. Ask specific questions about what you can and can't do. Some questions to consider are:

• Can I get up to go to the bathroom?
• Can I walk around the house?
• Can I drive?
• Can I walk up and down stairs?
• Can I take a shower?
• Can I have sex?
• Can I life my children/pet/whatever?

Chances are, if you are on what is called "strict bed rest" the answer to most of these questions will be no (with the hopeful exclusion of the one about going to the bathroom). This may seem distressing, but it's best to know what you are up against.

Once you return home from the doctor, you are officially on bed rest and there are several decisions that you need to make. Your first big choice is going to be where to set up camp. Chance are you are going to be stuck in one place for a while so you better make sure that you like it.

1. The "bed" - seeing as this is bed rest, you are going to need something to rest in. It doesn't necessarily have to be a bed, but that is probably one of the more popular options. The other option is probably your couch. Each of these locations has their pros and cons. The couch is likely located in your living room or den or some other high activity part of your house. Locating yourself here will allow you to maintain a vague semblance of normalcy by keeping you in the center of it all. You will be able to see everyone coming and going you can still be the director or the house. Unfortunately, your couch probably isn't as big or as comfortable as your actual bed. I also found that being off of the beaten path was sometimes a little desirable. My husband could find a few moments of peace to cook dinner or even sit down while the kid(s) spent some time with me watching TV or something (more on kid friendly bed activities later). Further, if you are expecting guests you may prefer to set up camp in the living room since having people into your bedroom sort of increases the "sick bed" feel.

Clearly your other option is your actual bed. This was the choice that I made. Being in the bed allowed me to spread out a bit since it is about twice as large as my couch. This reduces the need to lean over and pick up books or crafts or whatever from the floor. Something which should be avoided since it requires some fairly serious use of the abdominals. You bed is also likely a little more comfortable and can accommodate more pillows (Certainly I don't need to remind you of the importance of pillows to the expectant mom.) The bedroom is especially nice if you prefer a bit more privacy or a quieter atmosphere.

If your doctor is being a bit more lenient, you may be able to split your time between two locations. This will allow you to sleep in your bed at night and spend some family time on the couch during the day. If you can swing this remember to keep your trips to the bare minimum. Don't attempt to relocate your entire set up every time you move from one location to another. Once you've decided where you will preside from you will need to get your amenities in order....more on that tomorrow!