I’ve mostly been complaining about being pregnant and especially about being on bed rest, I know. I’m not normally this negative, but you get cranky when you can’t do stuff for yourself, go pick up whatever food you have a hankering for or your fingers are tingly all the time (which mine are).
But, I realize there are good things about being pregnant (namely, the baby at the end) and bed rest and its accompanying activities. So let me count the ways I can appreciate bed rest.
Sleeping in
When you’re on a doctor’s orders for bed rest, sleeping in is a right, not so much a privilege. Everyone wants you to sleep in and nap some more later in the day. I’m not normally one to sleep more than 7, 8 hours a day, but in the third trimester, it definitely comes in handy.
You get to wear PJ-like clothes all day
My friend Belinda pointed this out to me yesterday. Since all I’m expected to do all day is lie down and relax, there’s no need for me to put on restricting clothes like jeans or other female accouterments — which, again, is a relief as I get bigger and heavier in the third trimester.
Hearing the baby’s heartbeat
This may not be the case for every woman put on bed rest, but because I have to undergo frequent non-stress tests for my pregnancy-induced hypertension, I get to hear the baby’s heartbeat. I love it! Earlier in my pregnancy, I seriously considered buying my own personal fetal doppler, just so I could check in the little guy whenever I wanted. As he started moving around more and more in the 6th and 7th month, the desire for one waned, but I still love to hear that he’s doing OK. Bonus: hearing him bump the sensor. Its adorable.
That’s all I have for now. I’ll add to this list as I think of things. And I know a lot of women would say that not having to do housework is another thing to like about bed rest, but that can only last so long — as you see dirty laundry pile up and your bathroom get grimier (which is no ding on my husband; Trinity has been a champ taking care of me, cooking for me, keeping the kitchen reasonably clean, putting together baby furniture, listening to me complain, taking me to appointments as well as working his regular hours), you get antsy and want to just get it done.