how do you survive bedrest?

When I was 21 weeks pregnant, I was put on bed rest for the duration of my pregnancy. I was at a loss and didn't know what I was going to do. My husband, at the time, was a paramedic with that crazy 24 hours on 48 hours off schedule. He had a second job that he worked during the day on his 48 hours off. Every third day I was alone, in bed, for 24 hours straight....no company, no one to talk to, no one to hang out with. I had to find a way to cope.

My parents came over to help set up a 'station' for me. They rearranged the furniture in the living room. They put our futon in the middle of the room. We dug out my old dorm refrigerator and microwave from college. My mom set up a table beside the futon with food, crossword puzzle books, hand held computer games from Wal-mart, and magazines. My frig was big enough to hold juice, milk, and fruits and veggies. I had cereal boxes, snack mixes, and canned veggies with a can opener. My dad put my small desk at the foot of the futon with my computer on it. I joined every expecting mother website and chat room I could find. I would dig around on the computer for hours a day searching for ways to cope with twins, etc. I also recorded every baby show that came on so I would have a back up of things to watch.

I hated to read, but suddenly came to enjoy it for a brief moment in my life. I also kept a calendar on my desk and marked off every day I made it one step closer to delivery. I also kept a journal and wrote quite a bit about my experiences and things I had done so far in life so I could give it to the boys one day.

Looking back on it, bed rest was incredibly boring and one of the worst experiences of my life.....however.....it was well worth it times two!!!!