Feathering the Nest

Here are some suggestions to make your time in bed as comfortable as possible.

Use pillows to ease the aches and pains.
You'll want to pay special attention to making yourself as comfortable as possible. Aches and pains go with the territory in a multiple pregnancy, but if you must stay in bed (especially if you're restricted to your left side), you may find it difficult to find relief. Many women swear by using an egg-crate mattress on top of the regular mattress. Strategically placed pillows will also help to ease your joints-- under your belly and between your knees in particular. A body pillow may be easier to manage, since you'll only have one pillow to rearrange every time you get up.

If you are on modified bedrest, you may want to discuss with your doctor the possibility of sleeping or resting in a recliner instead of a bed.

Arrange a small table or nightstand so you have everything within easy reach.
You'll want to have things like books, the TV schedule, the remote control(s), and the radio as close as possible. The phone should also be within easy reach. A cordless phone will be very useful when the twins are born, so if you don't have one, you might want to consider buying one now. If you have writing supplies on hand, you can use some of your time writing letters, or keeping a journal of your time on bedrest.

And don't forget water! Dehydration may trigger contractions, so be sure you're drinking plenty.

Buy a breakfast-in-bed table.
A small folding table will come in handy for more than just breakfast-- it'll provide you with a writing table. If you have children, they can use this table for simple activities, while staying close to you.

Keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand.
You'll want to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, so see if your partner or helpers can prepare your food for the day in the morning (even if it's just sandwiches and fruit). If possible, leave it in a cooler or small refrigerator near the bed, so you don't need to run to the kitchen every time you feel hungry.

See the Resources section of this FAQ for easy meal suggestions, to limit the time you or your helpers have to spend in the kitchen.

Use a baby monitor to call for help.
A baby monitor can be quite useful, especially if your bedroom is upstairs.

We had a 3 story house, with the bedrooms upstairs. My DH would often spend a part of the day downstairs, and if I ever needed anything, would just talk quietly into the baby monitor. He had it set up downstairs, and knew whenever I needed help.

Put the lights on remotes.
You can also set up the lights so they can be controlled from the bed:

About this time 2 years ago my wife went on bed rest. I used a fairly simple set of devices to give her the ability to turn the room light on and off and the light by the bed on and off. Radio Shack and other places sell some devices used as remote switches. They go by a variety of names, but most include the phrase X-10. Radio Shack's are X-10 Powerhouse. They send a signal over the power line so "no special wiring required".

Anyway 2 years ago Radio Shack had a "Christmas Lighting Special" that include a small controller, a lamp dimmer module, and an appliance module for a special price. I'm not sure if they are doing it again, but they might. In any case the devices are not real expensive even at Radio Shack.

The mini controller controls 4 devices at a time (switchable between 2 groups) and can dim lamp controllers. Some of the modules just plug in and some replace the switches in your house. The replacement switches are the only thing that require any wiring (and they are simple).

They were a real blessing for my wife while on bedrest and in fact we have added more since then. We each have a controller now and we have several more lamps and things hooked up. We use the dimming feature to dim the lights all the way down at night and then brighten them up just slightly if we need to check on kids.

p.s. The only downside so far is that our boys know how to play with the buttons and it gives them wide-reaching control over the lights!

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