After three weeks of complete bed rest, last Thursday I was given a respite from being bed- and couch-bound 24 hours a day: Because I hadn’t had pre-term bleeding in three weeks, my doctor said I could reduce my daytime hours of bed rest to four to six, resuming normal activities the remainder of the time. But, based on my experiences Saturday and Monday, I don’t have the energy to be even slightly active.
On Saturday, my friend Carmen picked up my nearly 5-year-old son and me to bring us to our sons’ classmate’s birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. When we arrived at the restaurant, I simply sat in a booth, watched my son play video games, and talked to the other parents. I was out of the house for only 2 ½ hours, but, completely exhausted, needed to take a two-hour nap upon arriving home.
Saturday night, about 45 minutes after I woke up from my nap, my family of five—my husband and I and our three sons, my stepsons, ages 14 and 15, and our son–went to a local restaurant, five minutes from our house, to celebrate my son’s 5th birthday while his brothers were with us for the weekend. My husband drove, I simply sat in the car and then in the restaurant, and we were only gone for an hour and 15 minutes.
But, although I was simply sitting elsewhere—in cars and restaurants—rather than at home, I was so worn out as a result of these two minor outings that I slept for 12 hours on Saturday night, only dragging myself out of bed at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
Sunday I simply lounged around the house, recovering from the day before.
But, yesterday morning, I ran a few errands with my son because this is his “Special Week” at school because it’s his birthday week. Yesterday, he needed to bring to his preschool fresh flowers or a plant, plus fruits and vegetables for the week’s snacks. So we went to a local garden store, where he picked out a tiny, 6-inch-high cypress tree, then across the street to a grocery store, where we bought grapes, strawberries and broccoli. My son carried the plant out to the car himself, and the grocery store had a staff member bring the four food bags out to the car for me, for, even though they were lightweight, I’m not supposed to carry anything.
I was shocked that, only 20 minutes into our outing, I felt winded while we were in the grocery store. But, of course, even three weeks of complete bed rest has an impact on muscle tone and stamina. And, on top of the negative effects of bed rest, I’m suffering from the reduced lung capacity of the third trimester of pregnancy, which, for me, is exaggerated by asthma, regardless of my inhalers. Add the extra 50 pounds I’m carrying around, and it’s ridiculous that I was shocked at all.
Oh, and, I almost forgot, I’m 41, not some young thing with boundless energy.
I now realize that, until this baby boy of mine is born, I am going to feel drained and depleted, regardless of being even more conservative than my doctor’s recommendations. I simply need to recuperate with four to six hours of bed rest a day. Or maybe more…