Tuesday, June 19, 2007

A Day in the Life....

I have had several people ask what a typical day is like for me. There are many things that are much more exciting than a day in the life of a pregnant woman on bedrest. Sitting in the backyard waiting for the grass to grow, listening to elevator music while being on hold for hours, and reading the dictionary---just to name a few. However, in order to satisfy inquiring minds, I have decided to share what I do in a normal day.

A Day in the Life of a Woman Pregnant With Quintuplets

7:30 am Wake up, take shower (I am allowed one a day), get dressed

8:00 am Head downstairs for the day

8:15 am Breakfast---usually eggs and cereal

8:45 am Park myself on the couch, turn on laptop and check email (Note: I also have bathroom privileges. I am supposed to drink about a gallon of fluid per day and the babies have reduced my bladder to the size of a prune, so this means I take a trip to the bathroom every 45 min – 1 hour throughout the day.)

10:15 am Morning snack---Carnation Instant Breakfast

10:30 am - 11:30 am Morning contraction monitoring. I strap on the monitor which collects data on uterine activity throughout the hour. During the session, I lie on the couch and usually watch a video. I have been working my way through several seasons of TV shows on DVD. I started with "Lost" seasons 1 and 2. I am now in the middle of season 2 of "Gilmore Girls". Next up is "Alias" or "24".

11:30 am Call in monitoring data. The data is sent through the phone lines to a group of nurses who analyze the data and call me back with the results. If I have 5 or fewer contractions, I am fine. If I have 6 or more contractions in the hour I have to monitor again to see if the contractions go down. (Don’t ask what happens if they don’t----I am hoping I never have to find out!)

12:00 pm Lunch---sandwich and chips, leftovers or fast food

12:30 pm Back to the couch where I surf the internet looking for baby names, watch TV, play sodoku, talk to every person that walks by, etc.

3:00 pm Afternoon snack----whatever I can find, sometimes a Zone bar or something sweet with something salty, cold cereal, etc.

4:30 pm Sit in the pool and/or cold tub (like a hot tub, but just bubbles, no heat—who needs heat when the temp outside is 112 degrees!) I have to convince someone to go out there with me, so I don’t do this every day, but I go as often as I can!

6:00 pm Dinner—typical dinner meal food

6:30 pm Back to the couch

7:30 pm – 8:30 pm Evening contraction monitoring session

9:00 pm Evening snack—usually ice cream

10:30 pm Bid farewell to the couch and head upstairs to bed

11:00 pm – 7:30 am Get as much sleep as I can, in between trips to the bathroom and attempts to roll over.


The Couch




The TV (much better than the one back home!)



The Views from the Couch




Share/Bookmark

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a lot of fun Rachelle. I wish my days were like that some times! Maybe just one day a week! That would be nice!!! I am glad to hear you are doing well. I am always thinking about you. Has Liz gone down yet? I can wait to hear your reaction on the quilts! I hope all continues to go well and we'll chat soon! Love Ya and hang in there!!!! You look GREAT by the way!

McKay said...

This was a fun post. I've been wondering exactly how the whole bed-rest thing goes down. Keep it up!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you did this. I was wondering, too, what a typical day for you was like. You're doing great--

Anonymous said...

Great, fun update...I know we have ALL been wondering.......Your Aunt's home seems comfortable and cozy. I am so pleased things are going so well. ALL of you are in my thoughts and prayers....hang in there!
Cassaundra :)

Vance & Luisa Ecklund Family said...

You are an amazing trooper!


I am so glad everything is going well for you and the babies.
We have you in our prayers

Luisa Ecklund

Anonymous said...

Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.

Grandma Joney said...

WOW! Hang in there Wonder Woman!! From a distance the concept of 'bed rest' sounds like such a blessing . . .until you've done it! After about 48hrs, you're ready to climb the walls :-) So glad you're continuing to 'incubate' . . . every single additional day is a blessing. Just know there are lots of good thoughts, prayers and support going your family's way. Do you envision any help from the diaper or formula folks for assistance after the births? Seems like they used to go all out to help, but anymore I wonder? I sure hope they do for your family's sake. Take care ~

Anonymous said...

Hi, Fun to read about you! I am a member of the church adn living in Sweden with my Sweedish husband. Good luck to you over the coming weeks!! will keep you in our prayers, Kristin Krus Sundsvall Sweden

Suzanne said...

oh, it sounds all too familiar! i'm glad you are still at your aunt's home!...the hospital is not near as nice as home bedrest! funny how lots of people think bedrest and our diets would be so awesome..little do they know! i'm so glad you are doing so well! give those babies a pat for me!

holmesfamily8 said...

I continue to check your blog every week, and am SO amazed at how wonderfully you are doing! I remember with my twins at 28 weeks I felt like I wanted to pop, I can only imagine how you are feeling!!! Enjoy the bedrest, really in a few months you will wonder if the peace and quiet was just a nice dream or not. lol

Julianne said...

It really is more interesting than you think. :) I'm so glad things are going so well!

Julianne ;)

Courtney said...

I'm so happy for you that things are going so well (except for the bored out of your mind part). I remember just reaching for each new milestone to help me get through the long boring days- 24 weeks, 28 weeks, 32 weeks, etc. You are doing great!

Once you are on hospital bedrest, and therefore a half hour closer in proximity, I still plan to come visit you if your up for it!

Anonymous said...

Alias is a great show, but it will force you right into labor. Save it for later...