If you're experiencing a medical condition that puts you at risk for preterm labor, your provider may send you to your room — for strict bed rest. Bed rest takes the forces of gravity off your cervix, gives your circulatory system and blood pressure a break, and has the added benefit of promoting rest and stress reduction.

Staying Sane

At first that bed may seem like a welcome oasis, particularly if you've been getting little sleep as of late. A prescription to snooze! What more could you ask for?

That feeling will likely be short-lived, however. There's only so much you can do horizontally (or even slightly tilted). Yet there are ways to make the time pass a little faster. Some ideas to keep busy beyond the usual TV and movie fare:

Baby shopping by mail or Web. Get on your laptop or leaf through some of those catalogs your mailbox has been inundated with. Shopping has never been so easy on your feet.

Get crafty. Creating something special for baby — embroidered, crocheted, or knitted — is a good way to pass the hours. Even if you are a rookie, a beginner's kit can get you started. You may not have the time again for years, so go for it.

Feed your mind. Read, read, read. Not just baby books (although feel free to keep this one handy), but classics, new fiction, and anything else you can get your hands on.

Catch up. All those pictures you've been meaning to put into photo albums, the scrapbooks that are half-finished, letters to write on your list, and other assorted undertakings are perfect bed rest projects that have the added bonus of imparting a sense of achievement.

Be game. Dust off some of those old board and strategy games you haven't played in years, and recruit your partner or kids to play, too. A rousing game of Risk can be a lot more entertaining than another evening spent channel-surfing.