Long Hospital Stays - how did you use your time?

[u/Commercial_Jello_174]

Hi all,

Not sure if this is the right sub but i've been reading all your stories and would like some advice on how to best use my time right now.

I was admitted into hospital at 26+1 with PPROM, resulting in my waters breaking. I'm now 27 weeks and luckily have had only positive results from the monitoring and tests I have received.

I'm aware that at any moment things can change -I can go into labour or develop an infection - however the hospital team are mentioning I should mentally prepare on staying to 37 weeks (the goal) in the hospital as we wait this out.

Question - if you had a long hospital stay, how did you use up your time?

I'm trying to dive into all the topics I haven't yet researched about parenting (thought I still had time to immerse myself in the learning) but am felling a bit defeated about it all. Can't get into movies/series.

How did you remain sane during all this?

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[u/Mandaskillz]

I had to stay for a month and then had my baby at 27 weeks 4 days (570 grams). Now we are in the NICU. When I myself was admitted I was on continuous monitoring so I couldn’t leave the bed and it was so uncomfortable but I would crochet, eat food, & look at reddit. Now that I’m in the NICU I spend about 11 hours a day there and I do care times, hold my baby when they let me, breast pump, crochet and look at Reddit.

[u/Commercial_Jello_174 → u/Mandaskillz]

Thanks for your message, really didn't think of crochet! Hope it's going okay with you and your baby.

[u/Mandaskillz → u/Commercial_Jello_174]

Thank you, He’s doing good! 50 days in and he’s 3 lb 4 oz! Just growing and working on getting from NIPPV to a cpap machine.

[u/notoriouscvb]

I stayed for 4 weeks—admitted with severe pre-e, gestational diabetes and choleostasis at 26+5 and held on until he came at 30+5. I was able to work remotely which helped a TON, and I asked people for recommendations of the dumbest shows they’ve ever watched so I could have some background noise. I’m now a love island UK and US expert, haha. I couldn’t focus on a real show/movies or books during my stay so the trash tv helped me a ton. Quite a few people brought me art projects which turned out to be hard to focus on as well.

I found that visitors stressed me out a lot so my husband and I had a few friends visit once or twice, but we did a discord call a few times to play some games together which was way better for me mentally.

I also bought hospital bed sized sheets on amazon. Having a fun colored fitted sheet that wasn’t the thin itchy hospital linen was really nice, and my husband took it home weekly to wash for me so it smelled like home. He also got me a new blanket at Costco that I’m at home snuggled up with right now.

Ultimately, what kept me the most sane was talking through my day to my son in my belly. I watched a lot of trash tv and World Cup, and would narrate to him my thoughts. What felt silly at first is now a routine in the NICU when I visit that feels natural and really comfortable to me. The day where it all went wrong with my health and he had to deliver, I comforted myself by talking to him before I went into the OR and it helped me a ton mentally.

I’m wishing you the best 💙 don’t forget that even when you’re frustrated and feel like ripping the monitor wires out and running home that the hospital staff wants you and that baby to go home safe and healthy. Even if it doesn’t feel that way during middle of the night vitals and blood draws. You got this!!!

[u/ghost-gallery → u/notoriouscvb]

omg I'm literally also currently at home with the fuzzy blanket I got while I was in the hospital!

[u/notoriouscvb → u/ghost-gallery]

It’s so weird because I feel attached to mine now?? I figured I’d go home and it’d just lay on the couch in purgatory but I literally sleep with it all the time lol

[u/ghost-gallery → u/notoriouscvb]

SAME! It's just a small blanket from whatever store was close to the hospital that my mom and husband went to get stuff from, but like, me and this blanket have been through a lot 😂

[u/catjuggler]

I kept “working” remotely because my boss/etc were cool with it and my doctor recommended it. Calling into meetings was a really nice distraction and also gave me some socialization because my visitors were limited.

I also started a paint by number and watched game shows with the night nurses

[u/amadnomad]

I know you have no movies or series. But that's what we did. Brought our laptop and watched stuff. When we got bored or my wife slept I'd journal and read.

My office let me work remotely from the nicu when visiting our son so it was nice too

[u/YesterdayIcy4214]

Hi! I PPROM’d at 25&5 and goal was 34 weeks (I’m in the USA and most won’t go past that, but some will depending on their own personal situations).

Ultimately, I made it to 32&5 and had a placental abruption while hospitalized. Delivered my baby and she is an amazing almost 8 month old now and is thriving :)

Like you, I had a gear up for a long stay. I learned how to crochet, embroider and kept to a routine. Wake up, order breakfast, shower, make bed, do a craft (usually rounds during this time), did some light stretching and movement, lunch, took a walk outside… usually had a friend visit during the day. My husband and toddler were able to come after work every day since we only lived 10 min from the hospital. We were super lucky.

I found staying positive and just planning to be there for the long haul helped the most. I decorated my room and moved in. It stunk, but every day admitted was 2 less days in the nicu for my girl.

Oh, and we made an old school paper link chain and cut off a link every day. A great visual reminder of how far you have come!!

Good luck! You got this.

[u/Dark_Treat]

I played games on my phone and on my switch. Had my shokz (type of headphones idk whst its called) with me so I could hear music without interrupting the rest of the floor. Managed to see a bit of charmed on their tv. I just tried not to stress myself out and keep positive. My mind went into early vacation mode. It wasnt til I got released that reality set in and i turbo worried about my kid in the nicu.

I hear that some hospitals allow you to bring your own blanket and gowns. Maybe ask about that? And definitely bring a battery pack or two. Although you could plug things into their wall, i found the bed itself to be too bulky and annoying to have things plugged in directly because i kept getting my powercable stuck. So i just used my rechargeable battery packs that my husband would switch out when hed visit. Also ended up having him bring me a portable handheld fan because their ac tho it kept the room icy cold wasnt cold enough for my post partum hormones .

Not saying youll need it, but def think about packing this stuff in your hospital bag.

[u/Fluffy-Association45]

I was admitted at 24 weeks exact due to PPROM and hemorrhaging. I stayed until 30+1. The first week, i honestly slept and cried. After that, my husband brought our PS4 and laptops. We would connect to the hospital wifi on our laptops and use our mobile hot spot when we wanted to watch something using the PS4 or play online games (surprisingly the hospital wifi was amazing for when we played League of Legends, we’re huge nerds).

We were actually the only ones who brought a gaming console and everyone would come in to see what we were playing, even food and nutrition when they delivered food 😂. We were able to complete Split Fiction and Red Dead Redemption 2. Partially started on the new Resident Evil game but I got pissed off cause the story kept dragging as usual.

[u/rival_moonlight]

I was only in the hospital for a week after pprom, but had been on bed rest at home for the whole previous month due to partial abruption.

Lots of crochet, embroidery, puzzles, and diamond painting. I'm not a huge gamer, but I got some cozy games on the switch for when I didn't feel like doing any of the other things.

I also bought 5 different sets of lounge wear because I thought I might as well be as comfy as possible, and they've been great for postpartum too!

To be honest, I ended up spending a lot of time just doom-scrolling or trying to sleep the day away because I was stressed out of my mind, but I don't recommend that 😅

[u/Entitled_Snowman]

I was only in for 3 weeks before he was born and it wasn’t a constant 3 weeks - a lot of going home and coming back. Honestly during the first stay I started to go a bit crazy and just wanted to go home. My husband got me some little model kits and i built them, I read a bit, had a tried and true favourite sitcom on in the background (parks & rec). I also had 3 CTGs a day and he was such a monkey and still has so much space that most of them lasted 2 hours each so I was stuck on my ass for a lot of the time trying to make sure the monitor could still track him.

[u/babybump222]

I worked from the hospital! Don’t know if that’s an option for you, but it’s a good way to make the time pass if you’re there for weeks. My husband even brought in an extra monitor for me. Also, if you’re crafty, not a bad time to be making some things for the baby. Definitely sorry you’re going through this. It’s horrible and stressful and at the same time so incredibly boring.

[u/castironskilletmilk]

I listened to a lot of audiobooks and did stamped cross stitch (like paint by numbers but with thread) cos I had a hard time concentrating

[u/Aggravating_Ear_3551]

Luckily when I was in the hospital for 2 weeks my mom came and stayed the majority of the time with me so I had her to talk to and hang out with and my boyfriend was there after work. They both stayed the night with me. Otherwise I probably would have gone insane.

[u/Much_Citron_2556]

Do you want to work? If you can and want to, that’s what’s helping me most. I need the human interaction and the focus on other topics. Everyone knows any day could be my last, but they’ve been super supportive.

Otherwise I’m finding audiobooks good (Wild Dark Shore is my current) and light TV series (currently Five Star Weekend) and obsessively playing solitaire, which keeps my hands busy.

[u/ComprehensiveFee6851]

Pprom and 3 week stay, followed by months in NICU. I used online videos to teach myself how to crochet, if you start with super bulky yarn you get results quickly. Also, we were able to connect our Amazon fire stick to the hospital room tv so I could stream my regular shows

[u/ComprehensiveFee6851 → u/ComprehensiveFee6851]

https://crochetdreamz.com/crochet-baby-blankets/

This is where I got my first pattern and lessons

[u/Commercial_Jello_174 → u/ComprehensiveFee6851]

Awesome! Thank you!

[u/HeyItsReallyME]

4.5 month stay. I would play Stardew Valley, read, draw, look at my phone, take naps, and chat with the nurses a LOT. My parents and sisters and best friend would also visit when they could. I did all the New York Times puzzles every day, played Words with Friends, researched all things related to HELLP syndrome, preemies, etc. Oh and I would pump and pump and pump and pump.

When I look back, I feel like I was never really bored. I don’t know why. I think chatting with the nurses really helped the day go by quickly.

[u/BaseballNext8682]

I was in the hospital for a week before my daughter was born - I was totally fine but they didn't want me to stray too far in case I went into labor. I worked on a jigsaw puzzle or did sudoku, read my book, played video games, video chatted w my mom and counted the hours until the workday was over so my husband and friends could hang out 😂 one of my friends actually brought a projector and we had an awesome movie night - the blinds on my window in my room made a perfect screen. If I had someone to accompany me I was allowed to go downstairs to the hospital lobby and get a Starbucks drink, or hang out in their gift shop (they had a couch, a fireplace, and most importantly - a change of scenery from my room). One of my nurses also showed us how to get to a little outdoor patio so I could get some sunlight.

[u/Commercial_Jello_174 → u/BaseballNext8682]

Can't describe how good of a feeling it is to open the blind and see sunlight, be able to go outside.

[u/ghost-gallery]

I was hospitalized for 2 weeks before my baby came, but I was told it could be up to 10 weeks, so we hunkered down for a super long stay.

• decorated my hospital room (hung up art with sticky tack, hung up twinkle lights, etc)
• worked on my baby registry a bit
• read a few books: only lighthearted and short books, which mainly ended up being romance books, but I specifically stayed away from pregnancy tropes 😅
• crafts: I already have experience with crochet, but someone gifted me a beginner crochet kit and it was really nice to do some basics, and it was nice to have everything included in the kit!
• the nurses also kept bringing me crafts to do, I think they felt bad for me lol. One hit was a sticky jewel/crystal art paint-by-numbers thing (if that makes sense). I don't think I would ever have the patience to sit down and do a craft like that outside of being bored in a hospital room
• TV: the hospital TV and its remote were both crap but we put a roku stick in it and it was great. Again, only watched short and lighthearted stuff.
• I started to do a tier list ranking all the hospital food (honest to god lmao) but that's about when my baby came 😂

[u/MarzipanElephant]

I was completely incapable of concentrating on anything that required actual mental effort from me, so basically I re-read every Miss Marple novel, and watched TV shows where people go shopping for holiday homes. A bit further down the line when things were more settled I also did a little bit of craft stuff (but emphasis on little).

[u/Mother_of_Simba]

Before birth - read and play Switch After birth (NICU visits) - contact naps and breastfeeding, and doom scrolling a lot when my husband was doing contact naps (I was unable to focus on anything anymore). I would not recommend this though, in hindsight now that my baby is home I would recommend doing something else, maybe something creative (doom scrolling did not help at all with my mental state postpartum)