Have a Routine
Make your bed every morning.
Open up the curtains to get some natural light.
Play some music in the morning.
Keep your room and bathroom organized. Clean up/declutter as often as possible.
Shower and get dressed - bonus if you do your hair or put on a little mascara. If you look good, you'll feel good!
Try to FaceTime with your children at the same time everyday. I love "having breakfast" with my son, as well as reading him a book at bedtime.
Take walks in the hallway and outside (if allowed). Fill up your own water to get some extra steps in!
Set aside 20 minutes a day for some yoga stretches or meditation.
Run your diffuser often - use different blends based on the time of day (examples: awakening/mood boosting citrus in the morning and calming lavender at bedtime).
Stay Busy
If you can work from the hospital, I definitely recommend it!
Keep a journal of your inpatient stay or mono/mono journey in general. I started a journal that is set up as a series of letters to my girls, so that they can read through our story when they're older.
Start a blog or free share page (try CaringBridge) to keep your family and friends updated on how and your babies you're doing.
Read a few books! You'll likely never have this much time to yourself again. Read some books on how to raise twins. If you're planning to breastfeed, a book on how to successfully breastfeed twins would be a good read too.
Online shop for last minute items for your babies.
Pinterest - find some easy meals to prep/make for when the twins get home.
If you had a baby shower before going inpatient, write out your thank you cards.
Schedule visitors and put it in your planner/on your calendar.
Hang up pictures of your family as well as any ultrasound pictures you get of your babies while inpatient in your room for motivation.
Start a scrapbook.
Crochet, knit, cross-stitch, macrame, etc. Don't know how? Look up tutorial videos and learn a new hobby!
Try an adult coloring book or paint by number.
Binge on some Netflix/HULU/Amazon/HBO, etc. - bringing an Amazon Firestick or Google Chromecast so that you can use your tv for your favorite shows.
Celebrate Every Milestone
Everyday you keep those babies in is a victory. Hell, every successful monitoring is a victory! Celebrate every new week of carrying your miracles. One way to do this is by putting up a calendar and crossing off each day, as well as highlighting/circling big milestones so you feel a sense of accomplishment when these goals are reached! You should also share the babies' progress with family and friends often. They are your biggest fans while you're inpatient and their support will encourage you through the hard days!
Comments