Although it sometimes sounds like a life of luxury when you’re big, swollen and uncomfortably pregnant, being on bed rest really isn’t any fun. Typically, it’s a time filled with anxiety alternating with complete and total boredom. So, the next time you find yourself with a friend who’s been put on bed rest, here are a few things you can do to help. Subscribe to Type-A Mom articles

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1. Visit, visit, visit. As I said above, being on bed rest is boring! There are only so many things you can do lying down, and being on bed rest means being stuck inside your house or hospital room, which can be extremely lonely. So, grab lunch, a special snack or that decaf latte you know your friend loves, and head on over. Spend a couple of hours just chatting to brighten your friend’s day.

2. Help clean. Your friend might be too embarrassed to ask for this, but the state of her house is probably about to drive her totally nuts, especially if she’s got those nesting urges that often precede the arrival of a new baby. So, gather up some help, and hop on over to tidy up, load the dishwasher, run a load of wash, take out the garbage or whatever else needs to be done. If you can’t stop by to help, see if you can pitch in to find a cleaning service to take care of the big chores like scrubbing the bathrooms.

3. Movies, books and puzzles, oh my! Whenever you drop by, bring a load of your favorite books and movies, or offer to stop by the library or video store. Crossword puzzles, sodoku or a new video game might also help pass the time. Your friend can only watch so many marathons of What Not to Wear in one week!

4. Take the kids for the day. If your friend already has other kids, arrange to take them off her hands for the day, or even overnight. Even a couple of hours at the park or the movies would probably be a big relief for your friend who is battling over the urge leap off the couch every time their toddler stubs his toe, versus the need to stay put to keep there new baby from arriving too soon.

5. Make dinner. Despite what you may privately think about her “lazy” husband, keep your comments to yourself and remember that being on bed rest disrupts the whole family. Sometimes daddy just can’t work and do it all at home. So, spare your friend the misery of another pizza dinner, and bring over a meal, or organize some friends to make a batch of dinners at one of those handy new meal prep kitchens. This can take a huge stress off your friend’s entire family.

Above and beyond everything else, just remember that this a stressful time for your friend and her family. Right now, they are probably spending a lot of energy worrying about their baby and mommy’s health. Anything you can do to pitch in will definitely be appreciated.