The Only 5 Apps High-Risk Moms Need To Survive Bed Rest Boredom

When you’re on bed rest, your mind can race. Worries about the baby, your health, and the future can create a constant hum of anxiety that is exhausting. This is where mindfulness and meditation become less of a wellness trend and more of a survival tool. The Calm app is a powerful ally in quietin the noise.

Why We Love It for Bed Rest

Calm is more than just a meditation app; it’s an audio sanctuary. Its guided meditations are specifically designed for beginners, so you don’t need any prior experience. You can find sessions for managing stress, easing anxiety, and even meditations focused on gratitude, which can be incredibly grounding when you’re feeling low.

• Sleep Stories: One of the biggest challenges on bed rest can be disrupted sleep. Calm’s Sleep Stories, narrated by soothing voices like Matthew McConaughey and Cillian Murphy, can help you drift off into a peaceful slumber, away from your worries.
• The Daily Calm: A new 10-minute guided meditation is released every day. This can provide a gentle, predictable structure to your day, giving you a small, achievable goal to focus on each morning.
• Soundscapes: Sometimes you don’t want to listen to words, you just want to change your environment. You can fill your room with the sound of gentle rain, a crackling fireplace, or ocean waves, creating a more tranquil atmosphere.

For a high-risk mom, managing cortisol (the stress hormone) is crucial. A regular meditation practice, even just for a few minutes a day, can help regulate your nervous system, promoting a healthier environment for both you and your baby. It’s a way to actively care for your mental health when your physical activity is limited.

Isolation is perhaps the heaviest burden of bed rest. Your friends and family are busy with their lives, and while they mean well, they may not fully understand what you’re going through. The feeling of being the only one in this situation can be overwhelming. Peanut is the antidote to that loneliness.

Why We Love It for Bed Rest

Often described as “Tinder for moms,” Peanut is a social networking app that connects you with other women at the same stage of life. The real magic for a mom on bed rest is its ability to connect you with women in your exact situation.

• Join Groups: You can join specific groups like “High-Risk Pregnancy Support,” “Moms on Bed Rest,” or groups for your specific medical condition (e.g., Preeclampsia, Incompetent Cervix). This is where you find your people—women who just get it.
• Community Pods: Participate in live audio conversations hosted by experts on topics ranging from preparing for a NICU stay to managing pregnancy anxiety. You can listen in from your bed and feel part of a larger conversation.
• Find Local Friends: While you may not be able to meet up for coffee now, you can start building local connections for when you and your baby are ready. It’s something hopeful to look forward to.

Sharing your fears and daily frustrations with women who are walking the same path is incredibly validating. It reminds you that you are not alone. This virtual village can provide emotional support, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity that can make all the difference on the toughest days.

Before bed rest, you were likely a busy, capable person juggling multiple responsibilities. Suddenly being unable to work or even do simple household tasks can lead to a loss of identity and purpose. While rest is your primary job, engaging your mind can help you feel like yourself again. Skillshare offers a world of learning at your fingertips.

Why We Love It for Bed Rest

Unlike more intensive academic courses, Skillshare focuses on creative and practical skills taught through short, digestible video lessons. You can learn something new without the pressure of deadlines or exams.

• Thousands of Classes: Explore topics that require little to no physical effort. You could learn digital illustration on a tablet, try your hand at creative writing, understand the basics of graphic design, or even learn to knit (a classic for a reason!).
• Sense of Accomplishment: Completing a small project—whether it’s a digital drawing or a short story—can provide a huge mental boost. It’s a tangible reminder of your ability to create and achieve, even from bed.
• Flexible Learning: Watch lessons at your own pace. If you’re feeling tired, you can watch a 10-minute video. On a good day, you might feel up to an hour. You are in complete control of your learning journey.

Engaging in a new hobby shifts your focus from what you can’t do to what you can do. It’s a way to invest in yourself and your personal growth during a period that can otherwise feel stagnant. This can be a powerful tool for preserving your mental well-being and sense of self.

There are only so many shows you can binge-watch before your eyes get tired and the plots start to blend together. Sometimes you need to escape, but even holding a book can feel like too much effort. Audiobooks are the perfect solution, offering immersive storytelling that transports you far beyond the four walls of your room.

Why We Love It for Bed Rest

Audible has an unparalleled library of audiobooks, podcasts, and original content. The beauty of audio is that it’s a passive form of entertainment that fully engages your imagination.

• Hands-Free Entertainment: You can listen while you’re eating, resting your eyes, or even drifting off to sleep. There’s no screen glare to worry about and no need to find a comfortable position to hold a book or device.
• Incredible Variety: Whether you love thrilling mysteries, sweeping historical fiction, inspiring memoirs, or even prenatal education books, you’ll find it on Audible. You can “read” all the parenting books you’ve been meaning to get to.
• Professional Narration: A great narrator can bring a story to life, making it a truly cinematic experience for your ears. It’s a rich, engaging way to pass long hours.

Listening to a story allows your mind to wander in the best possible way. It’s a vacation for your brain, and on bed rest, that’s a trip worth taking every single day.

For partners, gifting an Audible credit can be a wonderfully supportive gesture. It provides hours of entertainment and shows you understand the need for a mental escape.

Your mind is likely swirling with a mix of medical information, worries, and a growing to-do list for the baby’s arrival. A standard pregnancy app can sometimes increase anxiety with its constant updates and comparisons. Zinnia offers a more creative and gentle way to organize your world and process your emotions from your bed.

Why We Love It for Bed Rest

Zinnia is a digital journaling and planning app that is endlessly customizable. It’s a beautiful, creative outlet that can also be incredibly practical. It combines the therapeutic benefits of journaling with the organizational power of a planner.

• Process Your Feelings: Use the journaling feature to write down your fears, hopes, and daily frustrations. Getting these thoughts out of your head and onto a “page” can be incredibly cathartic. The app has beautiful templates and stickers to make it feel less like a chore and more like a creative release.
• Plan from Bed: Feel productive by tackling baby prep in a manageable way. Create pages for your baby registry list, nursery design ideas, or questions to ask your doctor at the next appointment. You can easily share these lists with your partner.
• Memory Keeping: Start a pregnancy journal right in the app. Add weekly bump photos, jot down notes about baby’s movements, and document this unique journey. It’s a beautiful keepsake you can create during this quiet time.

Zinnia helps you regain a sense of control in a situation where so much is out of your hands. By organizing the practical details and processing the emotional ones, you are actively creating a calm and prepared space—both in your home and in your mind—for your baby’s arrival.

Each of these apps serves a different, vital purpose. Depending on your needs on any given day, you might lean on one more than another. Here’s a simple breakdown to help you see how they fit together to create a complete bed rest survival kit.