Were You Put on Bed Rest?

I was on b/r for 2 months. I developed severe preclampsia at 5 months.

I slept in my own bed at night. I was allowed to be on my feet once after waking up and once before bed. So in the morning I'd take a shower, brush my teeth and go downstairs. I would pack a cooler, fix lunch and put out snacks and then I hunkered down on my comfortable couch. I put myself on a schedule though, so didn't get bored. I only allowed myself to watch TV for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. In between I would read, call friends, look things up on the computer, learned a new language, and listened to music. I even sang to the baby (poor little guy). I think I started talking to myself a little to...or maybe I was talking to the baby. At the end of the day, I went back upstairs, did the hygiene thing and went to bed.

My husband did all the housework, dishes, shopping and cooking that whole time. And for my doctor visits, he had to take off work and drive me. My good man!

I was on a strict 1200 calorie diet (bleh) and I wasn't allowed seasonings, salt, spicy, carbs, refined sugar and fatty foods. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. Try that while you are pregnant! Same thing w/sex, as in, I wasn't supposed to have any. None. Zero. Zip. Nada.

I had a nurse come in once a week to check on me, take my bp, check my weight, measurements, diet and water retention. She'd give me a departing shot of hormones in my butt and then would leave me with a list of bedrest excercises to do that week.

Near the end of my bedrest, Hurricane Katrina hit so all that educational and intellectual stuff went out the window and I was glued to the TV 24/7.

It was all worth it. Though my baby was born 2 months early he is now a healthy and fun 5 yo!

2 moms found this helpful

My exact WRITTEN instructions was: Bedrest with bathroom privileges (from the time I was 24 weeks, until delivery). I couldn't get up for anything else. My husband would pack my food and drinks for the day and leave it by the couch for me. The highlight of my week was a trip to the doctor (in a wheelchair though).

It was super hard, but you just have to remember that you're doing it to keep your baby safe.

I hope you don't have any worries.
(:

2 moms found this helpful

I was with the last pregnancy, and started at 24 weeks. Most miserable experience of my life. I was allowed 30 minutes at a time, no more than 2-3 hours per day. So I was allowed to shower and make some food for myself, that was about it. I didn't even take the full 30 minutes most days because it would send me into contractions. I hate revisiting that time!

2 moms found this helpful

Yes, with my second I was put on bedrest at 34 weeks. My first was a preterm at 33 weeks, but I had no warning signs that I picked up on. With my daughter I started dialating& effacing,having some contractions and a lot of pelvic pain from the pressure of the baby at 32 weeks and I was told to take it easy. 2 weeks later I was put on bed rest as my symptoms were getting worse. The first week I was on complete bedrest (laying down and no getting up except the restroom), the next 2 weeks I was on modified bed rest (I could sit up some, restroom and make my own light lunch), then the last week he basically said you do what you are comfortable with ~ which was nothing really. My daughter was born at a little over 38 weeks and as miserable as I was on bed rest it was well worth it.

2 moms found this helpful

I was on bedrest for 6 weeks because of pre-eclampsia. I spilled protein & my liver labs started getting screwy. I got induced at 37 5/7 but my blood pressure spike worse after delivery. So I was on bedrest for a few weeks after delivery too.

I was a bathroom privileges only type bed rest. And I got ultrasounds every other day to evaluate my placenta, to ensure it wasn't calcified or compromised.

2 moms found this helpful

With my oldest son I was put on partial bed rest at 30 weeks (no working or house work and I could be on my feet for a few hours a day to get something to eat, etc.). At 32 weeks I was put on full bed rest (could only get up to use the bathroom!) b/c I had pretty severe pre eclampsia. Bed rest for me was in a recliner with my feet above my heart b/c my swelling was fierce and my blood pressure was through the roof. I had to sleep in the recliner too!
At 35 weeks my pre eclampsia got so severe my doc had me admitted so he could monitor me 24 hours a day. After the first 24 hours in the hospital they put me on pitocin and I was on that for 24 hours but wouldn't dilate. They finally had to do an emergency c-section.

2 moms found this helpful

Yup, I was put on bed rest at the beginning of my 8th month for pre-term labor. The letter to my employer actually stated that I was only allowed to bathe and go to the bathroom.

Actually, I could stay in bed or lie on the sofa. That was really it. I was also on medication and had to take my own pulse every 4 hours to make sure the meds were not affecting my heart rate.

I was ever so glad when he was "baked" enough to get up.

15 years later I still cringe when I think of that letter.

2 moms found this helpful

L., there seem to be different degrees of bedrest. Mine was complete with medication and Tokos home monitoring. Before I left the hospital, they took me into the NICU and told me that they wanted me to see what I was fighting for. Tiny little babies were in there - if you want to know what I'm talking about, take that hard tour - and I'd say "My baby is bigger than that one, right?" and they would shake their heads no. Man. It was a scary eye-opener. And at the time, a 24 week old usually didn't make it. (Nowadays, such ultra-preemies do sometimes make it, but with dire consequences and such difficult lives, but that's another discussion.)

I was supposed to drink 64 ounces of water a day (and you should be doing this now) because the uterus is a smooth muscle tissue and when it gets dehydrated, it shrinks. When it shrinks, it contracts. Pre-term labor is like a pebble rolling down a hill. They work hard to stop that pebble from turning into a boulder when nothing can stop it. Hydration helps that. Also, peeing often. A full bladder presses on the uterus which can ALSO cause the uterus to contract. So drink and pee, drink and pee.

I was allowed to get up to pee, and that's when I would brush my teeth, sitting on the toilet (lovely.) In the morning, every other day, I would SIT in the shower and quickly wash off. And then pee. The rest of the time, I was in the bed. I ate in the bed too. They had me lay on my left side (not the right). The left side is recommended for those not on bedrest as well.

I had to take a form of terbutiline (brethine) to keep the contractions at bay. Every six hours, which included setting my alarm at night. I would start contracting like mad if I was late with that pill. And I would strap a sensor around my belly and let it read my contractions, and through the phone, send my monitoring into Tokos. Sometimes my contractions were such that I'd have to redo the monitoring. If my contractions were troublesome, off the to hospital I would have to go. That's what the monitoring was supposed to do - prevent me from going to the hospital when I didn't really need to but send me if I was in trouble. It saved a lot of money on hospital bills, though the monitoring was expensive ($12,000 back then.) Considering what my initial hospital bill was, I'd say the insurance company did okay.

I did drive in to see the doctor once every other week. Thank God for that - it was the only outing I got. Once in a while someone would come see me, and I'd sit up for a while, but that always brought on contractions. I was so lucky - my parents-in-law took care of me because we had sold our house out from underneath us and our new house was being built. The doctor was afraid that if I moved into an apartment, I'd lose the baby. I'm sure he would have been right.

I made it to 37 weeks - what a blessing. My son was born with no defects, and he was healthy at 7 pounds 6 ounces.

I hope this has been helpful, but hope you NEVER have to go through it!!

D.

1 mom found this helpful

I was with my middle child. From Feb till the start of April. I would have contractions if I did more than 10 minutes of anything at a time. Then I was let off of it for a week, and my bp skyrocketed so back I went for 2 weeks.

1 mom found this helpful

I was told I needed to stay in bed as much as possible and try to get out only for the bathroom. What a joke that is!! I'm alone with my almost 6 y/o all day... bed rest isn't going to happen. The Midwife wanted to make sure I made it to 37 weeks from THEIR due date, which is the 17th.

As much as I'd love to rest and not walk, stand, bend, etc... it's simply not feasible.

1 mom found this helpful

I wasn't with any of my 3 pregnancies (even if I had been, I hardly think I could have done it!) My girl friend is due this month, and she's been on partial bed rest this entire pregnancy, poor thing! She has a 3 year old and her own business, I thought she was going NUTS on partial! She had bleeding early on due to placenta previa, and she JUST NOW (8 months later!) got her restriction lifted!

Bed rest = don't get up unless absolutely necessary (shower, pee, move from the bed to the couch, etc). Like, DON'T MOVE ;)

Partial bed rest = NO lifting, minimize time on your feet/walking/moving, minimize driving, etc.

I would never be able to do it. Like right now in this stupid back brace... it's finally GORGEOUS out and not too hot for the kids, and yeah, took all 3 of them for a walk!! ;)

1 mom found this helpful

WIth my middle child I had high blood pressure, and was put on bed rest for like three weeks. At 1st it was light bed rest, I could walk around, sit in recliner, then it progressed worse and was placed on restricted. In bed unless I had to go to bathroom.

1 mom found this helpful

Bed rest will vary widely from one mom to the next. Just as every pregnancy varies.

My girlfriend was on strict bed rest-only allowed up to shower and use the bathroom because she had a curclage (sp?) done at 20 weeks. My bedrest was much less restrictive.

So if you are asking for yourself or a friend, you really have to rely on what information and directions the doctor is giving because they are the only one that knows the situation fully.

1 mom found this helpful