Why would a pregnant women be put on "bed rest"?

Question

What are some of the reasons and symtoms?

Answer 1

Bed rest is a common practice during pregnancy to alleviate certain pregnancy complications. Some women know it is coming because of medical history whereas others are surprised during a routine checkup. Bed rest is common so don’t be alarmed.

Bed rest will differ from woman to woman and may range from simple periodic resting at home to full bed rest and monitoring in a hospital. Some women will discover that their healthcare provider places them on bed rest for a brief period to help a complication stabilize, whereas other women may be placed on bed rest through most of their pregnancy. Bed rest can be anything from confinement to bed to just taking it easy around the house.

What are the reasons for bed rest?
Your healthcare provider may prescribe bed rest for any number of reasons, but in all cases it is to increase the probability that you continue with a healthy pregnancy. Here is a list of complications that may lead to bed rest:

High blood pressure, such as preeclampsia, and eclampsia
Cervical changes, such as incompetent cervix, and cervical effacement
Vaginal bleeding
Premature labor
Multiples
History of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or premature birth
Poor fetal development
Gestational diabetes
Placenta complications, such as placental abruption, placenta previa, and placenta accreta
How will bed rest help?
In most cases, bed rest is used to help the body have the best chance to normalize. Bed rest will be used with women who have conditions related to high blood pressure in order to decrease stress and lower blood pressure. Work, activity, lifting, or exercise may worsen or provoke certain situations, so bed rest may be prescribed to reduce vaginal bleeding or decrease the chance of premature labor. Bed rest may also be necessary (often on your side) to help increase blood flow to the placenta.

What is the best position for bed rest?
The best position for bed rest will depend on your situation and what complication your healthcare provider is trying to address or prevent. In most cases, your healthcare provider will request that you sleep or rest on your side, usually with your knees or hips bent, and maybe a pillow between your knees. You may be asked to lie on your back while being propped up with pillows or lying on your back with your hips or legs elevated higher than your shoulders.

How can I deal with bed rest discomforts?
Bed rest will tend to cause your muscles to loose tone and make some of your joints ache. Lying down for long periods of time can also reduce your blood circulation. Changing from side to side will help stimulate your muscles and relieve pressure. Exercise is important for you blood circulation, but make sure that you visit with your healthcare provider before you begin any exercises. Below are common exercises that may be used:

Squeezing stress balls
Pressing your hands and feet against the bed
Turning your arms and feet in circles
Tensing or tightening your arm and leg muscles
Avoid using your abdomen muscles when you are stretching or exercising. Again, consult with your healthcare provider on the best ways for you to get exercise in your situation.

“Do's” and “Don’ts” during bed rest:
The “do's” and “don’ts” during bed rest will vary from woman to woman depending on your situation and the reasons that bed rest is prescribed by your healthcare provider. It is important to get a clear understanding of what is allowed during your bed rest period. In most cases, bed rest will require that you avoid lifting, exercise, or any strenuous activity. Here is a list of activities that you may use as an initial checklist for discussing with your healthcare provider on what is ok to do or not:

Cooking
Light chores
Walking
Bathing or shower
Driving
Walking
Exercise
Sexual intercourse
If you bed rest occurs for a long period of time, it is important to discuss exercise or activities that you are allowed to do to keep your blood circulation going.

How can I make the best of bed rest?
Bed rest may sound fun, but it is usually challenging for most women, particularly if it is for longer periods. There are a number of things you can do to make your bed rest a more positive experience:

Establish a routine: Bed rest may lead you to feel that things are out of your control. Establish a routine to help you feel better about your situation and that you are still in control. Change into comfortable clothes and have a schedule for the day.

Spring cleaning: Ok, yes you are stuck in bed, but this is an excellent opportunity to organize photo albums, make changes to address books, update recipes, or whatever other projects that need attention.

Connect with friends: After the baby arrives you will be too busy taking care of things and visiting with friends will probably be out of the question. Use this time to make phone calls that allow you to visit with friends and let them know more about your expected bundle.

Baby preparations: Bed rest provides you with an opportunity to get organized and plan for things related to the baby. You can begin planning for baby names, baby registry, a new will, guardianship, insurance, baby announcements, thank you notes and financials matters. You may also use this time to order things through the internet or on the phone for the nursery or other items you will need to care for the baby.

Medical preparations: Bed rest will also give you time to research, learn and plan to deal with a complication such as the delivery of a premature baby. You can get online or read books to discover how you can be prepared for handling an early delivery or other complications.

Allow friends and family to help: Your family and friends care about you and they are interested in helping you out. They know you would do the same for them, so don’t be afraid to ask for help with meals, household chores or errands. You may even find that people call to ask what they can do to help. Make it easier on yourself by having a “to do” list with you.

Become a parenting expert: Bed rest provides you with an excellent opportunity to search the internet, read books and go through baby and parenting magazines to gain information to help you become a parenting expert. You can learn more about breast feeding, child development, immunizations and other things related to you, your baby and parenting.

Love those around you: Bed rest will require those around you to invest more in the chores, tasks and activities that you may normally have handled. Recognizing your situation, they hopefully will be doing things with a positive attitude already. But you can always take this time to do something for them to show your appreciation such as make a card, write a letter, or order a special gift.

Get organized: Being confined to the bed, does not mean that you cannot be productive whether it is accomplishing things for your family, your home, or just doing something for yourself. Having things at your fingertips will make things easier. Here is a checklist of items you may want near the bed or couch:

Telephone, directory and address book
Pens, pencils and paper
Brush, comb, and mirror
Books, magazines, or other reading materials
Remote controls to TV and VCR
Laptop computer
Cosmetics, nail files, etc.

Answer 2

There are plenty of reasons a pregnant woman might be put on bedrest. If her blood pressure is too high (heavy or tight feeling in chest, difficulty breathing), incompetent cervix (noted by doctor, might have spotting as a symptom), signs of early labor, spotting, baby isn't growing at a typical rate, etc.

Bed rest isn't necessarily for the rest of the pregnancy. A doctor might put a woman on bedrest just for a few days or week to monitor how she and the baby react to the reduction of stress.

If you've been put on bedrest and you're not exactly sure why, give your doctor a call and find out. You have the right to know what is going on with your body, your baby's development, and why different medical interventions are being done, such as bedrest.

Answer 3

Several reasons: If the woman's uterus is weak and she cannot hold the baby inside it, the doctor may put the woman on bed rest to make sure the baby will go to term and not be born prematruely. Also, pre-eclampsi (high blood pressure in pregnant women) is another really good reason to put Mom on bed rest. There are others as well, you should check with your doctor.

Answer 4

in the US the standard hospital stay is 2-3 days. In the hope that the worst of the serious bleeing and other risks will be behind by then. But also in order to lower costs.

in most of Europe the standard hospital stay is 4-5 days, and most women say that based on pain and bleeding down there and other such things, not to mention making sure the new baby is fine, this is not a luxury at all.

in classical Europe, for the haves, it was not uncommon for women to rest mostly in bed for a few weeks (and have the baby fed by a nanny anyway).

Answer 5

main reason for a woman to be put on bed rest is if the doctors determine that she is at risk for miscarriage or pre term labor. Dialation of the cervix and other changes that should not be happening too early can warrant bedrest. There are stages of bed rest. For example if you have some cervical shortening/ contractions early on and your doc is concerned, you might find your self on PELVIC REST: no sex, nipple stimulation or exercise. No house work, no standing for long periods of time, trying to lie on your left side as much as possible, and no lifting anything you can't easily pick up with one hand.

The doctors will choose which restrictions are right for you given your situation.
With actual bedrest there is home bedrest, which has much more kind than hospital bedrest. restricted bed rest; where you cant get outta bed except to use the restroom and shower. Then there is strict bedrest, you might be only allowed to get up to use the restroom with strict bedrest. Then you have what I had my last pregnancy... complete hospital bedrest. That means no bathroom breaks, just you and the bedpan for weeks on end. no showers, no sitting up... if you have any questions let me know :)

Answer 6

I've noticed on here that a lot of women who live in America get put on bed rest because of a threatened miscarriage (spotting/bleeding), but here in the UK they dont do that (they did up until a few years ago until new research came out), as apparently nothing will prevent a miscarriage from happening if its gonna happen!!!
So I guess it depends on where you live, unless it is something very serious that requires hospital treatment etc!

Answer 7

All i know is that they are put on bed rest because there cervix is very delicate , which means that she can suffer a miscarriage at any time thatz why they are on bed rest to prevent losing the baby.

Answer 8

numerous of reasons...I am just gonna give a few..cuz their really are a lot of reasons..
if say the baby does not have enough ambiotic fluid (the fluid that the baby stays in for the whole 9 months..that is how it breaths). If their isnt enough fluid the mother sometimes has to lay on her back or side to keep the baby incased in the fluid...til she is far enough along that she can safely deliver or....Say the womans uterus is tilted and the doctors put a stitch in her uterus to keep it closed and when she gets real far along...sometimes she will have to be bed ridden in order to keep her uterus from expelling her child....their are millions of others....but most of them your doc. can tell you about..hope i helped.

Answer 9

When there's a good reason to worry that too much activity could harm the mother or the baby, like when there's a lot of spotting or if the mother's carrying multiples.

Answer 10

a woman is suppose to be put on bed rest because she can't do alot of things that she use to do there are many things you can do that can hurt the baby especially when it's time to have it pregnant woman need lots of rest.

Answer 11

If your are putting to much stress on your uterus from standing and walking alot. Alot of fatigue, anemia (some doctors will put you on bed rest for this), high blood pressure...many things.