Bed rest is a type of treatment that doctors prescribe to women who are experiencing high-risk pregnancies. It can be prescribed to a range of conditions, such as carrying twins, or having an incompetent cervix or even gestational diabetes, among others.
There are various degrees of bed rest that are prescribed for a wide variety of conditions. All of them have the same goal: to ensure that your pregnancy proceeds smoothly and that you’ll deliver a healthy baby.
This article features some of the things you’ll have to consider after being told to undertake some bed rest.
Keeping your mind occupied
One of the risks involved during bed rest is not keeping your mind occupied enough. If you’re not careful and think about what you’re going to think about, as it were, bed rest may take its toll on your mind and the consequences are perpetual.
This is mostly due to the fact that pregnant women suddenly find themselves with too much time to worry about their high-risk pregnancies. If you plan it out right, you’ll have enough things to think about as it is, instead of giving yourself extra space to worry. Focus on baby names, bedding and cribs, and don’t worry about the other stuff!
How often is bed rest prescribed?
Around one in five pregnant women are prescribed bed rest. Those who are advised to do it are not all given the same period of time to observe. Some are allowed intervals to walk around and leave the house, others are ordered to strictly stick to their bed. It all depends on the particulars of your condition, ultimately.
What activities are allowed during bed rest?
Again, such activities will differ greatly from case to case. You should ask your doctor if you can get up and walk around, climb stairs, what kind of movement wouldn’t be safe and so on.
You should also enquire as to whether you can work, and what type of work you’ll be able to do. For instance, you probably won’t be allowed to do anything physically strenuous, but you may be allowed to use a computer.
You may be able to drive, and there will be certain exercise routines that you’ll be advised to do.
Is it safe?
Some doctors now claim that bed rest actually does more harm than good. It has been around for a couple of centuries, and is an age-old prescription for difficult pregnancies, but some say that it is outdated.
Make sure that you ask your doctor about all the factors involved and if bed rest is the right thing for you.
