Am I the only one with threatened bedrest due to height?

I have been told that while I had no preterm labor with my daughter, I will most likely end up on bedrest... because I'm so short! I was out of vertical room at about 23 weeks with my daughter, I'm only just under 4'10". I could almost not safely drive at the end of my pregnancy, my tummy was grazing the steering wheel and I couldn't put the seat further back and still hit the pedals. I think the sheer size of my stomach is what is going to worry my doctor, I don't think I'll be able to drive if I make it pregnant and still working much past 30 weeks!

I'm ok with whatever I have to do, I have to take care of the babies... it just seems so bizarre to think my body might carry the babies just fine but I'll be so popped out that I will be stuck at home anyway!

 

I'm 5'8" and even I had trouble driving when I was pregnant with my twins! I had an SUV at the time and had to tilt the steering wheel all the way up and even then it was uncomfortable. I guess you'll have to wait and see how it goes! Good luck.

 

5'6" and VERY short waisted here. (I'm all legs) I never had any problems driving with the twins or any of my pregnancies. I even drove myself to my last appt when I was wheeled over to the hospital to deliver. I think it is very individual and it's a "wait and see type of thing. I have never heard of running out of vertical room. That was never mentioned to me ever in any of my pregnancies or heard anyone else here mention it. (I'm not saying it wasn't very squooshy in there.)
I could see how smaller people could have a higher likelihood of needing bedrest.

 

When I got my first ultrasound and found out it was twins, the doctor said to me, "it's a good thing that you're so tall (6'), short girls have a harder time carrying multiples because they just don't have the room that you do." And I remember my friend who had triplets at 5'5" and how she looked like someone had inflated an intertube and stuck it horizontally under her shirt. And how she could not move after 28 weeks without assistance.

FWIW, I was gigantic and unable to sit behind the steering wheel of my crown victoria even with my seat all of the way back at 30 weeks. My husband had to drive me to all of my appointments.

 

I don't know if I ran out of vertical room, but when the doctor measured my fundal height she found the top of my uterus at the spot where your ribcage meets at 24 weeks. I went outward from there.

At least it's good to hear some taller women had the same issue, so I don't have to feel like the tiny freak, lol.

I have to go to see the midwife tomorrow to check my iron count, I've been more fatigued than I really should be. I'll ask her about it since she's a different opinion.

 

Ok, the nurse midwife I saw today was much more encouraging about my eating - she said 2200 calories a day was what I should be eating and not 1600-1800. She also said it would be good if I could work until February, but I'm hoping to make it to the end of February so I only leave my office for a month and a half of tax season. We'll see. She agreed I will most likely get too big to drive due to my height. She did not agree that twins the same size and same high heart rates were not in danger of a vanishing twin... so that wasn't too encouraging!

 

As another rather short person, I'm all of 4'8', I just wanted to say hello! :wavey:

 

Hi! How did your twin pregnancy go if you don't mind me asking?

 

I'm 5'9" and couldn't really drive after 35 weeks. There was no room nor could I reach the pedals so well b/c the seat was so far back. I also couldn't turn my head/neck enough to check my blindspot.

 

According to Dr. Luke's book a well known book on mulitple pregnancy you should be eating way more than 2200 calories. I am recommended to eat 3500 a day. I don't get that many but it is the goal. And helps to put on the 50-60 lb that she says helps deminish NICU time. Just a thought.

 

I am 5'3.5 and I drove down for my scheduled c-section at 38 weeks in my Minivan. I am long-waisted though so tons of room.
:hug: Try not to worry... take it easy. If it happens, be prepared... :hug:

 

That's a lot! I'm about 40 pounds overweight and very short so I'm suggested to be on the bottom of the weight gain spread for obese moms. When you are shorter they try to encourage you to gain on the bottom of the range because your body doesn't have as much space to put it.

I'm not counting calories at all - I'm eating when I'm hungry and trying to make good choices. Maybe I failed the other night when I got Taco Bell and ate a burrito and a half and a soft taco... but I was sick from not eating enough that day so maybe it was ok? The Snickers yesterday probably would be have been better replaced by the apple and pudding I had in my bag... LOL!

We are saving up like crazy and I've already gotten the lowdown on how to file for STD if I go on bedrest since I have AFLAC. We'll be fine, I just still think it's humorous that my height might be the deciding factor.

 

I sent you a PM.

 

I agree with others about it might get pretty hard to drive. I am 5'7" on a good day and once I found out we were expecting twins, which was at our 20 wk u/s) I started measuring my waistline weekly. I grew 1" a week and ended up at 50" by the end (holy cow I was larger than my dad who's 6'5" and 42" waist ) . My belly was rubbing the steering wheel in my minivan. I hope you don't have any bedrest, but driving might get hard. Wish you a healthy pregnancy!

 

That's interesting that everyone else says they had trouble driving. I'm all of 5'0" on a GOOD day! and I had no issues driving my Ford Explorer. I was on bedrest, but had to go somewhere by myself at 36 weeks and I had no trouble getting in (no running boards) and driving. I did have to put the steering wheel all the way up, the seat back and the pedals as far forward as they would come (thank God I had adjustable pedals!) but with all that the only thing 'uncomfortable' was having to have the seat back all the way up (no leaning) and had to drive with my hands at 10 and 2, but that was probably more nerves and being overly careful than really a comfort thing!


BTW, I delivered at 36w4d - my fundal height measured 52 weeks when I delivered. I was 125lb before getting pregnant, got all the way up to 196 on delivery day (so total of 70lbs gained) and my girls had ZERO NICU time, arriving at 5lbs each. I was on bedrest for Pre-term labor that started at 18 weeks, but they kept me working until like my 6th trip to L&D at 22 weeks.

and FWIW, I got pregnant 9 months later with a singleton, had no issues and was actually still running at 7.5 months (slowly, but still doing it) I gained a whopping 12 lbs with him (started at 140lbs and ended at 162) and he was born a hefty 8lbs 6oz.


Anyways - every pregnancy is different but I hope they don't put you on bedrest due to your height ALONE. That seems a bit overkill if you ask me....

 

I don't think it would be because of my height necessarily, but from simply being so big. With my daughter I gained 28 pounds (10 more than they wanted me to, but she was tiny anyway) and it was hard to drive the last week. My pedals don't adjust and I was sitting as far back as I could in the car. Maybe it's just my anatomy? I'm short waisted, I measured 44 weeks at 40 weeks with my daughter and she wasn't big.