Bedrest Mama's - What does it mean to you?

For those of you on bedrest, what does this mean to you? What boundaries has your Dr. set and what are you allowing yourself to do or not do?

Just curious as I seem to be quite the bad girl.

 

For those of you on bedrest, what does this mean to you? What boundaries has your Dr. set and what are you allowing yourself to do or not do?

Just curious as I seem to be quite the bad girl.

 

Well my bedrest is over but I can tell you what I took it to mean during my stint...

My first week of bedrest was in the hospital. When I came home, I had potty privileges and one shower a day. That was it. Otherwise, it was in bed or on the couch, on my side. No reclining or sitting up. Since I was much more comfortable in bed, that is where I spent my days. I did another 3 weeks in the hospital later in my pregnancy. Again, talk about strict.

No cooking, no laundry, no cleaning. I didn't even get out of bed for a piece of string cheese. I felt guilty when I got out of bed for five minutes to sit in the nursery that my mom and dh were decorating.

My doctor was very explicit about what it meant. So I followed his orders. Plus, my dh was very supportive. I guess I looked at it like this--I knew that I was doing everything I possibly could to keep those babies inside. And that if I cheated, and God forbid they came too early, I knew I could never forgive myself. It just wasn't worth it.

 

I've probably been a bit more lenient with myself than I should. I get up to let the dogs in and out, to use the bathroom and to move from the bedroom to living room. I'm supposed to spend most of the day laying on my side, but my hips get so sore I find myself sitting up more than I should. I've even walked over to my neighbors house twice to spend some time on her couch LOL. I can't help it, I get so lonely here by myself all day. My home-going instructions say I can walk, ride in the car, shower with bathroom priveledges ... then go on to say total bedrest. Oy!

 

After my emergency cerclage (and 3 days of hospital bedrest in the trendelenberg position with bedpan) my cervix lengthened back to 3.5cm, so my bedrest at home was laying down as much as possible but I could get up to potty, shower, and fix myself lunch when DH was at work. Peri said no 3 course lunches, just something quick. I could also come downstairs in the morning and back upstairs at night (our bedroom is upstairs).

When my cervix started to shorten again at 22 weeks I spent another night on hospital bedrest. Went home on very strict bedrest...shower every other day, no stairs unless I had to go to the peri, and potty only. My mom came and stayed with me that week.

I went on hospital bedrest at 24 weeks, for 4 weeks. I stayed stable there so they sent me back home on bedrest. I could do the stairs once a day, shower every other day, and potty. DH normally made me up something I could quickly grab from the fridge for lunch at that point.

 

Eeek - wow - I find it soooo hard, I mean I know everyone does. But being home by myself with two dogs that are in and out and then everytime I want something to eat or drink I have to get up.

My DH is away next week for a week and I really will be by myself so I will have to feed the dogs etc. urgh. This is tough.

 

I would sleep at night in my bed then in the morning switch to the couch for the day. I would get up to use the bathroom, fill my water bottle on the way back and not get up again until I had to use the bathroom again. I was allowed a 5 minute shower every other day. My breakfast was usually a muffin or something, my lunch was left in a cooler next to the couch on weekdays by either my husband or my mom and someone always brought me dinner. I stayed horizontal all day long, including eating, except for my bathroom trips. I was on strict bedrest and I was vigilant about it.

 

my peri hasn't been very specific...but my issues are blood pressure not Pre term labor, so I think it's different.

I spend most of my day laying on my left side either on the couch or bed. I do spend some time sitting up, although my feet are usually elevated except for dinner. I also make myself bkfast and lunch (nothing complicated) and get myself snacks, water etc. We live in a small 2 bedroom apt...so there isn't much distance to cover. I was also working from home until 12/1...so i had the laptop propped up in bed.

when i go to the dr. i usually do one errand on the way home - something quick. My blood pressures have been pretty stable and she said she doesn't think it's contributed to my boys IUGR. I also help around the house a bit - nothing too strenous, but my husband can't do everything and it doesn't cause contractions (dehydration and an irritable bladder are the usual culprits). What kills me is with the water we have to drink and a breech twin, i'm up peeing at least once an hour!

Again, it's best to talk to your dr about specifics - it really depends on why you are on bedrest (based on what i've read).

Miriam

 

When I was on bedrest for partial previa, I was told no laundry, no housework, no big activities, and no sex. I remember her putting it like this ... "Can you fix yourself a snack? Sure. Can you cook dinner? Absolutely not. Can you get up to grab a book? Sure. Can you walk to the mailbox to get the mail? Nope." So, I could bathe (I brought a plastic porch chair in so I could sit while I showered), get up to get myself a drink, snack, things like that, but basically anything involving me being up for over like 5 minutes was not good. THere weren't any restrictions on sitting vs. lying down or lying on a certain side, just that I should spend most of the day in bed and could change positions to a chair for a bit for a change.

My honey had asked if I got dropped off at the front of a mall and sat in a wheelchair if I could be wheeled around a store, and she said sure, as long as it wasn't all day. Same thing for our state fair. Well, I went to state fair in a wheelchair and ended up spotting for 2 days so that idea went out the window.

So, it wasn't super strict bedrest, but I really had to watch what I was doing.

 

No housework, no shopping, no lifting, I just hang out at home and
take it easy!!

 

My B/r experience this time is much different from last time.

I'm at home, I sleep most of the day, get up have breakfast at the table, lie down awhile. Get up, have lunch at the table. Shower sitting down, lie down. Take the dog out. Lie down. Sit around on the computer...

I really don't recline as much as I should because of the damn acid reflux. I'm usually slouched in the big comfy chair, and that's as good as it gets!

This week, I was bad and rode with my husband to pick up DD from her lesson. Last night he took me to dinner. Bad, bad, bad!
But, I'm going to the Dr. office like 3x a week - what's the dang difference???

 

To me it meant, lay on your left side all day, and only get up to pee, take a 5 minute shower a day, and go to doctor's appointments. I did this for 9 weeks, never "cheated", and owe my healthy babies to it!

The way I looked at is this....you can cheat, and then look back and say "what if", or you can stay in bed, and know, that even if you go into preterm labor, you have done everything that you possibly could to keep those babies in.