Joining the bedrest forum at 31 weeks

I am joining the bedrest forum at 31 weeks after ending up in the hospital last WE after a routine ultrasound showed that my cervix had shortened and I was having contractions (and had NO idea). Fortunately, I work primarly from home so I am still trying to work on my laptop but am already bored out of my mind. It is amazing how exhausting lying on the couch can be (as well as uncomfortable)! I would love to hear from folks who ended up on bedrest at this stage and how long you ended up staying on it. I go back tomorrow for a re-check and am hoping that things look better. I definitely overdid it for about a week before my last appointment that ended in the hospital. The babies were 3 lbs. 7 oz. and 3 lbs. 8 oz. at my appt. last week at 30 weeks and 2 days. I'm hoping they might take me off bedrest at 34 weeks or so since it would probably be OK if they came then. My cervix measurement was somewhere around 2 cm (one time they got 2.2 and the other time 1.9 so I'm not really sure of the exact measurement). At my previous perinatal appt. (26 weeks) it was 3.6 cm so they were a little concerned about how much it shortened. Any thoughts and words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I'm not a good bedrest person (as all of my friends and family can attest!)

Amy

 

Welcome to bedrest! The first week is the hardest I think.Im 26.4 and have been here since Last Tuesday and Im getting used to it now.I have a little schedule so it helps.

I own a childrens boutique ,and its VERY hard not to be there,and cooking my twins is more important! I have a online bussiness too (I sell cloth diapers)so ive been paying alot of attention to that part of my bussiness,at least I feel Im doing something!

Also I found some good support from SIDELINES.com.its a website for high risk moms.

Your doing great @ 31 weeks did they give you a FFn test?

Soon we will look back when we are busy with our babies,and wish we had bed rest just one day!

 

QUOTE(orlandojennifer @ Jun 8 2009, 11:27 AM) [snapback]1345826[/snapback]
Welcome to bedrest! The first week is the hardest I think.Im 26.4 and have been here since Last Tuesday and Im getting used to it now.I have a little schedule so it helps.

I own a childrens boutique ,and its VERY hard not to be there,and cooking my twins is more important! I have a online bussiness too (I sell cloth diapers)so ive been paying alot of attention to that part of my bussiness,at least I feel Im doing something!

Also I found some good support from SIDELINES.com.its a website for high risk moms.

Your doing great @ 31 weeks did they give you a FFn test?

Soon we will look back when we are busy with our babies,and wish we had bed rest just one day!


Thanks for the reply! I'm hoping that is true that the first week is the hardest because it is really not fun at all! I think you are correct, also, that a schedule is key but for someone on the go like me (and it sounds like you), I can't believe how exhausting it can be.

They did not give me an FFn test because they said it wasn't reliable with twins or within 48 hours (I think) of a trans-vaginal ultrasound (which is how they determined my cervix was shortening). I'm having another ultrasound tomorrow so I hope that will tell us something good. It would make me feel a little better to have the FFn test because it sounds like if it is negative, I can breathe a little sigh of a relief at least for 2 weeks. Good luck to you and keep me posted on your progress! When do you go back to the doctor?

 

QUOTE(AmyL @ Jun 8 2009, 03:01 PM) [snapback]1346208[/snapback]
Thanks for the reply! I'm hoping that is true that the first week is the hardest because it is really not fun at all! I think you are correct, also, that a schedule is key but for someone on the go like me (and it sounds like you), I can't believe how exhausting it can be.

They did not give me an FFn test because they said it wasn't reliable with twins or within 48 hours (I think) of a trans-vaginal ultrasound (which is how they determined my cervix was shortening). I'm having another ultrasound tomorrow so I hope that will tell us something good. It would make me feel a little better to have the FFn test because it sounds like if it is negative, I can breathe a little sigh of a relief at least for 2 weeks. Good luck to you and keep me posted on your progress! When do you go back to the doctor?

I go on tuesdays for US and Thursday for peri,I just wanted to let you know about the FFn test....I was given one and it was positive,later I found out they are contraindicatated in multi preg,and yes after exam.It was the positive FFn that terrified me in the hospital,it wasnt untill later that night that a nurse told me that they have a HUGE false positive rate.
I got the Betamethasone shots on board anyway...just in case!

Hang in there...keep me posted...j

 

I'm with ya amy! Today is day 10 of bedrest for me and i just want to cry. I had ended up in L&D after massive contractions and the dr discovering i was already 1 cm dilated at 27+ weeks. I'm also an on the go person and while i know i'm doing whats best for my boys, i keep wondering how i'm going to do it. I am at the point where half the time i have to take things an hour at a time or a minute at a time, not simply a day at a time. We can all do this right? U hang in there girl and so will i! :clapping:

 

Hi Amy,

I have been on bedrest for 7 weeks. Wow just thinking about that is crazy! It is 7 weeks today!!

I went in for an u/s and found out my cervix has shortened as well and was put on bedrest. I am 30.4 weeks today. It has been a long haul but I am hoping for many more weeks of bedrest before these babies come. My cervix last week was at 1.1cm and I go for another one tomorrow. Praying that everything is still the same and cervix is holding strong.

Bedrest is hard but the having to visit the babies in the NICU would be a lot harder!

We can all MAKE IT!!!

Bp

 

Hi Amy,

I forgot to mention that I had a FFN test and it was positive. That was over 11 days ago. So hopefully it was a false positive for me!! Nice to hear that with twins that it most likely false!!

Bp

 

Amy, we sound a lot alike! I went to the L&D last week at a hospital in my hometown (I was on vacation, where I obviously over-did it) due to a feeling of pressure in my pelvis. I was shocked to hear that I was having contractions every 2 minutes! I didn't feel a thing. Now I'm on day 2 of bedrest and totally agree with you - it's a pain. But I will be much happier if my babies stay inside for another long while rather than coming out just for my comfort's sake! I've now figured out how to recognize my contractions and I've been keeping a log (thankfully, today they're about 20-30 min apart). I find out tomorrow about my cervix at the U/S. Fetal fibronectin test last week was negative and my cervix was closed (but they didn't do an ultrasound, so I don't know how long it was). Good luck to you - I hope your bedrest pays off with longer pregnancy and healthy twins!

 

Thanks for all of the well wishes and stories. It sounds like a lot of us are in the same boat--on bedrest and not loving it! I went in for another cervix check today and it greatly improved from last week. I had a feeling I really overdid it before last week's appt. and I wasn't drinking enough water in the 90 degree heat. Last week, my cervix was measuring somewhere around 2 cm (they got 2.2 and 1.9) and this week it was measuring closer to 3 cm (they got 2.7 and over 3)!! Bad news is that they told me to stay on bedrest since it seems to be working. I do think the improvement means there is a little more leeway in what I can let myself do at home. She also said they would take me off (or ease up on me a lot) at 34 weeks so I'm 1/4 of the way there having just completed my first week. Knowing that I might be able to ride in the car/get out of the house if I am sitting has done wonders to lift my spirits! I'm also not quite as panicked that the babies are going to come tomorrow. Thanks for all the support and keep me posted on all of your progresses!!

 

Glad to hear things went so well at the dr amy! The idea of being able to leave the house a lil would definitely be a nice light at the end of the tunnel. Its always great and reassuring to hear when bedrest is indeed working, it gives us all hope. Keep those lil girls cooking!

 

I am almost 31 weeks and been on modified bedrest for three LONG days...but after reading all the other stories, I'm lucky! I want to know, what is "modified" bedrest? I am trying to stay down and only get up to feed my 19 month old daughter and put her down for a nap! What is considered safe for the babies? 34 weeks? 35? To all the ladys glued to the computer, hang in there! xo

 

Modified bedrest tends to mean that you can get up a bit if you need to, sometimes you can even leave the house for short trips, but you really have to take it easy. If you end up on strict bedrest it generally means that you end up with no more than shower/bathroom privileges. Each day your babies cook means about 3 days they're not in nicu. By around week 34 drs generally no longer try to stop labor and let them arrive if they insist and its a big goal many ladies look towards. It doesnt mean a baby at 34 or 35 wont spend some time in nicu, but generally its for growing/feeding and body temp, not much more than that.