Bedrest. Blah.

[NorahsMom]

Quick history: my first baby was born at 24 weeks. Nobody knows why--no other problems with the pregnancy. Since then, I've had progesterone injections with each of my pregnancies. My last two pregnancies were uneventful and smooth. This time, though, I've been having some cramping and last night I went in to L&D where they said my cervix was still closed and thick but the contraction monitor was picking up a little "irritability". They gave me a shot of terbutaline (which I think was unnecessary--and now that I've read up on it I'm a little upset, but....) which didn't change the cramping at all. Sent me home on bed rest until I see my doctor next week.

So my question is, how the heck is bed rest supposed to work when I have two little ones? We don't have family nearby and dh works full time and goes to school part-time--he's basically unavailable. I need tips for making this thing work. I'm only 23 weeks, and given my history of having and losing a little preemie and all the trauma that goes with that, I HAVE to keep this baby in there for much longer. Any advice?

[daisy7843]

Talk to your doctor about home health. That way someone can come out and help you. I'm on bed rest too, except my mom lives an hour away. She took my 3 & 5 year olds and brings them to visit every other day. As much as I hate TV, let the kids watch some while you lay on the couch. Have them bring books to your bed and read to them. Don't worry to much about the terbutaline, both my OB and my perinatologist have said its more political the medical that it's not being used like it was before. It works much better for me then the progesterone. Good luck mama.

[wordmama]

I agree with the home healthcare advice. Or a pre-natal Doula. Many insurance plans will pay in situations like yours.

Sent from my iPhone using DS Forum

[songbird516]

Science and Sensibility blog had a post about bedrest recently. I certainly wouldn't want to give medical advice, but you should research bedrest and see if you think that it will work for your situation, and if you feel like it's worth it. In general, it's a practice that was never tested and is shown time and again to not have much of an effect on preterm labor, or not to improve outcomes in the long run, but it definitely can be a cause of psychological and physical stress on the mom and the entire family. The recommendation of bedrest persists because doctors just don't know what else to say. I know I might get flamed for pointing that out, but it's just what the evidence says. In the end, you have to do what makes you feel best for your situation.

[Almacham]

Originally Posted by daisy7843 Talk to your doctor about home health. That way someone can come out and help you. I'm on bed rest too, except my mom lives an hour away. She took my 3 & 5 year olds and brings them to visit every other day. As much as I hate TV, let the kids watch some while you lay on the couch. Have them bring books to your bed and read to them. Don't worry to much about the terbutaline, both my OB and my perinatologist have said its more political the medical that it's not being used like it was before. It works much better for me then the progesterone. Good luck mama.

Great advice.

[fish3737]

I remember when you were pregnant with your last one (I was due in April and you were due in May).

My first two pregnancies were preterm and bedrested. The last one ended up with no bed rest. So they can all be different.

When I was bedrested with my second - I was providing childcare for my two nephews as well - the kids were - 11 months, 17 months, and just shy of 3 (they are in my avi picture). We ended up having to hire a nanny to take care of all of us.

It sucked. My sister paid me to take care of her kids. So basically I lost that income, plus I had to pay a nanny (we shared the cost) on top of it. But it ended up only being (I say only now) two months out of my whole life and it worked, and got us through.

[jamilynn84]

First see if your insurance can help out with the cost of care. Then my advice is to hire someone to Watch your kids at least in the morning (from wake up to nap time) and to help with cooking meals. Have DH bring all the quiet toys into the room you'll spend the most time in (for me would be the living room on the couch). Read as many books as thry'll sit for. And let them watch a movie or tv if you have to. Push bedtimes til after dh is home if need be so he can help put them down (it may result in longer naps too). Best of luck mama!!

Apologizing in advance for iPhone typos/autocorrect

[mamaratliff]

I did a modified bed rest with my 3'rd. I was allowed 10 minutes up, then 60 minutes down. In that 10 min I could make sandwiches real quick, throw some dishes in the washer, or attend to the kids real quick. WE mostly all laid around downstairs with the entire upper floor blocked off to the kids. I could see the whole house from the couch basically, plus the back patio. So it worked out okay We had lot's of people from church bring us dinner, and run errands that I couldn't. My dh helped a TON! You just kinda do what you gotta do.

[NorahsMom]

Originally Posted by songbird516 Science and Sensibility blog had a post about bedrest recently. I certainly wouldn't want to give medical advice, but you should research bedrest and see if you think that it will work for your situation, and if you feel like it's worth it. In general, it's a practice that was never tested and is shown time and again to not have much of an effect on preterm labor, or not to improve outcomes in the long run, but it definitely can be a cause of psychological and physical stress on the mom and the entire family. The recommendation of bedrest persists because doctors just don't know what else to say. I know I might get flamed for pointing that out, but it's just what the evidence says. In the end, you have to do what makes you feel best for your situation.

No, I've actually read a lot about this as well. I have to wonder, though, if the research shows that on average it doesn't make a difference but maybe it does in some cases. I mean, when I'm moving around and doing my regular amount of activity, I cramp up. When I lay down, I don't. So...it seems like not irritating the ol' uterus would help prevent pre-term labor. I don't know. The more I'm pregnant, the more I realize how much pregnancy is just a mystery, even to the experts who devote their lives to studying it.

Hopefully this won't last long. I'm really hoping after I get past this critical period where ds1 was born, maybe things will calm down. Who knows? I came up with a plan yesterday that has dh doing the more strenuous stuff (if you can even call it that), like showers, vacuuming, mopping. I can use my brief non-resting periods to handle dishes and folding laundry and whatnot. I'm pretty sure I can even get dd (4) to mop and she'll probably love it. We're just going to go for nasty frozen meals and other super easy things like Trader Joe's Indian Fare. Yum!

Thanks for the advice, everyone!

[songbird516]

Originally Posted by NorahsMom No, I've actually read a lot about this as well. I have to wonder, though, if the research shows that on average it doesn't make a difference but maybe it does in some cases. I mean, when I'm moving around and doing my regular amount of activity, I cramp up. When I lay down, I don't. So...it seems like not irritating the ol' uterus would help prevent pre-term labor. I don't know. The more I'm pregnant, the more I realize how much pregnancy is just a mystery, even to the experts who devote their lives to studying it. Hopefully this won't last long. I'm really hoping after I get past this critical period where ds1 was born, maybe things will calm down. Who knows? I came up with a plan yesterday that has dh doing the more strenuous stuff (if you can even call it that), like showers, vacuuming, mopping. I can use my brief non-resting periods to handle dishes and folding laundry and whatnot. I'm pretty sure I can even get dd (4) to mop and she'll probably love it. We're just going to go for nasty frozen meals and other super easy things like Trader Joe's Indian Fare. Yum! Thanks for the advice, everyone!

Sounds like you have a good plan for now. I would definitely avoid whatever stresses you out the most (as much as possible). I've been reading a lot about the immune system and how it's adversely affected by diet, stress, and medications. I know that my mom's autoimmune illness flares up every time she gets stressed- emotionally moreso than physically. It seems to me like preterm labor is often an immune issue, so it makes sense to treat the immune system if you're having a threat of a preterm birth. I think this is why bedrest doesn't often work- it's not treating the real issue, but rather trying to just minimize physical stress, sometimes to the point of actually causing emotional and psychological stress, which I think defeats the purpose entirely.

Like I said, I'm not a doctor! But I've just come to these conclusions based on research and experiences I've heard from other moms.

Ways to strengthen your immune system-
Get lots of vitamin D3 (sunshine or high quality fish oil supplements are best, or grass-fed dairy)
probiotic foods or a high-quality probiotic pill
as little processed food (including grains) as possible
Natural vitamin C supplement (like a whole food supplement, artificial vitamin C is not as effective in my experience)
moderate exercise as possible for your situation