Bed Rest

Is It Time for Bed?

Before you take to your room, find out why bed rest is being recommended and what the limitations actually are.

If your doctor prescribes bed rest, you may assume that it is unavoidable and completely compulsory. Health-care providers typically recommend bed rest when there is a risk of premature labor or the mother’s blood pressure is elevated. Women expecting multiples are more likely to be prescribed bed rest because of the increased chance of premature birth or other complications. Although recommending bed rest is common - nearly one in five women face the prospect of bed rest at some point during pregnancy - no research supports its value in actually helping with these situations.

“Find out why you are being given bed rest and what your doctor thinks it will accomplish,” suggests Julie Webber-Davlin, PhD, LCCE, FACCE, a Lamaze childbirth educator in Arvada, Colorado. “Understanding why will help you deal with it better.”

If you and your health-care provider determine that bed rest is necessary, ask exactly what you can and can’t do while on bed rest. For some women, it just means reducing stress by decreasing activity for a few days, which is valuable advice for any pregnant woman. For others, it could mean being confined to bed 24/7 for several weeks or months. But since that may increase the danger of blood clots and lead to bone loss, many health-care providers are reluctant to recommend such strict bed rest.

Bed rest is not as uniform as its seemingly clear name suggests. Always ask your health-care provider for a clear explanation and advice before you get under the covers. And, even if bed rest is necessary, don’t loose sight of any goals you had for your pregnancy. For example, if you can’t attend a childbirth class, some childbirth educators will do in-home teaching.