Seekking Mom to Be

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I would ask for more information from the doctor. And I politely disagree with the person below who said that doctors don't advise bed-rest for no reason. Bed-rest is frequently advised, but most research shows little benefit for most women and most cases. There may be occasional specific issues (such as premature dilation or effacement, cervical "funneling" or other specific cervical, maternal or fetal issues) for which bed-rest may be helpful and/or a cure; however, it is my personal opinion that most doctor attitudes towards bed-rest stems from the "weak, little woman" complex that doctors in the late 1800s and early 1900s had towards women, and particularly pregnant women.

It may be thought of as little as, "Well, it won't do any harm, and it *might* do some good, so why not?" However, in a random trial in Australia of women pregnant with twins, half of the women were randomly put on bed rest and the other half were not and were told/allowed to continue normal activities. Women who were put on bed-rest were actually *more* likely to have preterm births than those who had normal activities.

This may not be applicable in your case, and there may be a very good reason for you to be on bed-rest, but I would question further. Asking things like,
"What is my level of amniotic fluid?" [This way, you can check it out yourself to see what implications it may be if you are at 25 or 30 or whatever.]
"How much over is my level of amniotic fluid?" [It's not a hard-and-fast rule -- different doctors have different cut-off points for "normal"; and it may be that while your AFI is slightly high, it is not problematically so.]
"How accurate is the AFI test?" [Sometimes the same technician gets different results, based on the way the baby is lying. Sometimes two different technicians can get different results on the same mother. Sometimes amniotic fluid levels can be different a couple of days later.]
"What are the reasons why I might have slightly high levels of amniotic fluid? Why are they problematic? Are there non-problematic reasons why I might have high AFI?" [Some reasons that spring to mind off the top of my head is that some women just have a lot of amniotic fluid. One woman told her story that every pregnancy she would have something like a gallon of amniotic fluid when her water broke (normal is about 1 liter/quart at term); it was just something her body did. It may be that there is something wrong, but it may be that there is nothing wrong; even if there is something wrong, it may be that bed-rest will help the problem or keep you pregnant longer, or it may not. It depends on the reason for the excess fluid.]
"What about a high AFI leads you to recommend complete bed-rest? How will it help? Will bed-rest lower my levels of amniotic fluid? Will it help me stay pregnant longer? Do you have any research you can point me to on this subject that will help me understand?" [It may be something as simple as, the doctor fears the amniotic sac will break because of too much fluid, so he thinks that if you get off your feet, there may be less strain. You may be able to strengthen the amniotic sac -- I've read some women's self-made protocols for that online -- it's things like extra vitamins and stuff, but you'll want to research that and not just take two multi-vitamins because too much of some vitamins like vitamin A can be harmful to your baby. And again, there may be little or no research on the topic, and the doctor is just recommending bed-rest because he's afraid that if he doesn't, you'll complain that he should have; but if something happens while you're on bed-rest, he can say that he did all he could (even if bed-rest didn't help).]

Remember the word "BRAND" when talking to your doctor about this or any other proposed treatment -- ask about the Benefits and Risks of the proposed treatment, any Alternatives, including doing Nothing, and also, how much time do you have to Decide. [In your case, you've probably gotten on complete bed-rest immediately, so there was no discussion about taking more time to make a decision. However, you can always decide on an alternative course in the future, and take your time now while your in bed with your computer to do a whole bunch of research to help you in your decision.] You can use this acronym for almost any discussion you have with your doctor now or in the future, not necessarily just for pregnancy or childbirth.

I endured 13 weeks of bed rest, in the middle of summer, with my little boy. Best advice, get caught up on scrapbooking, learn a new skill like knitting or cross-stiching. TV will get boring, I won't lie, so have a friend stop by the library and check out movies or tv series that you've been trying to get caught up on. Stay off the feet, drink lots of water, and endure it the best you can. Make sure you DH understands the seriousness of bed rest and help him realize he can cook (if he doesn't already). I had friends from church that came over and would prepare a weeks meal with him on the weekend - and freeze it so all he would have to do is come home and put it in the oven. I also have a DD who was 5 when I was doing this so we had a special set up with daycare where they would pick her up and bring her home.... Good luck!

you can go to www.babycentre.com and join mommy due June 2010 club and talk to all the moms who are also due June 2010. I would guess at least one other mom on that site is either on bed rest or had to be with a previous child.

Get yourself to the bed and lay down. Make whatever arrangements you need to for work, house, other children and whatnot from your bed. Stay there until the doctor advises you different or you have safely delivered the baby. Doctors don't put you on complete bed rest for no reason--I wouldn't take any chances if I were you. Three months is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things--do what is best for you and baby right now. Hugs to you--it will be stressful, but over before you know it!

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