I am not a doctor or medically trained professional. I advise you to seek the advice of your doctor when placed on moderate bedrest. I am only speaking from my own personal experiences with my own diagnosis.
Last week, after learning that I had complete placenta previa and started spotting and cramping, I was put on “moderate bedrest.” I’ve had a lot of pains this time around that have been very different than your typical round ligament pains. It took me by surprise because I am still young and my first two pregnancies had zero complications. I had never heard of “moderate bedrest” until last week. I though there was only “bedrest.” Who knew there was such a thing?
The first thing I did was ask my doctor a ton of questions and then talked to a close friend of mine, who happens to be a nurse, about everything. They told me all the information I really needed to know and my doctor gave me instructions on what to do and not to do. I still did a lot of research on my own and found this article written by the APA that was also very helpful. For me, moderate bedrest means that I am on complete pelvic rest. No exercising and I was instructed to rest as much as possible to ease the pains and keep from bleeding again. Also, I am at a high risk for preterm labor, so operation keep baby in has commenced. Resting will help this process.
What to do after you’ve been put on moderate bedrest:
Ask your doctor a lot of questions about what you can and can’t do. I know a lot of doctors have differing opinions and every pregnancy complication is different, so this may vary.
Do research. I found it helpful and comforting to learn all about placenta previa and what to expect so that I can begin making arrangements for later in my pregnancy for full bedrest if it comes to that.
Rest as much as possible.
Ask for help with your kids and chores. Luckily, my husband works primarily from home and can be here to help me, but he does travel a lot and I have to arrange help during those weeks.
Limit errands and house chores. I have tried to do only a little bit around the house every day. I assign myself one or two chores a day and stop there. I also try to do these tasks while the kids are awake so I can lay down during their nap time.
Get organized. Get prepared as much as you can now for the baby just in case you have to go on full bedrest. I did this by making a list of things I needed to buy for our third baby. Luckily, that is not a lot since we have most of the basics from our other babies.
Set up bedrest stations around the house. Mine are on the couch and the bed. I have books, blankets, pillows, laptop, etc. right at my fingertips so I don’t have to get up constantly.
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*These are just a few of the things I found to be helpful to me, but always consult with your doctor before creating any kind of routine or limits. I am not a healthcare professional, so do your own research and talk to your doctor about your specific needs.
Products that helped me get through moderate bedrest:
Bedrest sucks! I was on 10 WEEKS of bedrest with my oldest son, now 27. Unfortunately, this was in pre-computer days, so I had very little on hand in terms of entertainment. I had books, needlepoint, and daytime TV for 10 endlessly long weeks. It was like being under house arrest. Fortunately, it worked and I ended up with a 10 pound bouncing baby boy, but I feel your pain. Stick with it though. It’s worth the effort to avoid a pre-term baby.
I was on 9 weeks of bedrest with my last child because I was having pretty strong contractions every three minutes for the entire 9 weeks! I am 33 weeks pregnant now and I am actually timing my contractions 3 minutes apart as I write this comment…Looks like bedrest might be in my near future again. Thanks for the helpful post:)
That sounds so scary but I’m hoping this gives you more time to yourself before the baby comes! Hope it all goes well 🙂