Reasons why bed rest is your savior right now

Team AckoFeb 8, 2024

The day isn’t far when the tiny one inside you would transform into a full-fledged baby, kicking in full-swing to come out of your tummy.

For the mom to be, the first trimester is the most crucial phase and your doctor would have advised bed rest during this period. Do not get panicked and read on to know the various reasons for recommending bed rest for you. 

Kindly remember, you are not alone in this. In India and the world as a whole, bed rest for those special months is quite common for the majority of the women. Around 70% of pregnant women are usually advised bed rest in the first trimester of pregnancy. While it is absolutely not recommended to have too much rest in a normal healthy progressing pregnancy, there are some conditions when your doctor may advise complete or partial bed rest. To begin with, let us know what bed rest is during pregnancy. 

Bed rest in pregnancy

Basically, bed rest in pregnancy means to limit your overall activity in a day to just a few basic activities, such as using the washroom, having a bath. When the doctor advises you not to move even as much as to attend to your basic hygiene, then hospitalization becomes compulsory. 

When you are on bed rest completely, you will save up a lot of energy and this will help you to avoid risks and complications during pregnancy. Let us explore the reasons why Bed Rest could be your savior right now. Your doctor would advise you complete bed rest for the various health issues that could be challenging during your pregnancy. The reasons may include: 

1. Pregnancy bleeding 

Sometimes there may be spotting or slight bleeding during pregnancy. This may be for several reasons like placental abruption, uterine tears or an injured cervix. Any of these might lead to a miscarriage. Your doctor may advise bed rest during your first trimester to avoid worsening the bleeding. You may be in bed rest until the spotting stops. 

2. Placenta previa 

In this case, the placenta is located lower than usual. It blocks the cervix, which is the exit for the fetus. Then the doctor may advise bed rest to avoid putting excess pressure on the cervix and placenta. 

3. Incompetent cervix 

Some women have cervical insufficiency, which means that the cervical muscles are not strong enough to keep the growing fetus in place within the uterus; this may increase the risks of a third-trimester miscarriage. Bed rest is very strongly recommended to avoid any undue pressure on the cervix. 

Grandma’s Tip: Beautiful lady, if you’re advised bed rest during this stage, don’t be upset. There’s plenty of things you can still do to feel like yourself. Like, knitting, some crafts, reading books, and oh, what is that thing you people of this generation keep talking about? Yes, Netflix! Watch some good series or movies on that but go for some light-hearted movies instead of horror or gory ones, you wouldn’t want to freak yourself and your baby out, right? Darna mana hai!

4. Preeclampsia 

This is one of the most common pregnancy connected conditions, which is seen in a number of pregnant women. Symptoms include increased blood pressure, urine protein, facial and feet swelling. In extreme cases of preeclampsia, there is a risk for both the mom’s and the fetus’s life, then the mom-to-be is required to stay at the hospital to be constantly monitored. 

5. Highly active lifestyle 

If you lead a very active life and neglect to pay attention to your nutritional requirements, then you may be advised to take bed rest. Consuming a nutritious diet and staying relaxed will promote a healthy development of the foetus. 

6. Fluctuations in blood pressure 

If your blood pressure tends to fluctuate during your pregnancy, your doctor may advise partial bed rest or limit your level of activities. High blood pressure can lead to the development of eclampsia – a life-threatening high blood pressure condition during pregnancy. 

7. Oligohydramnios 

In this condition, the amniotic fluid volume is lower than the required volume to sustain your unborn baby. As there is too many risk factors involved with low fluid levels, clinically regulated bed rest is suggested so the doctor can monitor you closely. 

8. Multiple Pregnancies 

Bed rest is normally not advised for twins. But in the case of multiple pregnancies like triplets or quadruplets, bed rest becomes absolutely essential. This is because multiple pregnancies are more prone to risks and complications and the safest advice is to just stay in bed until you deliver your babies. 

Some other reasons for bed rest during pregnancy may be: 

If there is a history of miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. Preterm labor or Gestational diabetes. 

For you to have a safe and normal delivery, your doctor would prescribe bed rest for you in order to limit your day-to-day activities. Look into some of the benefits that bed rest during pregnancy can offer you: 

• Bed rest keeps your circulatory system working efficiently and ensures that your baby gets all the nutrients needed

• Bed rest can lower the levels of catecholamines, which are the hormones associated with stress in the body and when it’s level is higher, it can cause contractions 

• Bed rest can lower the stress on your heart, thereby boosting the flow of blood towards the kidney, in turn, preventing accumulation of fluids and leading to oedemas 

• Adequate bed rest also improves the circulation of blood in the uterus and thereby offers extra nourishment and oxygen to the baby

• Bed rest can also help your cervix, placenta, and uterus remain free from any kind of excess pressure

Even when you have no complication and are not advised any bed rest by your doctor, it is absolutely all right and good if you do squeeze in some time from your daily activities for some rest. You have been doing so much work, moving around, taking care of each and everything all these years; it’s time to cut yourself some slack and feel relaxed. So, bed rest becomes a win-win thing, as it gives you the much needed rest and also gives some of the best benefits to your little one inside your tummy!

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.