Bed rest is a normal practice during pregnancy, which often helps in alleviating complications that are found during this time. However, the conditions involved in bed rest always differs from woman to woman, which can range from simple periodic resting at home to a complete bed rest with regular monitoring which is done in a hospital. So while for some women bed rest can be a measure that is taken by the healthcare providers for keeping their pregnant patients on bed for a brief period of time to help a complication stabilize, for other women, they may be placed on bed rest throughout most of the time during their pregnancy.
Nevertheless whatever may be the duration of the bed rest, here are a few facts which are there to illustrate the benefits of bed rest during the term of pregnancy.
1. Decrease pressure on the baby
Once any pregnant woman takes bed rest by lying in a reclining position, this decreases the pressure of the baby on the woman’s cervix. This reduction of pressure on the cervix, helps in reducing stretching of the cervix, which is sometimes essential for arresting miscarriage and preterm labor. Lying in a reclining position during pregnancy also aids in decreasing vaginal bleeding, which is often caused by rapture of the uterine membrane, and reduce contractions caused by cervical pressure on the uterus.
2. Increase nutrients and oxygen to the baby
Bed rest during pregnancy, increases the flow of blood into the placenta, which aids in improving the supply of oxygen and nutrition for the fetus. So for such medical conditions whereby the growth of the fetus has been hindered by problems with the placenta, bed rest is recommended during pregnancy for enhancing the growth rate of the unborn child.
3. Improve the functions of the maternal organs
It has been clinically observed that bed rest helps in making the mother’s organs work more efficiently. Bed rest prescribed for pregnant mother’s aids in improving kidney and heart functions of the patients which is often needed for safe management of high blood pressure or hypertension, which often happens during pregnancy.
4. Treating incompetent cervix
When the cervix of pregnant women shortens early and so the patient needs a Cerclage (a circular stitch around the cervix), bed rest is most often recommended to these would be mothers for treating incompetent cervix. This bed rest can also permeate to a hospital bed rest, if it is found that the shortening has happened early in the second trimester of the pregnancy.
5. Reduce effect of stress hormones in the blood
Bed rest during pregnancy often reduces the level of ‘Catecholamines’ in the bloodstream. Catecholamine’s are certain stress hormones which are associated with dopamine and adrenaline and so can trigger unhealthy contractions during the term of pregnancy.
The do’s and don’ts during ‘Â bed rest while being pregnant varies a lot from woman to woman, which completely depends on the reasons and situations that has made the health care provider prescribe bed rest to the patient.
However, in most cases bed rest will require that the patients must avoid lifting heavy objects, doing exercise or conduct any other strenuous activities that can prove detrimental during pregnancy and also pose a risk to the baby.
