Bed Rest . . . Far from Glamorous

I was 26 weeks pregnant when I first went into premature labor for the first time (out of three) while I was expecting my twins. At the time I was a medic in the Air Force. My contractions were quickly stopped after recieving a shot of Terbutaline. After a few days in the hospital and some close monitoring, my doctor decided to send me home on complete bedrest. Not only did I not have to go back but I got to do absolutely nothing all day. How lucky, right? I thought so. After a few days I found "unlucky" to be a much better word to use in conjunction with bedrest.

I learned quite quickly that wanting to stay in bed is much different then having to stay in bed. Due to the restrictions my doctor put on me, my ability to care for my 9 month old son was greatly reduced. I couldn't pick him up and I couldn't chase him around. My husband had a full time job and couldn't stay home to help me with our child. Because of this, my mother took on the role of main care giver to my son. Though we lived in Colorado at the time, my mother quit her job and drove up from Oklahoma to come take care of our son. She wasn't able to stay in Colorado but took my son back to Oklahoma with her. Though I knew it was the best choice for my unborn twins as well as my 9 month old son, saying goodbye to my son was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'd never been away from him for one night, let alone weeks.

Expecting mothers on bedrest often find themselves feeling lacking or inadequate, especially those with children. They are no longer able to care for their families the way their use to. Not being able to take care of my son or do anything around my home left me feeling not only inadequate but depressed. I was allowed to get out of bed to go to the bathroom and to take my meals. Aside from my short 5 minute showers, standing for any significant amount of time was a big no no.