STORIES FROM FAMILIES WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED
ITS EFFECTS
Bedrest During a Twin Pregnancy
I was almost 28 weeks pregnant with twins when I was put on
bedrest. I was told that I should be lying on my side 20 out
of 24 hours per day. I could only get up to use the bathroom
and to eat. A home uterine monitoring service was ordered so
my contractions would be counted twice a day. I wish I could
say that I accepted this news gracefully. I did not. I cried
all the way home from the doctor's office. A day later, I was
put on a preterm labor drug called terbutaline when the home
uterine monitoring revealed I was having too many contractions.
Bedrest was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've always
been an active person who exercised regularly. Inactivity was
extremely hard to accept, especially since I knew I had to endure
about 8 weeks of bedrest to reach full term for twins. It also
was difficult to watch the grime and dirty dishes pile up in
our house. My husband tried to pick up the slack, but he couldn't
do it all.
The worst part of bedrest for me was the terbutaline. It made
me jittery and nervous. My hands shook so much from it that
I couldn't write well or do anything requiring fine motor control.
This meant no letter writing, bill paying or needlework.
In addition my bones and muscles ached from lying on my side.
I developed terrible heartburn. I didn't sleep well at night
because I had been lying down all day and because I was scared
of all the things that might go wrong. I also was worried I
wouldn't have the strength to deliver my babies after weeks
of inactivity.
I cried each day I was on bedrest. It upset my husband, so I
usually cried after he left for work. Crying was my stress release
valve. I think it also was a sign of depression.
We had just moved to a new city midway through my pregnancy,
so I didn't know many people. But I found support from a few
other mothers of twins. My mom and dad lived nearby, and my
mom would help with some of the chores I couldn't do. Some people
never did understand what bedrest really was like . When my
best friend found out about my preterm labor diagnosis and bedrest,
she said, "Enjoy your life of luxury."
My twins were born after 5 weeks of bedrest, at 33 weeks gestation.
-Sarah
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