Sometimes you may experience complications during your pregnancy and your doctor may put you on bed rest to protect your pregnancy. This time is usually very challenging as it requires you to spend long periods of time resting at home. Here are a few tips on how to go through this time.
- Accept to Rest and Relax: It is important to decide to relax especially in the case of pre-term labour as this helps to calm the uterus down and stopping or weakening the contractions. Do not decide to do your housework at this time either.
- Involve your family and friends: Let your friends and family know so that they can provide support as well as entertainment. Days spent on bed rest can sometimes feel very long. Friends and family can help with that.
- Avoid all stressors: Aim to keep your stress levels low. Switch off your phone, keep a journal etc. Reducing your stress and taking care of your emotional health will increase your chances of going full term.
- Baths: Taking baths is also a really effective way to get your uterus to calm down when it starts to become active. Remember to keep the water at body temperature (36 degrees Celsius).
- Affirmations: Be attentive to your own self-talk. Be positive. Repeat these affirmations to yourself continually. Keep your faith as you pray for your pregnancy, trusting God to keep you and your baby safe.
- Diet: What you eat affects your baby.
- Calcium especially is supposed to help prevent preterm labour. So eat food rich in calcium.
- Natural yoghurt is a good source of probiotics that help establish good vagina health and prevent vaginal thrush.
- Eating a diet rich in vitamin C seems to help keep the bag of water intact longer.
- Water: Keeping well hydrated at all times can definitely make a big difference. 6 -9 glasses of water a day.
- Polar Bear Position: Take some time and stay in the polar bear position – see picture below. This will take the pressure off your cervix. It’s a position that moves baby closer to your lungs and away from the cervix.
- Avoid Hormonal stimulation: Following your doctor’s advice, you may avoid sex or use a condom during sex, since semen contains prostaglandins, the chemicals which soften the cervix and can lead to contractions. Also, avoid breast or nipple stimulation and having an orgasm, all of which release oxytocin – the hormone which initiates contractions.
