PREGNANCY BED REST

This article will be published early in 2005 and describes the psychometric properties of three instruments to measure antepartum depressive symptoms in women treated with hospital bed rest.

This research describes maternal weight loss or failure to gain during antepartum bed rest and resultant infant birth weights.

This article is a short teaching tool that can be used to teach women and their families about how to reduce the risk of preterm birth.

This articles discusses the most recent evidence for reducing risk for preterm birth and emphasizes for nurses the important information that women need during patient education to know if they are planning a subsequent pregnancy.

This abstract of research describes the number of type of symptoms that women have during the first six weeks postpartum. This article will be published in March/April 2005 Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing

This is an excellent article to learn about the side effects of bed rest. This article provides an overview of the effects of bed rest as identified by aerospace scientists and how these findings and research done on pregnant women apply to care of the women treated with bed rest. Helpful resources for women are listed.

This research describes the changes seen in the leg muscles across pregnancy bed rest and the recovery of muscle and accompanying symptoms during the first six weeks postpartum. Postpartum rehabilitation is recommended to for women who have been on long term bed rest to help them recover from bed rest induced muscle weakness.

Dysphoria among high-risk pregnant women hospitalized with antepartum bed rest: A longitudinal study. Nursing Research, 51(2), 92-99.
This research describes the depressive symptoms and positive mood changes that women experience during pregnancy bed rest and postpartum recovery.

This research determined the difficulties that families had when 89 pregnant women across the US were treated with bed rest either in the hospital, at home, or both.

This is a 50+ page book was written at the request of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN). The book is written primarily for nurses. The contents include 1) History of bed rest treatment, 2) A summary of aerospace research on bed rest in non-pregnant persons that relate to understanding the side effects of bed rest, 3) A summary of the research on bed rest during pregnancy, 4) Adverse physiologic side effects of antepartum bed rest, 5) Adverse psychological and social side effects of antepartum bed rest, 6) Recovery from bed rest, 7) Nursing care. 8) It also contains stories about women on bed rest (case studies) integrated throughout the book. 96 References. This book can be purchased for $15.00 through AWHONN, 2000 L St., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20036. 1-800-673-8499 (toll free US) 1-800-245-0231 (toll free Canada), Ask for Education Department. Proceeds go to AWHONN. Nurses can obtain continuing education credits from reading the book.

This article describes the controversy about prescribing bed rest during pregnancy and approaches nurses can take regarding the controversy to help women treated with bed rest.

This article describes a survey administered to obstetricians across the U.S. The survey asked them about their use of bed rest as a treatment, whether they were aware of side effects of bed rest and determined whether doctors agree about the prescription of bed rest for various complications of pregnancy.

This article describes a retrospective study of a national sample of 59 men whose mates were on pregnancy bed rest either at home, in the hospital, or both. Major problems for the fathers were assuming multiple roles, managing their own emotional responses, and caring for their partner. The major paternal worry was for the health of their mate and fetus.

This article is a comprehensive, updated, review of the literature on pregnancy bed rest, and a discussion of issues to consider when conducting research on pregnancy bed rest.

This article describe nursing care of the women on pregnancy bed rest at home. It has a helpful appendix with resources for nurses.

This article describes a study of the physiologic and psychosocial side effects of antepartum bed rest in 17 women hospitalized on bed rest and 18 uncomplicated pregnant controls. Women on complete bed rest had greater gastrocnemious muscle dysfunction, weight loss, and dysphoria than women on partial bed rest or no bed rest. Separation from the family was the greatest hospital stressor. Postpartum recovery from bed rest was prolonged. The severity of the side effects appear to be directly related to the degree of the severity of activity restriction.

This article describes nursing care for hospitalized pregnant women on bed rest.

This is a comprehensive literature review of research about bed rest in non-pregnant and pregnant individuals.