Pregnant Bed Rest Idea is Overturned; Working Will Not Harm Baby

By ANDREW SWANSON

A NEW study into the benefits of bed rest for expectant mothers has overturned the myth that working long into pregnancy could harm the health of their child.

Medical experts have long believed that without the proper amount of bed rest pregnant women risk developing high blood pressure which in turn could cause problems during birth.

But the study, reported in medical journal The Cochrane Library, has given working mums a lift by claiming that prescribed bed rest does not significantly reduce the risk of infant death or low birth weight in babies.

Researchers studied almost 500 women in four different investigations, concluding that the notion of rest being good for both mother and baby could well be a myth.

The results showed little difference between mums who took a break and those who stayed active.

Author Shireen Meher of the University of Liverpool, said only in cases of severe hypertension (high blood pressure) did significant bed rest make any difference.

She said: "In four studies comprising 449 women, bed rest was not shown to reduce the risk of infant death or low birth weight.

"Two of the studies showed some benefit for women with severe hypertension but despite the fact that rest is frequently prescribed by clinicians to pregnant women few well-designed trials have evaluated the effects of bed rest for hypertension in pregnancy.

"At present, there is insufficient evidence to guide clinical practice on the effects of recommending bed rest to women with hypertension during pregnancy. The studies compared strict bed rest with partial bed rest.

"But researchers found no significant differences in severe maternal hypertension or in untoward birth outcomes between groups.

"Beyond the obvious inconvenience, bed rest in hospital or at home has financial implications for women and their families, and for healthcare services," The investigation even went as far as to say that a sustained period in bed could cause problems of its own.

Dr Meher said: "Prolonged bed rest may be associated with complications such as thrombosis, muscle atrophy or bone demineralisation."

The reviewers note that the majority of women in the bed rest group said they would not choose bed rest in future pregnancies.

Dr Sharon Phelan, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of New Mexico, said the new findings were evidence of how far theories on pregnancy had moved on.

She said: "Much of the push for bed rest came in the period from 1950 to 1960 when hypertensive disease in pregnancy was a cause of significant mortality and morbidity for mother and infant.

"At that time there was neither good medication for intervention nor methods for monitoring the foetus for well-being or compromise."

"Now there are better medications for hypertension in pregnancy, more effective methods to monitor for foetal compromise and the implications of delivery of an infant four to six weeks early are less devastating than in the past