| Learning Objective #1: Apply knowledge of side effects identified by aerospace scientists to the care of pregnant women treated with antepartum bed rest | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the physiological side effects of antepartum bed rest |
This research used nursing, medicine, and aerospace science to question the safety of a common medical practice, i.e. antepartum bed rest treatment which is prescribed for approximately 1 million women per year. There is no evidence that antepartum bed rest treatment is effective and my research now demonstrates that bed rest is unsafe for pregnant women and perhaps their fetus/neonates. The sample for this NIH funded longitudinal study consisted of 147 high-risk pregnant women with a singleton gestation. Women were included if they were diagnosed with preterm labor and excluded if they had a preexisting medical disorder. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used. Results: Maternal muscle atrophy significantly increased across the antepartum and decreased during the postpartum ( p < .05) Women also demonstrated high levels of depression which significantly decreased across time. (p < .001). Furthermore, the mean weekly rate of weight gain by Body Mass Index was consistently lower than Institute of Medicine pregnancy recommendations. Infants’ birth weights were significantly below the mean birth weight of a matched control for the appropriate gestational age, gender and race from the national comparison referent group (p = < .0000). Postpartum symptoms lingered suggesting an underlying morbidity that does not resolve at six weeks, with 66% reporting mobility difficulties. The results are consistent with those of aerospace scientists using nonpregnant samples. Pregnancy bed rest causes adverse side effects of muscle atrophy and weight loss and does not appear to facilitate improved infant outcomes. Residual postpartum symptoms persist across the postpartum. This treatment is associated with iatrogenic symptoms that cause disability. The practice of prescribing bed rest needs to be critically re-evaluated.
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