Antepartum Bed Rest: Effect Upon the Family

doi:10.1111/j.1552-6909.2001.tb01532.x

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing

Volume 30, Issue 2, March 2001, Pages 165-173

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2001.tb01532.x Get rights and content

Objective: To identify the effects of antepartum bed rest upon the family. Design: Descriptive, retrospective survey. Participants: A national random selection of 89 women who had been prescribed antepartum bed rest in the hospital or at home and who contacted a high-risk pregnancy support group for information. Main Outcome Measure: An open-ended questionnaire. Results: Families experienced difficulty assuming maternal responsibilities, anxiety about maternal-fetal outcomes, and adverse emotional effects on the children. Child care was managed by various people across time. Child care problems included negative reactions from the children, concern about the quality of the provider, and maternal worry about care. Families also experienced financial difficulties, the majority of which were not compensated by insurance or work benefits. Almost all, 96.6%, families received some type of support during bed rest. Instrumental support was the most commonly received; however, emotional support was considered the most helpful. The least helpful type of support was that which was unreliable. The primary providers of support to the family were parents and family, followed by friends. The women reported that health care providers offered minimal support to the family. Conclusion: Despite support, antepartum bed rest creates difficulties that affect the entire family and its finances. JOGNN, 30, 165–173; 2001.

Section snippets

Method

The sample for this descriptive, retrospective study consisted of 89 women who had been prescribed antepartum bed rest. Women were randomly selected from a nonrandom sample of persons who had contacted a national high-risk pregnancy support group (Sidelines) for information. The investigators obtained a list of random numbers generated by computer by the Wisconsin Survey Laboratory. The list of random numbers was then used by Sidelines to select the potential respondents from the organization’s

Family Difficulties

Women wrote at length about the difficulties their families experienced while they were on bed rest. The majority of responses (84%) could be grouped into four categories. The most common family difficulty was “doing it all” (i.e., assuming tasks that the mother usually did, such as domestic activities and child care, in addition to usual responsibilities) (see Table 2). Women reported,

My husband had to bear the brunt of any discipline issues as well as keep him [the child] entertained, the

Discussion

While only 3.3% of the sample received little or no support, family difficulties encountered during the mother’s antepartum bed rest were extensive. The difficulty experienced in assuming the tasks that the mother used to do is consistent with published studies of partners of women on bed rest (Maloni and Ponder, 1997, May, 1994). Children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties associated with maternal bed rest have not been previously reported but are consistent with results reported for

Acknowledgment

This study was funded by the Wisconsin Nurses Foundation.

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View full text

Clinical StudiesAntepartum Bed Rest: Effect Upon the Family

Section snippets

Method

Family Difficulties

Discussion

Acknowledgment

Nursing Clinics of North America

Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing

The psycho-physiologic effects of bedrest on at risk pregnant women: A pilot study

A guide to effective care in pregnancy and childbirth

Bed rest in pregnancy

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Stressful life events, social support, and mood disturbance in hospitalized and non-hospitalized women with PIH

Canadian Journal of Nursing Research

Perceptions of bed rest by women with high-risk pregnancies: A comparison between home and hospital

Birth

Two factor index of social position

Content analysis

Child rearing concerns of parents with cancer

Oncology Nursing Forum

The family’s functioning with newly diagnosed breast cancer in the mother: The development of an explanatory model

Journal of Behavioral Medicine

Women’s views of the preterm labor experience

Clinical Nursing Research

Clinical Studies
Antepartum Bed Rest: Effect Upon the Family