Get Sidelines Bedrest Checklist

Activity restriction, including bed rest, is often recommended for women who are at risk for premature birth. However, bed rest has not proved to help stave off labor for women with a short cervix, so it is usually unnecessary for those with this condition.

Depending on the type of bed rest prescribed, your doctor may tell you to have someone else drive you to the office. While you may be permitted to walk from the front entrance to the office, you should avoid long walks and standing for long periods of time.

Sometimes, bed rest means staying in bed all the time, except to go to the bathroom. Or, your doctor may suggest partial bed rest, where you relax in bed for several hours during the day.

Full bed rest usually means you need to lie down most of the day except when you go to the bathroom or take a bath or shower. But every woman and every pregnancy is different. So the amount of activity you can do will depend on your doctor's recommendations.

Here is a list of activities to discuss with your health care provider: Cooking. Light chores. Walking. Bath or shower. Driving. Exercise. Sexual intercourse.

Being bedridden is a form of immobility that can present as the inability to move or even sit upright. It differs from bed-rest, a form of non-invasive treatment that is usually part of recovery or the limitation of activities.