Knowing more about bed rest

I was fortunate to have a very healthy pregnancy with my son. My doctor described me as a "boring" patient (which he assured me was good) and there was never any mention about me needing to lighten my load or go on bed rest. And, looking back, that made me lucky as I had a full-time job that I didn't want to leave and a lot of other responsibilities.

I have had several friends ordered by their doctors to go on bed rest, and I've listened to the upheaval that it has caused in their lives: My friends are never exactly sure how much activity they really can do, they can't play with their other children the way they would like, their partners are under more stress to help out and they can't perform their jobs. Several of them have told me that they feel like they have been taken out of society completely.

To me, it sounds like they were at risk for depression.

The thing about bed rest, is that none of my friends ever questioned if it was effective, because at the end they all had healthy babies. So, I know that none of my friends would have made a different decision, even if they were presented with the information that bed rest may not be necessary. 

We trust our doctors - especially new Mothers - so when they tell us that we need bed rest and our baby is at stake, it's hard not to question them. But I do think it is worth the conversation to find out exactly what bed rest means, because the consequence to the Mother - including depression, blood clots and general weakness - may be a much bigger toll than the doctor realizes.

Did you ever go on bed rest during a pregnancy? What did you do to occupy your time? Tell me in the comments.