Journey to Motherhood :: Bed Rest and High-Risk Pregnancy

Every journey to motherhood is unique, each so compelling. Some of us have more difficult paths to navigate before reaching our final destination, while others follow the straight and narrow, hitting bumps further on down the road. For all of us, however, motherhood is a roller coaster that brings inexplicable joy and unavoidable pain, making us feel as if our hearts might leap right through our chests. To celebrate all of motherhood, we at Wichita Moms Blog are sharing our personal journeys.

Bed rest.

Those two words sound heavenly now. What I wouldn’t give to be told to rest. All day. Everyday.

But three and four short years ago those words petrified me.

When I became pregnant with my first son Luke, it was unplanned. But we were elated. I had a text book pregnancy up until my thirty week OB check-up. At that appointment my world was rocked. At 30 weeks, I had already dilated and effaced and was at risk for pre-term labor. I learned that I had a “weak cervix.” Basically my cervix could not handle the weight of my growing baby. I had no idea. I had never been pregnant before and everything felt “normal”.

At the time, I was teaching first grade and was on my feet a lot. My doctor ordered strict bed rest until I was 36 weeks along. I then quit my job in hopes that I could get to 36 weeks, which was the goal. “Strict bed rest”, I soon discovered, meant I could only get out of bed to use the bathroom and shower. And even THAT was discouraged. During the day I found comfort in Cake Boss and Felicity episodes on Netflix.

I’ll admit, the first few days were blissful. I was rested, relaxed and care free. That is until I began googling on my iPad about pre-term labor and having a weak cervix. After reading blogs, forums, and chats, I completely freaked myself out and thought I was in labor several times when I wasn’t. The internet was my frenemy, it kept me company during the never ending days, but it also supplied me with a constant fear.

I had weekly OB appointments to check for early labor signs. I lived for the weekly OB appointments because that meant I could leave the house!

At 36 weeks and 6 days , Luke Turner Woods entered the world. He was completely perfect and healthy. All of those days on bed rest seemed like a distant memory when I held Luke in my arms for the first time.

Nine short months later I became pregnant with our second son, Jake. My OB, (whom might I add, I completely adored. If she would have told me to stand on my head for three hours a day, I would have) suggested that at 14 weeks along, I have surgery to have a cerclage (fancy word for stitch) placed that would sew my cervix shut hopefully preventing my cervix from dilating early. I followed the doctors orders and had surgery.

After surgery I thought I was in the clear and would not have to endure bed rest again. But I was so wrong. Since I was labeled “high risk” I went to weekly OB appointments. At my 23 week appointment, much to my dismay, I had again began to dilate and efface early. Strict bed rest was ordered immediately, only this time it was for thirteen weeks, which felt like a life time. Did I mention I spent Valentines Day, my wedding anniversary AND 30th birthday on bed rest? At least I could eat. Which is what I felt like all I did. All. The.Time.

The 91 days of bed rest paid off when Jake William Woods was born at 37 weeks and three days, completely healthy.

Through both bouts of bed rest I learned the real definition of the word mom. Being a mom is so much more than a name or job. For one of the first times in my life, I experienced what it truly meant to be selfless. To push aside my own desires and drives and completely unabashedly live and breathe for someone else.

My motherhood journey was full of chaos, confusion, tears and sorrow, but in the end, I became who I always wanted to be, a mom.

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]This post is part of our Journey to Motherhood Mother’s Day Series. Read more posts from this series…[/box]