Though widely prescribed to cut risk of premature delivery, bed rest is not proven to help, and may even hurt, writes KATHLEEN PHALEN.
WHEN Jessica Cannon started spotting – having a vaginal discharge of a small amount of blood that is sometimes a sign of early labour – late in her second trimester, her obstetrician recommended bed rest to help keep the pregnancy from ending prematurely. Unlike many women who receive this prescription, Cannon – herself an obstetrician in – knows that there’s little scientific support for following the advice.
