Study to look at bed rest

Researchers are looking into how new mothers can rebuild muscles and strengthen their stamina after their weeks of bed rest during pregnancy. A study is to take place at Case Western Reserve University's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, which will test new exercises and educational programmes aimed at helping women learn how to manage their recovery after bed rest and birth. The research is being carried out by Judith Maloni, a professor of nursing at the school, who has been studying the effects of bed rest for almost two decades.

Ms Maloni says that many women who have been sent to bed near their end of their pregnancies to prevent complications do not understand why they suffer from back problems, muscle aches and fatigue while other mothers don't.

She wants to make bed-rest mothers understand that these problems are normal after spending so long in bed.

"They may need physical therapy and other interventions to regain the strength to do normal activities like taking care of other children, doing household tasks or participating in activities in the community or with friends," said Ms Maloni.

For the study, she will recruit 80 women in good physical and mental health who have had at least 21 days of bed rest prior to their baby's birth.

She will look at how successful different forms of exercise are in getting mothers over bed rest.