Hi there, Laura — It has never been our intention to offer medical advice on this site, nor did I intend to present my history degree as proof of medical expertise. (In fact, I mention it to clarify my field of research.) Instead, as with all of our pieces, we are invested in conducting thorough research and synthesizing it for our audience. I would no further presume to tell anyone to disregard her OB than I would presume to make medical recommendations myself. In this case, cultural assumptions are at odds with published studies and with professional recommendations (whatever you think of them). And I think it’s OK — good even — that women be aware of that. It’s empowering to have this kind of information and discuss it – even when it’s still difficult to grapple with. All of that said, there are so many human elements to this topic, and we couldn’t possibly cover them all here in one place — I’d welcome the chance to hear more about where you’re coming from and your take on this.

Hello Laura — First of all, thank you for your comment. It’s good to get your take.
Let me start by saying I think doctors are incredible people. Some of the bravest and smartest among us, no doubt. I know you are a doctor. I have the utmost respect for your/their training, education and experience (not to mention the sacrifices they make in their personal lives, etc.).

All of that said, the fact is doctors are still human and they are fallible — and… they aren’t always working off the latest research. I can give you so many examples of this (how some cardiologists still practice 1980s cardiology — such as prescribing low fat/high carb diets to their heart patients –that research has proven time after time is harmful — to the detriment of their patients. This culture in medicine where old habits die hard can be very real.

Regarding your comment: “you’re not a doctor, so stay in your lane.” As people who take the time to look at the research objectively and report on it — it actually is our lane. I fully agree that we shouldn’t be giving medical advice – and I agree this particular article can be seen as… aggressive. In fact, after reading all the research for this (you can read it below – (have you read it?) it’s quite extensive), Brit and I had such strong feelings about this, as I’m sure you detected in our writing and editing.

I had a friend just recently who was sentenced to bed rest — on her back — for WEEKS. She told me at one point she actually just wanted to die. She was afraid to get up to pee because it might “kill the baby.” The thing is — most women will do anything to sacrifice themselves for the health of their baby… because reproduction is the most fundamental human drive that we have. So in this case (especially in this case, perhaps) where women are routinely making these crazy sacrifices at great expense to their mental and physical health, their family, other kids, perhaps, their job… 800,000 of the every year. And for what? Why should we not be discussing this??

At the end of the day, we feel that it’s okay to tell women they can question their doctors on this — or at least get a second opinion. And BTW — in addition to the numerous medical journals who have reported on this, we are certainly not the first non-medical outlet to discuss this – and (hopefully) won’t be the last:

The Atlantic: Bedrest Is Bunk
NPR: Rethinking Bed Rest For Pregnancy

(written for general audiences)
Mayoclinic.com: Bed rest during pregnancy: Get the facts
and even WebMD –
WebMD.com: Does Bed Rest During Pregnancy Really Help?
which even says, “What Should I Do if My Doctor Prescribes Bed Rest?
Feel free to question your doctor’s advice. Doctors should be willing to explain their reasoning. It’s important to get clear answers.”

Respectfully, Meg