exercise and other restrictions

it's so tough to go from exercising 3-4 times per week, to minimizing any movement whatsoever.

Before this, the longest I had gone without jogging, since I started jogging years ago, was 6 weeks. And that was from 38 weeks pregnant to 4 weeks post partum.

Now I am reaching a new record.

It's tough too because as much as I trust and believe in my OB 100%, my partner and I didn't get the sense that she knew much about what causes strain on the cervix. I really never understood why she said standing is worse than sitting upright, for example. She didn't seem to have a good explanation. My partner and I are logical people - almost to a fault. We are annoyingly logically. When we first started dating, we bonded over our common love for math. Our OB is also incredibly logical and rational, but for this question of mine, her answer felt very lacking.

it turns out that after lots of reading, it sounds like some people with a incompetent cervix are told they cannot sit more upright than at a 45 degree recline because it puts too much pressure on the cervix. This makes much more sense to me.

So while my OB has me on modified activities at work, I am still sitting all day. The only way, I have come to believe (whether evidence-based or not), that I will be avoiding strain from sitting is to sit reclined. so there I am at work. Now no longer completing my full duties, and slouched like a couch potato all day. Lookin' good.

I asked my doctor if I could do any exercises laying down or seated, to prevent atrophy, to maintain strength and encourage circulation. She told me I could do leg lifts, etc. When my partner asked if abdominal strain from leg exercises would put pressure on the cervix, again, she didn't seem to give a straight answer.  It's something I haven't bothered to look up scholarly journals on. I did a quick google search and found almost nothing about what exercises can be done while on bedrest with shortened cervix. I think it's just an uncommon concern, considering the focus is to limit activity.

so every once in a while I get a little gutsy and start doing some leg lifts. Today I even had my son on my legs while I lifted him. But after a while, the paranoia kicks in again, and I give up.

So I think to myself - am I being cautious, or am I now just getting lazy?