Dr. Stephen J. Pakkianathan

It depends on the reason for being on bed rest. Sometimes, the doctor may want you to lay in bed and not much else, but other times, it can mean "take it easy." Staying in bed for too long can also be bad for the pregnancy and increase your risk of problems like blood clots, so it is important to clarify the reason you need to be on bed rest.

Sometimes, the hormonal cascade that leads to a regular cycle can be thrown off by many things. This can lead to a delay from when your period would normally start. If this is a one-time episode, no need to worry, but if this keeps happening, then you should get evaluated by your doctor.

When you have a pap smear done, we are using a brush to collect cells from your cervix. The tissue on and around your cervix is similar to the gums around your teeth. Occasionally you may notice some bleeding when brushing your teeth so similarly, you may notice some spotting after brushing some tissue off your cervix when having a pap smear.

Your baby will be OK! Dental x-rays have one of the lowest amounts of radiation exposure. Babies are very resilient and have shown no effects of exposure to radiation from x-rays with dosages less than 5 rads (a unit for measuring radiation). A dental x-ray is noted to have 0.0001 rads. Your baby will be fine and there is nothing you need to do other than your routine prenatal care.

Stephen Pakkianathan, MD FACOG