Strategies women engage in when managing preterm labor at home.

Despite widespread efforts to prevent preterm birth in the United States, greater than 10% of the more than 4 million births that occur each year are preterm. Up to 75% of morbidity and mortality in infants is linked to preterm labor and birth. Bed rest, which may have adverse physical and psychologic effects, is commonly prescribed to manage preterm labor. This study describes the experience of women in programs of home management for preterm labor. Interview data from 25 women treated at home for preterm labor were analyzed with the grounded theory method. Findings from this study indicate that the process of home management of preterm labor involves managing activity restriction. Women employed certain strategies when demands from relationships, households, and careers competed with the prescription of bed rest. These strategies included cheating, piggybacking, and testing the limits of their activity restriction. Implications for research and practice are suggested.