During my triplet pregnancy, I spent three months on bed rest per my doctor's orders. For two of those months, I was on complete bed rest, meaning I could only get up to use the bathroom. I was also allowed to shower once per week, but I had to be sitting down. In retrospect, I can laugh at what I must have looked like at seven months pregnant with triplets (imagine the size of my stomach) sitting in a white plastic lawn chair in my shower. I can't laugh, however, at how much pain I was in. I'll never forget the discomfort, loneliness and extreme boredom of bed rest.

Pain and Discomfort

Perhaps the worst part for me was the pain in my hips from lying on my sides constantly for months. With a high risk pregnancy, expectant mother's are directed to lie on their left side as frequently as possible thereby giving the placenta as much oxygen as possible. This reduces the chances of premature labor. I was told by my doctor if I had to move, I could lie on my right side, but I should get back on my left side as soon as possible. Additionally, in dire situations, I could lie on my back for a few minutes. This was torturously uncomfortable. Using pillows, a foam mattress and anything else I could find to vary my weight distribution was a constant struggle, but it was the only thing that provided relief aside from my husband's nightly ritual of massaging my hips. If you're expecting high order multiples, you'll need to prepare for inevitable bed rest and the discomfort that goes along with it.

Acid Reflux

I also suffered from extreme acid reflux during my triplet pregnancy. This is quite normal with a multiples pregnancy as there is just not enough room in your stomach for the babies and all your organs to work effectively. My doctor allowed me to eat Tums as needed, and I took Zantac every four hours religiously. As much as I did not want to take medications while I was pregnant, I could not eat or drink (not even my required massive amounts of water each day) due to the reflux. My doctor explained that eating enough to give all three babies enough nutrients to grow and drinking plenty of water to ward off premature labor were more important then any unlikely side effects from the medications, which were deemed safe during pregnancy. I don't think I would have made it physically or mentally to 32 weeks, 5 days without them.

Bleeding Gums

During my triplet pregnancy, I only had to touch my toothbrush to my gums, and they would start to bleed. Brushing my teeth was a terrible ordeal. Lifting my arm and head to brush was painful, and rinsing my mouth with water made me gag violently and nearly vomit due to my severe acid reflux. Top it off with severely bleeding gums, and I was a complete mess.

Monitoring Contractions

After I went into premature labor at 28 weeks into my pregnancy, I was admitted into the hospital for four days then sent home with a uterine monitor. Twice a day I had to strap the monitor tightly onto my belly and remain completely still for 30 minutes while any contractions were detected and logged in the monitor's memory. Then I had to connect the monitor to my phone, dial a special phone number, hit a button on the monitor's cradle and transmit the results. A few hours later, someone from the monitoring company would call me to let me know my results. The monitoring process was not only physically difficult as I could barely move, but it was also mentally agonizing as I waited for those phone calls each day to find out if I had four or more contractions during my half hour of monitoring and had to head to the hospital.

Bed Sores

After months of leaning on my left elbow, I had what can only be described as a bed sore. My elbow was purple and extremely painful. I also had sores between my knees from their rubbing against each other during my long hours spent in bed on my sides. Now, three years after my triplets were born, it still hurts when I lie on my side and my knees touch.

The side effects and changes to a woman's body are numerous during pregnancy, and those side effects can be multiplied by two, three or more when you're carrying multiples. Luckily, within a year, most of the side effects will be distant memories, and your body will return as close to normal as it possibly can.

Read more at my follow-up hub, Five More Ways a Twin, Triplet or More Pregnancy is Different from a Singleton Pregnancy.