My obstetrician recommended that towards the final weeks of my pregnancy, I put a mattress cover or some sort of padding underneath my sheets, just in case my water should break during sleep. I had never given any thought whatsoever to that, but it made perfect sense. Afterall, who wants to have sheets and perhaps even a mattress ruined from lack of thinking? Our brand new mattress wasn't even completely paid for yet. I went out to our local Wal-Mart and searched for the mattress covers. I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive they were and purchased two of them. I also discovered that they came in crib sizes and purchased two for the crib as well. What a wonderful way to keep the baby from leaving any permanent surprises on the mattress! I felt incredibly naïve for not even having thought about it at all.
I was sitting uncomfortably in bed that night, after putting the protecting our brand new mattress, reading about all of the benefits that mattress covers actually offer. Of course, hospitals use mattress covers for all of their beds, for obvious reasons. They certainly don't want any blood or soilings to stain the mattresses. Of course, that is a prime reason that anyone would use mattress covers. However, I had no clue that getting mattress covers can really cut down on allergies that people have. What I did learn was that mattress covers can eliminate all of the allergens that would be disturbed and become airborne during any movement while we are sleeping. While I may never notice any allergies, someone who is more sensitive will definitely benefit from having mattress covers. Their lives may be made much easier.
What really disturbed me, was reading about the dust mites. I had never given much thought to what "don't let the bed bugs bite" meant, but suddenly, the mere thought of that phrase gave me the creepy crawlies. Reading about them and how many can be in your bed at any given time absolutely repulsed me. I vowed to wash my sheets much more often than I already do. However, mattress covers definitely help to aid in keeping the dust mites from posing too much of a problem. Mites may not be able to breed as easily or readily when mattress pads are present. It doesn't allow them the kind of atmosphere that they crave. That was plenty of reason for me to keep this cover on long after my baby arrives. She would always have one as well.
Two nights later, I went into labor while sleeping. I was quite happy to know that my mattress cover would be saving my brand new mattress from any permanent damage.
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