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Sleeping positions in late pregnancy

10 replies

Laska · 15/02/2011 08:41

I've always slept on my side and seem to alternate between my left and right side. Obviously the advice is to sleep on the left, and at nearly 36 weeks I am getting stressed when I find that I've woken up on the right.

I'd like to hear happy stories about babies being perfectly positioned even when you've not slept on the left side in the last weeks please as I think the stress is more negative than the position!

Also what strategies (other than banking pillows) have people tried to make sure they stay on the left?

OP posts:

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PipPipPip · 15/02/2011 08:54

I'm 34 weeks and alternating between right, left and back. I have to keep changing otherwise the hip and shoulder I'm sleeping on get stiff.

I personally think that simply GETTING sleep is probably more important than the position, so am not worried about it.

But perhaps someone more knowledgable can come ad enlighten us both... :)

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EauRouge · 15/02/2011 08:59

There's nothing wrong with sleeping on your right side. Sleeping on your left side is to do with improving circulation rather than baby positioning but there's nothing unsafe about sleeping on your right side, it's just slightly better to sleep on your left. Don't stress about it, stress is worse than sleeping on the wrong side

Here as some tips for getting the baby into the right position for birth. HTH.

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JBrd · 15/02/2011 09:12

28 weeks here, and I'm also alternating sides and sometimes wake up to find I'm on my back - not too bothered about it, as long as I can get some sleep, I don't care! Also, if I lie on one side all the time, my hips and legs start to hurt.
As EauRouge says, there are other ways to try and get baby in the right position.

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Mum2Pea · 15/02/2011 09:25

I couldn?t get comfy in late PG. I tried to always fall asleep on my left, but constantly woke to find myself on my right and even my back ???

And the good news? Baby was engaged perfectly and had no imperfections or complications ??? sleeping on your left is advisable, not mandatory,

don't worry about it too much, personally at this late stage, think you being comfortable is more important than anything

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lucy101 · 15/02/2011 09:28

Hi optimal positioning of the baby is pretty complicated (in my opinion) and the best position you should be in isn't always necessarily lying on your left!

I am 39 weeks and forced myself for ages to sleep on my left (I have also done OFP stuff... and baby still not LOA) but now I have researched it more (and got myself into a lot of pain in that left hip) I am turning from left to right... and actually sleeping.

Take a look at this thread which is really a discussion between Doulas etc. but there are some really wise observations by MsBlack in particular about being well rested for labour:

www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/596366/is-loa-better-than-roa

The earlier poster is right about getting sleep being the most important. Another thing to bear in mind is that your baby may very probably have very good reasons for being in the position it is in at birth. I love the bit in the thread about mothers trusting 'the dance' that they and the baby have to do together to birth.

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boredbuthappy · 15/02/2011 10:31

I've resorted to sleeping on the couch with pillows and cushions propping me up slighly. I usually sleep on the left side but regularly flip to my right. I just find that the cocoon I can make for myself on the couch helps me get a much more sound sleep as I tend to stay put in one position comfortably longer. Plus hubby is not snoring in my ear. The couch also offers better back support for me if I place the cushions just right.

I was getting horrible rib pains sleeping on the bed because I think lying horizontal, with the shape one acquires when pregnant, was causing everything to be pushed up into my ribs even further. So sleeping on the couch with my top half elevated has helped a lot.

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Saggyoldclothcatpuss · 15/02/2011 13:42

There are rules for sleeping? Blimey, things have change in the last ten years! When I was PG, I slept practically face down with one leg up right to the end!

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lukewarmmama · 15/02/2011 13:45

Any which way you can, with your dh/dp booted out onto the sofa.

Unless you want the sofa of course.

Really - don't stress about it.

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Alibabaandthe40nappies · 15/02/2011 17:09

I roll from left to right in the night, and quite often need a little push from DH to prevent me from getting stuck

So I am just jealous that the OP can turn over without waking up!

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Laska · 15/02/2011 20:32

Thanks everyone for the advice - Lucy101 that thread is fantastic to read - thank you!

This made me feel a bit weepy (in a nice way!)

"I'm loving this thread about "malposition". As a former labour and delivery nurse, I allowed myself to be terrified of my baby that hung out LOP from about 28 weeks until the day before she was born. I was so convinced at first that a malpositioned baby was a sentence to hospital transfer and endless intervention in labour and birth. My midwife had a significant influence on freaking me out about it, too.

Weeks of crawling around scrubbing floors on all fours, swimming, exercising and doing OFP stuff only helped give me a killer lower backache (I think it was the crawling that did it), and baby stayed LOP.

I meditated on it, and spoke with my baby and told her that I was ready to birth her in whatever position she needed to be in. The evening before she was born, I looked down at my newly changed belly with an LOA baby. My water broke late that night and I had a lovely homebirth the next evening."

How fab

I shall stop stressing and just chill out.