Sleeping on my back having a wobble

[JillyCooper2015]

Hi there Netters,

Hope you're all well.

Wonder whether anyone has any thoughts / experiences / info.

I'm 28 weeks, and tend to fall asleep on my back. My partner tells me that when he comes to bed I am usually on my side, or when the cats come and sleep on my bump I move from my back to my side...

All good I thought as NHS website says sleeping on back ok, but babycenter etc say it's bad and I could be restricting his oxygen / blood flow and am now super paranoid that I've broken him :( and messed up his little brain.

[Becciilouisex3]

Honestly I wouldn't worry about it! It's more about your blood supply as to why they don't recommend back sleeping but they don't explicitly say "don't do it" either. It's the artery that your weight rests on when you sleep on your back that's the issue, it can cause lightheadedness and shortness of breath etc.

They do say left side sleeping is best for baby as there's less pressure on the uterus but you aren't going to harm your baby by sleeping on your back so don't worry. You'll most likely get to a point where it simply isn't comfortable to do so anyway when you get big as that's what happened to me! Don't stress!

[MiniLop]

As far as I know, there's no risk to baby sleeping on your back. There's a major artery that runs down your right side, kind of under your bump, that supplies blood to your lower body. So sleeping on your back could put pressure on that and restrict blood flow to your lower body, but as long as you feel comfortable (which you must be if you're asleep!) then it's ok.

[MiniLop]

X-post with Beccii

[Lules]

I really wouldn't worry. When I got very pregnant (like 34+ weeks) I couldn't sleep on my back because it made me feel very dizzy. But you will know if this is happening!

[Laura05]

I slept on my back all the way through with pg 1 and 2. I'm not on pg3 and still sleeping on my back.
Mw told me during first pregnancy that you'll notice dizzy spells/shortness of breath etc well before any harm comes to your baby. Instincts tell you to shift position to prevent yourself becoming unwell so I honestly wouldn't worry about it.
If sleeping on my back is the only way I can sleep then so be it!

[starsinyourpies]

25 weeks and slept most of last night on my back with a toddler asleep across me! We all seem ok today...

[JillyCooper2015]

Thanks guys - as of last night it's left side all the way until I pop to make up for the guilty back sleeping :(

You've made me feel a lot better. It's so stressy this pregnancy lark isn't it. Permanently worrying about breaking him!

x

[Nikki2ol6]

I had a very long scan once and was laying on my back for over an hour and they asked if I felt ok? I said course why and they said.m because it can make you faint by the heavy womb putting pressure on an artery behind it but it doesn't happen to everyone. Don't worry your baby is fine!

[hopeful31yrs]

Sleeping on your back after a certain gestation blocks the inferior vena cava - the major VEIN in the abdomen that returns blood to your heart. It can cause reduced blood return decreasing BP and making you breathless and dizzy once your baby is of a size to compress this which tends to be last trimester. That's why if you have a c section they will tilt the table to stop this affect.

Sleeping on your side is recommended for your health - it was thought that left was best but there is conflicting advice and I think it's not really thought to be a problem any longer. Sleep with a pillow underneath your back to rotate you by 10/15 degrees onto your left/right side or prop yourself upright on your back. As long as you aren't flat on your back you shouldn't have an issue.

[Cynthesizer]

It says right there in the "what to expect when you're expecting" book that you should NOT freak out if you find yourself sleeping on your back! Right there in print :)