Want to sleep on my back

[Deedee3311]

33 weeks, would love to lie flat on my back and fall asleep. But due to many sources saying don't do that because of a major artery being squished and having a bad effect on baby, I am too scared to. My whole body aches during the night as I switch from one side to another, I just. wonder how much harm it would really do by sleeping on your back?!

[Helbelle75]

Do you Have a pregnancy pillow? I have a full length one and I can prop myself up on it so i'm almost on my back but supported.

[DirtyDancing]

I'm a flat back sleeper too normally.

I've been doing the sleep on left thing and my neck, shoulder, hips and legs ache badly and it's crap! If I wake up early morning, (usually around 3am to pee) I allow myself a reprieve and sleep on my back for a bit, just prolong my right side slightly with pillows.

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

Please research the stats for back sleeping and stillbirth. . There is a connection I believe.

[TheBadgersMadeMeDoIt]

I slept on my back right up until 40 wks. Didn't mean to - I'd heard the warnings, and always started out on my side. Then I'd wake in the morning, flat on my back stretched out like a starfish, with the body pillow at the end of the bed/on the floor/hurled across the room.

I'm not saying it's a good idea to do it on purpose. But I'm still here.

[harleysmammy]

ive slept on my left for 35 weeks now..i read from one website not to sleep on the right either and even though all my doctors and midwives and everyone on the internet have said the right is absolutely fine, i cant get that one website out of my head. Sometimes i wake up on my back or if my hips are particularly bad i'll kind of lean on my back my make sure a pillow is propped up so im still some what on my left side. Research does show that left is best and you shouldn't sleep on your back but i guess theres loads of women who do it without problems, my sister being on of those women. I was also told by my consultant that sleeping on your back isnt the best for your baby but it mainly makes your blood pressure rise whilst your asleep, giving you a headache and can make you feel nauseous, but he did say that if your blood pressure rising became a serious issue, you would wake up anyway before it has any affects..you'd just have a bit of a bad head. Personally laying on my back does make my head hurt and makes me feel a bit dizzy but again, so many women sleep on their backs all the way through and have no affects. I think it depends on you, if you're comfortable then thats fine x

[Helbelle75]

I can't lie on my right side any more because of reflux (hideous!), I was alternating because I get bad hip pain on my left. Only 3 weeks left for me though.

[WorriedAndCrazy]

I'm usually a side sleeper but the further on I get the more uncomfortable it is to lie on my side. I'm constantly tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. I've just moved onto my back but will have to change position again in a few minutes as I get very lightheaded lying like this. I've got a full body pillow but not quite sure how to use it so it's just lying beside me doing nothing.

[jcne]

If I lie on my back a certain way I literally cannot breathe, but same for my side tbh. I figure as long as I can breathe and sleep we are both ok. I'm 35 weeks.

[venys]

My first two pregnancies I tried to do the right thing and lie on my left etc but just ended up in hideous pain on the left side. My last one I just slept normally i.E on sides and back and everything was fine. In fact best pregnancy and birth. Baby developing well. I know this is anecdotal but just putting it out there.

[calimommy]

Both my previous pregnancies I always started out on my sides and would wake up on my back. You just do whatever feels natural. Don't worry. If something awful happens it's not because of how you slept!

[JessieMillz25]

I'm always fall asleep on my left side and wake up on my back. No medical professional has advised me either way though, just what I have read on the internet. I'm not sure what you can do to keep yourself In position once you are asleep?

[GingerHanna]

From 'Expecting Better':

Scientific study conclusion - 'Advising women to sleep or lie exclusively on the left side is not practical and is irrelevant to the cat majority of patients. Instead, women should be told that a small minority of pregnant women feel faint when lying flat. Women can easily determine whether lying flat has this effect on them and most will adopt a comfortable position or variant thereof... since finding a comfortable position in bed in late pregnant is not easy, physicians should refrain from providing impractical advice'

HOWEVER

'A recent study has questioned this and deserves discussion. It shows a scary link between maternal sleep position and still birth... It tens out that sleeping on the back or right side was associated with a higher rate of stillborth. The effect is large: the stillbirth rate was about twice as high for women sleeping on their backs. The study wasn't perfect. The sample size was small and the researchers were testing a lot of different theories, not just sleep position.'

THEREFORE

'Most evidence suggests that restrictions on back sleeping are overblown, although one study disagrees. Concrete guidance is limited.'

Personally, I go to sleep on my side and often wake on my back. Not sure there is a damn thing I can do about it so just going to go with it as worrying isn't going to make a joy of difference!

[phoebe2016]

Hi. I have ordered a foam bed wedge, so that it will raise my torso and enable me to have sleeping on my back as an option. Im suffering terribly with SPD and lying on my side and having to turn over in the night, is agony. The wedge will also come in handy, when turned the other way, for sitting up in bed nursing the lo.