To sleep on my back when pregnant?

[Snowberry86]

I know I'm not meant to sleep on my back but I'm exhausted and it's the only position i can get comfy in.

As soon as I'm on my side baby starts going mad with kicking and fidgeting as if I've reduced their space and they don't like it.

I'm only getting 3/4 hours sleep a night at the minute and I can't cope with other 12 weeks of this! I've tried numerous pillow options but nothing helps and I need sleep.

This article is pretty well balanced IMO.

You can lie on your back no problem as long as it's comfortable.

Buttmuncher that's like me! I would happily sleep on my left hand side but baby seems to hate and it kicks me so violently I can only stand it for a few minutes!

There are a few recent studies that have shown an association between sleeping on the back and risk of stillbirth. One study shows mothers of stillborn infants were more likely to have slept on their back or right side the night before the birth, as opposed to their left side, than the mothers of healthy babies. They also got up out of bed (e.g., to go to the toilet) less often than mothers of healthy babies. The proposed mechanism is that sleeping on the left, and getting up during the night, lead to better oxygen supply to the baby compared to sleeping in other positions and not getting up. Subsequent studies (like this one) have found similar stillbirth risks for back-sleeping in the last month of pregnancy, but it tended not to be for "unexplained" stillbirths (i.e., these women had other risk factors present).

All this shows is that there's a good chance of a link between sleep position in late pregnancy and health of the baby, and more research is urgently needed (and ongoing). It might be the case that any sleep position is okay so long as you are at low risk of stillbirth in every other way. Or it might be that sleeping on the left really does reduce the risk of stillbirth for everyone. The jury is out at the moment regarding whether maternal sleep position has a causal effect on baby's health, but the possibility can't be discounted.

Personally, I'm trying to sleep mostly on the left, but will also sometimes sleep on the right if I need to move for comfort. But then I'm quite risk-averse.

X post with reallybad - that article is pretty good but a bit out of date now as it misses out on some recent research with better methodology.

I wouldn't be happy with anyone telling pregnant women that it's safe to sleep on their backs in late pregnancy. It might be. It might not. We just don't know enough at the moment to be sure.

When I was pregnant with ds I remember being told not to lie on my back for exercise after about 20 weeks - possibly earlier.

I also read something about trying to lie on your left hand side because that was the best way to get baby into a good position for labour, I think an Australian midwife wrote a book on it but I can't remember what her name was now. Anyway, I religiously slept on my left hand side, didn't cross my legs when sitting and various other things she suggested and my midwife said baby was in perfect position. THEN about 2-3 weeks before I was due, there is an enormous amount of activity in my tummy and ds has moved round so he's back to back. Much good all that effort did me!

As for all the other rules in pregnancy, I think a lot of them are there to put as much pressure on women as possible. Some change - eg tiramisu (egg) is now back on the menu for pregnant ladies.

Snowberry - I remember being taught, as a student nurse, that a heavily pregnant woman shouldn't lie flat on her back because, as others have said, the weight of the baby can compress the aorta, causing faintness etc. We were taught to put a wedge under the mattress, to tip the patient very slightly towards being on their side - it didn't need much, iirc.

Could you put something under the mattress to create a slight slope - you would still be lying on your back, but slightly tilted to one side, if you see what I mean - that would keep the weight of your uterus off your aorta, but hopefully would still be comfortable enough for you to sleep.

Thing that I bought was body pillow
I saw them here www.bestadvisers.co.uk/best-body-pillows
It helps me sleep in any position that I want

Thing that I bought was body pillow
I saw them here www.bestadvisers.co.uk/best-body-pillows
It helps me sleep in any position that I want

Sorry, posted two times