Keep waking up on my back

[FingonTheValiant]

How bad for the baby is that? I'm 28 weeks, and despite the fact that I wedge myself onto my side with pillows I wake up 3 or 4 times a night flat out on my back. I think part of the problem is that it's how I slept before and how I'm the most comfortable.

The midwife has got me really panicked, suggesting that it'll starve the baby of oxygen, and now I'm terrified that I'll do serious damage to the baby.

I don't know what else to try though. I got dh to sleep right up against me so i couldn't move, but I just ended up kicking my long pillow out of bed and wiggling across. How does everyone else manage it?

Thanks in advance

You won't do damage to the baby. If the baby is pressing on your inferior vena cava (the big vein bringing up blood back to your heart), it will make you feel sick and you'll move position before it does anything to the baby. FWIW, I am still completely comfortable lying flat on my back (due on Saturday) but have loved my Dream-Genii pillow for keeping me (and hopefully the baby) in a good position overnight.

Hi Fingon - I was concerned about this as well (although I'm currently only 15 weeks!) but spoke to my midwife last week and she said that I shouldn't worry, there is no problem with lying on my back and if there was, you would wake up and not feel comfortable (in other words, your body would let you know that something was wrong). She said that this was the case throughout the pregnancy. Clearly your MW told you something totally different though! My MW said that the main thing pregnant women, and therefore the baby, need is less stress and more sleep and worrying about being on your back or not is counter-productive.

Hope that helps - perhaps you could go and see your GP and ask for a second opinion? Good luck!

Midwife shouldn't have panicked you like that - I haven't heard anything about it doing damage to your baby and still wake up on my back and 38+ weeks, baby is still busily wiggling away like something possessed!

As MrsG says, it will make you feel ill before it effects the baby.

Try not to worry......

Thank you all so much, that's such a relief! I had heard about it making me feel ill, but I wasn't sure if that was the case if I was asleep. Hopefully if I don't worry about it so much I wont keep waking up 3-4 times a night (apart from loo trips, of course).

Thanks everyone

I'm 30 wks and like you, still keep waking up on my back, despite going to sleep on my left. I spoke to my physiotherapist about this and she said that in her training she was taught that about 10% of pregnant women had issues (nausea, lightheaded-ness ...) with lying on their back, therefore she was taught not to do any work with pregnant women on their backs. But like the others say, if your body isn't bothered, then likely you'll fall into the 90% category like me. I agree with notjust.. your body will let you know what feels right.

It might be that you're waking up because you're starting to get the first signs of issues from lying on your back, but that's normal - just roll over onto your side. It's staying on your back after you start feeling crappy that's an issue and if you know what to look out for (so don't ignore the symptoms), I don't think anyone would do this - you won't stay asleep like that, don't worry!

If you're comfortable like that, I wouldn't worry - I think our bodies are quite good at telling us what to do. Otherwise generations of women would have starved their babies of oxygen before the advice not to sleep on your back was well known!

I haven't been able to lie on my back since about 30 weeks though without feeling sick and dizzy, which is irritating as I'm waking up every couple of hours through the night because of it.

Another vote for the Dream Genii pillow - I've been using it about a week and it seems to keep me on my side far more than I would have otherwise.

Ok, great. So if I feel bad I'll move, and if not I'll just relax and go back to sleep Good point about the previous generations, MoonUnit.

I just wish that if my body doesn't like it it would remember and not roll over