Lying on back

[Renaissance227]

I've been told that after 14 weeks I should not lie on my back, but at 17 weeks I don't think I'm going to manage it! Is there really anything wrong with lying or sleeping on your back? Is there anyone reading this who does/did and has/had no problems?

Thanks, but I've already heard all of this. I wasn't intending to sleep on my back but just find it relaxing lying on it for 30 mins or so every evening. Is this really bad or is it just sleeping on your back?

I'm 18+1 and have still been lying on my back for a few minutes just to stretch my back out (I find it gets really achy with side sleeping). You'll soon know when its causing a problem as you'll feel really uncomfortable which will soon make you move to another position! So I wouldn't worry too much about short bursts - you will know when its no longer an option.

Thanks for that KateeHasABunInHerOven. x

I agree with Katee, you won't want to lie on your back soon as your bump will feel uncomfortable. Be prepared with lots of spare pillows and/or maternity pillow.

This one is sort of worrying me. I'm 16+3 and it's about the only position that's comfortable. Mind you, it's not like I'm flat on my back, but I have my thighs/knees over quite a high pillow and two pillows under my head/shoulders - not quite sitting up, but still quite elevated. I'm finding sleeping on my side very uncomfortable, even wrapped round pillows. Must run it past a midwife (I also have past lower back problems to deal with...).

Ignore whoever told you that and sleep in any position that gives you a good nights sleep! You can lie on your back in pg until it gets uncomfortable to do so...and believe me, you will know when that time comes, probably somewhere in the mid 20 wks. At the stage your uterus gets too heavy you will probably experience some thumping in your head, maybe some numbness in your arms and your body is clever enough to move you, even if you are fast asleep. I am 36 wks and have to sleep on my side but if I do roll on my back (which is quite often) I wake up after a few minutes because my head starts pounding.
The sleeping on your left side thing also comes later in pg as it is supposed to encourage the baby into the optimum birth position but at 14 wks your baby has masses of space to move around and you dont need to worry about making yourself uncomfortable.
The pillows thing alas is true, when you adopt whale like proportions you will do anything to get comfortable and if that means DH has to make way for a bed full of pillows then that's how it is!
Honestly..get your comfy sleep now...you will know when its time to think about changing your sleeping positions!

I'm 30 weeks with twins. If I lay on my back for anything more than a few minutes I pass out!

Jasmine is right, I found about 22-26 weeks I couldn't lie on my back anymore as it made me feel faint because the blood couldn't get back to my heart! I'm 35+5 now and I prefer the term Hippo to whale (they are much cuter!) and I find i'm sleeping in any position that lets me get a couple of hours before something starts to ache and wake me up again...including a very naughty recover style one on loads of pillows which involves putting quite a lot of weight on the bump, they don't seem to mind though. :o

joanne I would like to be a hippo...but I regret I am not cute enough and therefore will remain a whale for the duration! Can I have your bump? If I roll even slightly onto my front ...and believe me the first night after delivery I am sooooo looking forward to a bit of frontal sleeping....I get booted black and blue. So that now rules out back sleeping, front sleeping, sleeping on the right side and as of last night sleeping on my left because I'm getting pressure sores...only sleeping on my head or standing up left as available options then.....oh joy!

Thank you everyone.
Joamnezipan I think I sleep in a similar recovery style and love it!! lol

lol at Jasmine51!!

It really is tough isn't it! First time round I was very good and only slept on my side. This time though I have really bad hip/pelvic girdle pain and after a stint on one side then the other the only option left is on my back for a while until my hips recover enough to go back on my side. Recovery posn seems to work for a bit but then my little passenger starts to object! Still my lovely new super comfy superkingsize bed is due to be delivered soon so am looking forward to piling every pillow I can find onto it (and possibly a few spare duvets!) without my DH complaining.

the addition of a few more pillows solves everything, i put one under the top knee when i lean forward. this takes some weight off the bump.

And i'm thinking about one of those dancing hippos in a tutu from Fantasia.

Just to add, I am 32 weeks and still spend sometime during the night on my back, I have really bad PGP and find lying on my side is agony.

I asked my midwife and she said your body will wake/move you before anything bad happens.

This is my 2nd and I did exactly the same with the first with no problems.

I have ALWAYS slept on my back (and my default veg out position on the couch is lying on back too). So, I was a bit worried about not sleeping in the correct position just in case it was detrimental to the baby. After a spot of Googling, I've been a bit more reassured... and the consensus seems to be that your body will let you know if you need to move.

But, I have found my memory pillow to be brilliant as it's firmer. The trick for me has been to have my head raised higher than normal when I sleep on my back. I use another pillow between my legs, and I have actually found this surprisingly comfortable!

The "don't lie on your back" thing is a myth, Google top ten pregnancy myths and it pops up every time, even obstetricians have websites which specifically debunk this myth but almost every baby website includes some comment on this without ever giving the scientific basis for it. The obstetric physiotherapist I was referred to about PGP reiterated this was a myth and explained how the main blood vessel in your abdomen is actually positioned slightly to one side, not exactly down the middle and pointed out that to squash it so much that the foetus suffered you would have first lost some feeling in your legs!

Back in the 60s some obstetrician noticed that during labour lying on your back actually made it harder to push the baby out and sometimes squashed the large vein in the abdomen and suggested alternative positions in labour to the feet up in stirrups position. The pressure of a baby working its way out of your body is far more extreme than anything a normal healthy women experiences lying down and sleeping. This misunderstanding has been extrapolated to ridiculous levels so any women past 14 weeks (when your bump is tiny) are "advised" not to lie on their back.