How important is sleeping on your left side?

[mistressploppy]

Just wondering, I get an achy hip after a while and want to lie on the other side - I'm sure it's not catastrophic but how important is it to favour the left? And why exactly?

Thanks...

Am 38wks btw

Its because the main veins back to the heart run on the right and the pregnant uterus can squash them somewhat making it harder for blood to return to the heart. Which then reduces blood flow out of the heart to the body.

I think I've heard someone say that lying on your left is best but either side is better than lying on your back. I strongly suspect your body would tell you if it was causing problems!

I asked my midwife as I really cant sleep on my left and she said sleep however you want, the main thing is you sleep!

Thanks guys. I knew the 'don't lie on your back' thing was due to circulation but not the 'lie on the left' thing.

Cheers

When I was pregnant with my first I laid on my back one night to sleep ...in the morning the phone woke me up ringing and I jumped out of bed to answer. little did i know both my legs were completely numb and I fell down like a sack of spuds ripping the ligaments and tendons in my right ankle !!!!!! So no dont sleep on yr back lol !!!!!!
I am now 28 wks with my 4th and I prefer sleeping on my right side as I too get a sore hip on the left side

I have never heard of this before , in my first preganancy I was fine sleeping anyway right near the end it did get uncomfortable so had to lie on side but apart from that I was fine.

I sleep on my back whilst pregnant-I cant help it-its where I end up.

I am 38 weeks and sleeping propped up on a hundred pillows, so basically sitting up. It is the only way I can get 2 hrs sleep at a time. I am up and down all night as it is. If I try to sleep on my LH side I get appalling pelvic pain and audible cracking, also it aggravates my coughing and heartburn so making me physically puke.

I have been worried about it. Just this morning at the hospital I mentioned it to an obstetric doctor and she said "fine". I get the impression that LH side would be preferable BUT she did not leap up and down and tell me to stop immediately.

I've also been told just sleep how you can. I've got SPD and sleeping on my side gives me terrible pain like heliumballonn I tend to sleep sitting up-ish (also with legs up, like a V!). I asked the MW and she said propped up is fine, it's only completely flat on your back the circulation problems happens, and that you'd know if they were lightheaded or numb legs like willowshimmer. Your body will tell if you if its wrong. Although if you try a new position, do be careful the first time you get up!

mmm it's okay to lie flat if you have your legs up with bolster under them isn't it? like with feel flat on floor and legs bent up?

When does the advice about sleeping positions kick in? I'm only 14 weeks and tend to lie on either side at the moment. Though I'm already finding it difficult to get comfy to sleep altogether, I keep wanting to lie out on my tummy, but don't want to squish baby.

Lie however you are comfortable.

I am comfy either on my back or on my right. So that is how I sleep (30w)

I try to sleep on my sides, ideally left, but I get achy hips too - I keep waking up on my back. To be honest I'm just grateful if I've slept reasonably well. So far I've always woken up alive!

I find wedging a pillow behind my back helps my hips when I'm lying on my LHS and a semicircle of pillows around my head with a V shaped for knees and bump. Often I sleep quite propped up due to rampant heartburn. I have had to move to the spare room to accommodate my pillow harem but so far I've slept much better.

If I turn to the right (normal position) I nearly always have to take gaviscon in the night, whereas if I manage to stay on the LHS I'm now making it through without. (25 wks)

there is this article regarding sleep position near the end of pregnancy
here which suggests another possible reason to sleep on the left, but it still says at the bottom of the article not to worry if it's uncomfortable to do so.