Uncomfortable in bed

[BonaDea]

I'm 22+6 so have a fair sized bump but am far from huge. I am finding bed very uncomfortable and keep waking up in the morning or during the night feeling stiff especially around the neck and shoulders. I am using a pregnancy pillow between my knees and have been since around 14 weeks because I started to get hip pain. The hip pain has vanished although overall I'd say I don't like the pillow - I feel like it really constrains me.

We got a new bed and mattress when I was around 5 weeks along (unrelated to pregnancy) and to be honest I haven't slept that well in it since then. The bed feels too small (though it is king size) and just generally uncomfortable.

What I'm trying to figure out is whether what I'm experiencing is just normal for pregnancy, or whether the new bed could be the issue in which case I might need to experiment with a different topper / pillow arrangement / or even trying again with the bed.

I feel like to go through another 18 weeks of this quality of sleep will kill me and if it is the bed rather than my body, I'd like to resolve asap.

Hi Bonadea (I am another April thread member!) I have slept fairly well since buying a pregnancy pillow (dream genni) although I do get a bit of leg ache from being on my side I am sleeping well since I have it (I was not sleeping well without it!). It could be that your new mattress is not helping - especially if it is slightly harder or softer than before. Do you have a topper on it? I have a thick down topper on my bed and it is pretty much heaven - they are not cheap but it is like sleeping on a cloud! I would say it would be worth the investment to get a good nights sleep.

hi ruddy and fellow april thread member!

The new mattress is harder than before, but I also have a goose down topper (my new favourite thing in the world!) on top. Mr Bona keeps blaming the topper, but I refuse to remove it. However, I might have to bite the bullet and try the hard mattress without the soft topper.

My pillow is also a dreamgenii - it has definitely helped my hips, but I have to say I'm not a huge fan. I think I feel a bit trapped in bed!

Oh Cripes if the topper not helping am out of ideas! I am sure minus the topper is worth a try though. I do know what you mean about the pillow although I have got used to it now. I hope you get something sorted as we all defo need our sleep more than ever now

Maybe memory foam pillow would work better

Hi there. I'm 29+6 and, like you, have had real problems with sleeping and with the dream genii. I know they are really popular on here but I always ended up waking up with it twisted around me in some horrible fashion where I'd tried to move onto my other side in my sleep! I started with a mattress topper which has now been removed and I do think that has helped a bit for me personally. Also, I ended up just buying one of the old fashioned V shaped pillows from mothercare and I have found it better for me than the dream genii just because I don't get all twisted up. Its definitely still not perfect and I am still finding the sleeping thing really frustrating but it is better. I guess everyone is different! You are probably already doing this but I find pregnancy yoga really helps with the backache that I seem to get from sleeping badly.