silly question alert!!

[tgamble13]

slightly paranoid about how to sleep at night! silly i know but i have read somewhere that laying on ur left side is the best side to sleep on but is it really bad to lay on ur right side? i know lying on ur back is a no no but its so hard when sleeping to have control of how u lay! i feel bad if i wake up on my back or right side incase am hurting the baby

Pregnant women aren't allowed to sleep on their back?!

Surely when asleep we roll round into all sorts of positions anyway??

They advise to sleep on your side instead of your back in the later months of pregnancy as the weight of your uterus pressing on your abdominal organs can cause increased constipation, haemorrhoids and decreased maternal cardiac output due to compression of the vena cavae that return blood to your heart. Left is apparently slightly better than right as the vena cavae are positioned right of the centre of your body. The study often quoted when warning pregnant ladies about risks of back and right side sleeping was very small, good NHS article here.

Side sleeping can cause neck, shoulder, back and hip pain so if you do side sleep prop yourself with pillows, particularly one between your knees, but also between ankles and under your bump and in small of your back in the very late stages. You can also sleep on your back if you are propped up on an incline. If you get into a less favourable position don't worry, you will wake up, then just change position. Sleeping on your front will not hurt the baby, you will reach a stage where it is too uncomfortable eventually.

thanks for info mayb ill stop worrying and sleep better now

I sleep on and left and my right.. Usually my right as it's comfier... And sometimes I wake up on my back... And even my belly... Then I think have a squished dd? Lol

Your body will move into the position it's comfiest in... Try not to worry too much. I'm 29 weeks

No matter how much you position yourself as you are dropping off, you cannot control how you turn once you are sleeping.

As the linked NHS article states, the research on which this is based does not show a causal link. Also it covered snoring (also beyond individual control) and other sleep behaviours.

This really isn't one to worry about.

im 22 weeks and end up on my tummy.... that cant be could...

Whatever is most comfortable for you is usually most comfortable for baby too. Is not easy to get comfortable when you are pregnant anyway - I think everyone tries their best. Lying on your left usually aids the digestion as that runs from the right side of your body to the left. But to be honest; I wouldn't worry too much about it though -baby is perfectly protected in its bubble xx

thanks ladies am 24 +5 and wished id posted sooner thanks for putting my mind at ease x

I always worried about this too, but at 37 weeks I'm still sleeping on my front, I have tried not to but its just been impossible, I can't sleep any other way!

Not a silly question OP! I have been wondering the same, so I'm really glad you asked

Now does anyone know how to stop these crazy dreams...?!

Not a silly question! I've been meaning to start a thread on the same topic as I've been worrying that I can't seem to stop sleeping on my back and wondering if anyone knew how much it really matters. It's how I naturally fall asleep and lying on my side feels really uncomfortable. I've been trying and trying but keep waking up in the night back on my back and in a panic about it. So I'm now neither sleeping in the "right" position nor sleeping as well as I used to. I've tried wedging pillows behind me but it's not very comfortable, is it?

Thanks, AnotherStitchInTime for suggesting sleeping on your back but on an incline, I'll give that a go.

17.4 and sleeping face down here! If it gets uncomfy I just bend up a leg into the recovery position. I do often wake on my back though. I cant do anything to control it!