How do you avoid sleeping on your back?

[firstimer30s]

I've been told by the midwife that sleeping on your back is dangerous in pregnancy after 16 weeks. This is my natural sleeping position so even if I start off on my side, I end up on my back. Am super stressed - don't want to endanger the baby!

Anyone found any solutions/ pillows/ other which prevent you from rolling onto your back?

I just wedge normal pillows behind me, so even if I'm on my back, I'm not fully there, if that makes sense?

I am struggling too as my back is my favoured position. Bought a Dreamgeni pillow at the weekend from Mothercare. It wasn't cheap but I have noticed a difference even though I still threw it out in the middle of the night to have a bit of back time too.

You might like to ask the MW on what she bases her advice. The NHS page on this points out that the research about which there has been recent publicity is inconclusive, does not show a causal link, and covers other matters of "sleep hygiene" than just position.

You cannot control your position once asleep (nor can you trust self reporting of sleep position, unless you put cameras on whilst you sleep).

I think the sensible thing to do is to try to drop on off your side, but then accept your eventual position is out of your control and not worry about it.

Whilst sleeping on your left side is the ideal position, that doesn't mean sleeping in other positions is actively dangerous. I'm afraid your midwife has been fearmongering a bit. Meditrina is absolutely right - there's not enough evidence to support telling all women they must sleep on their left side yet. A minority of women will find back sleeping makes them dizzy and feel unwell, and if that's you obviously avoid it, otherwise don't lose sleep over it!
Read Emily Oster's book, Expecting Better, for more info.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated. And will look up book

I was under the impression it wasn't so much about it being dangerous more that it can affect the blood flow making you feel dizzy. The weight of the uterus/baby rests on two major arteries which can affect blood supply for you and possibly slightly for baby.

I'm 16+1 with DC3 and I've just had to start sleeping on my side as I start feeling dizzy and sick. If I sleep on my back for part of the night I wake up with a headache. So I try to stay on my side as much as possible as it bothers me not so much baby.

I bought an inverted U shaped pillow from amazon . It's one of the best sellers and highest rates ones on that site. Have a look.

I sleep with a pillow between my knees - I lie on my side and put the pillow between my knees, parallel to the pillow under my head. This means the pillow sticks out of my knees a bit on either side of my body and stops me rolling onto my stomach or my back.

The first few nights I tried this I just moved the pillow once I was asleep and slept on my stomach anyway. But after a couple of nights I stopped moving it, must've got used to it!

I am 38.5 weeks and I still wake up on my back.. please don't worry. You would naturally turn if you were harming yourself or your baby

I also wake up sometimes on my back, and really enjoy it for as long as I can. I'm 38 weeks and for the last 10 weeks, maybe longer, I have felt too uncomfortable lying on my back, so can only sleep on my side (usually right)- which has lead to hip and shoulder pain!

I think your body will tell you when it no longer wants you to sleep on your back. Just focus on being as comfortable as you can. I get about 1 good sleep out of 7 at the moment, so would recommend you don't go out of your way to make yourself uncomfortable.

I find the giant weight on my front prevents me from sleeping on my back! Am 35 weeks now but has been way too uncomfortable for a long time, I feel very light-headed so it can't be good. If you're comfortable though it can't be causing a problem so I wouldn't worry and enjoy your sleep while you can!

I was going to post a question just about how many people still sleep on their backs...I'm 32 weeks and its the only comfortable position I can find! My theory is that if it were dangerous then we'd automatically adjust our positions...we lie down (usually) when giveng birth, at midwife appointments etc. and noone bats an eyelid.

The same study also suggests that if you only get up to pee once or less in the night you are at higher risk of stillbirth...its one small study, which I don't think has yet been replicated, so I take it with a pinch of salt.

Dreamgenii pilliow is great. I keep rolling over onto my front (not much of a bump yet so doesn't feel weird, probably due to massive tummy), which I'm sure is even worse than the back!

Ooh interesting...what has peeing got to do with stillbirths? I am on dc3, currently 26+5 and sleeping naturally on my back, but noticed I am peeing less this pg than the others...

The peeing thing is directly related to the night before the stillbirth I think from what I recall of reading the research, not on any other nights. But there's an element of what caused what in there too, as there's nothing to say the reduced peeing may be a symptom of the stillbirth (e.g. baby kicking less so you sleep better)

I slept on my back for my previous three pregnancies and will with this one. Your body wakes you up if you're doing any damage or feeling dizzy etc. Not everyone will.

I looked into the research and it wasn't hugely conclusive and we're talking about such tiny tiny numbers here. The Fascist Rag and other sensationalist media might bang on about a 100% increase (figure pulled out the air) in risk but 100% more of (also pulled out the air) 0.1% is not scaring me particularly. Whilst those aren't the actual figures as I can't remember them without looking them up, the actual ones are along similar lines.

I should clarify "Not everyone will" - I mean "Not everyone will do damage or feel dizzy on their backs"

Thanks guys for all the feedback. Really helpful and good to know! Will stop stressing so much... I slept with a pillow behind my back and it was fairly comfortable last night. Rihanna, do you know what your inverted U pillow was called?

im 37+5 and i wake up completely flat on my back every morning. i just do it in my sleep n nothing ever stops me. everything seems normal though, in fact, baby moves more when im laying on my back than he does on my side.
the worse it does for me is maybe trap a nerve in my back or hips x

I'm 30 weeks and I keep waking up on my back. I'm sleeping very intensely (for want of a better word) and I wake up feeling like a cartoon character that has had a load of bricks dropped on them.