Who's guilty...

[mandbaby]

...of sleeping on their back during pregnancy?

I know you're not supposed to, but painful hips (due to my previous two pregnancies) means for the past couple of years I can only get comfortable in bed if I lie on my back. I'm only 15+3 at the moment, so I know there's no "danger" at the moment, but I'm worried that as I get bigger I still wont want to try and sleep on my side.

Does/did anyone else ignore the advice and continue to sleep on their back throughout your pregnancy?

Ummm me but I didn't even know this was bad?! Second pregnancy too so no excuse!

My MW worried me sick during my first pregnancy absolutely INSISTING I didn't lie on my back in the second and especially third trimester.

With my second pregnancy, I could only get comfy on my back and so my MW used to advise me to try sleeping in a sitting position .

With this pregnancy, so far, I've been on my back every night and can't see me stopping.

I'm not even 100% sure what the danger is. I think it's something to do with not enough blood being able to pass through the placenta or something. But I really have no idea.

I'm 26 + 1 and since childhood have only ever slept on my back. When I read I wasn't meant to I panicked but even if I start off sleeping on my side I wake up and I've shifted onto my back. Not sure what I'm meant to do about that tbh

I'm guilty and I'm far enough along that I shouldn't.

[http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/qt/backsleeping.htm]

pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/qt/backsleeping.htm

Oops, broken link.

37 weeks here and still sleeping on my back. Try to go to sleep on my side but always wake up on my back. At this point any sleep is a bonus! Never feel dizzy as I am have lots of pillows.

18 weeks and still doing it.

Expecting Better is quite interesting though not entirely helpful. It says some women do become dizzy if lying on their backs, for the reasons in the article linked above, and if this happens of course you should stop. But there's mixed evidence on whether you should stop even if you don't feel dizzy - various bits of research (eg looking at blood flow to the uterus) conclude that this doesn't make a difference, but one small, recent study suggests it can be a problem.

Basically I try to sleep on my side but don't worry too much if I wake up on my back!

I have been advised only to stop if I feel dizzy because if it's restricting anything, I would wake up and it would feel uncomfortable.

I go to sleep on my side and wake up on my back! Doh. Even with pillows.

PS. About.com is on my "Don't read" list from my midwife. Apparently it can scare, and doesn't always have rigorous UK-medical-compatible advice.

You will know about it if it's causing you a problem. Otherwise it's fine. I did it right up to birth with my first.

At my physio today the physio therapist said it's fine to sleep on your back as you are rarely laying completely flat. She advised to have two or three pillows for your head and another pillow under your knees to tilt you. She also said your body will wake you up and you will move before any damage can be done as you will feel uncomfortable

Me! I'm 21 weeks and have always been a front or back sleeper. I've really been trying to sleep on my left side but always wake on my back. I heard that if your body is uncomfortable you'll wake naturally but don't know if there are any proven risks to it.

I'm a tummy sleeper normally one of the hardest things about being preg is I can't sleep on tummy any more, I'm 38 weeks and sleeping is always uncomfortable, I find I wake up on my back some times snoring lol. I turn back on my side but wake bk up on my back lol

thank goodness you're all saying you do this too! I'm 19 weeks and in the last few weeks have been waking up with sore hips when sleeping on my side, and can only get comfortable on my back.

I asked my midwife yesterday if it mattered if I slept on my back, I'm 23 weeks. She said lying completely flat is a no no, as the weight of the baby can compress the aorta and make you feel dizzy and faint.

She said even having just one pillow changes the angle enough and I would be fine. I sleep with 2 normally (and has been cautious and had 3 for pregnancy) she said this was not needed and 2 was fine.

I did up to about 27 weeks. You'll know all about it if it becomes a problem - I can't bear to lie on my back now as I feel as though I'm being crushed. I have constructed a large fort made of pillows with a gap in the middle for my bump now, so I can sleep on my front.

I'm 29+6 and sleeping on my back has got more comfy, not less. I don't get dizzy or anything so assumed it was ok . Also do pilates on my back.

I don't see how you can stop it happening when you're asleep TBH! I have a fancy pillow which helps a bit, but I still often wake to find I've rolled over onto my back or tummy. I also can't get comfy on my left hand side - I usually sleep on my right.

I dont as i never found it comfy but your body will soon make u move if its not happy...u could always try a flatish pillow slightly under 1 side so ur not completely flat!

Sleep on your back for as long as it is comfortable. Your body will tell you if it's not right for you anymore- you'll feel odd.

I wish I could still sleep on my back! At 37 weeks it leaves me breathless immediately and I hate sleeping on my side. I wake up with hip cramps many times a night...

At this stage (36 weeks) I would sleep anyway I could...sleepless nights are killing me! All tips gratefully received.

38 weeks and have given up worrying about it. baby lets me know if he's uncomfortable. I regularly fall asleep on my back but I never sleep longer than 2-3 hours anyway. Doctor told me early on when i was worried about it that even if I tried sleeping on my left people shift around during the night anyway so there's no guarantee I wouldn't end up on my back in the end anyway (which is indeed what tended to happen).

I do sleep on two pillows btw, have to because of heartburn, so maybe that's better, I don't know :-)