just seen there's another thread on this but...just how BAD is sleeping on your back??

[flipflopsonfifthavenue]

I'm 27wks pg with DC2.

With DS I always slept on my left side. It was partly intentional - I'd settle into this position as I fell asleep as I'd read it was the 'best' position - and partly I just found it comfortable. I slept with a pillow between my legs from about week 12wk to alleviate hip pain, and lying on my side was obviously the easiest way to keep the pillow secure.

With DC2 I've regularly, since the start of my pregnancy, woken up to find myself on my back. I obviously don't know how long I've been in this position, but I do find it quite comfortable, still at 27 weeks. I also have no hip pain this time, so don't need the pillow (THANK YOU TEMPUR MATTRESS!!!!) I don't start the night off like this, but I almost always end up like this at some point. When I do, I tend to roll onto myseide, guiltily, to fall back to sleep.

I've never felt faint or dizzy, and apart from the occasional kick, I've not felt the baby 'protest' at all (I realise sounds silly - of course it can't protest really, but you know what I mean...) when I'm in this position.

Should I be doing more to stop myself sleeping on my back?

Will I know when I can no longer do it?

Being a fairly rational human being who trusts my body to know what's right, my feeling is that surely we're not designed to be able to INTENTIONALLY harm our babies, and surely if I was putting the baby at risk, there's be some kind of natural trigger that would stop me sleeping like this...?

Am I being paranoid? Am I feeling guilty that I never did this with DS and poor DC2 is already getting the short straw??

Or is the 'problem' really in later pregancy?

I more often than not in both pregnancies would wake up on my back both progressed fine my midwife said whilst she doesn't recommend it there's not much you can do and your body will always try to make sure your comfortable and that worrying about it would do more harm. I hope that makes sense I'm pregnant again and keep finding myself waking up on my back

My midwife told me that I'd get dizzy long before it did anything to the baby. It's later on anyway, I was told about 32 weeks I think from memory.

I really wouldn't worry too much. I'm 39 weeks and have always been a back sleeper. I was really paranoid about it earlier in my pregnancy as I was always waking on my back and found it really comfortable. DH bought me a dream genii pillow designed to stop you rolling onto your back but noooo, I still rolled onto my back except kept waking with the pillow wedged in it so that pillow ended up on the floor every night! I was still sleeping comfortably on my back until not long after 30 wks. Now though I never wake on my back so although I still don't mind it, I think there's something stopping me doing it in my sleep, maybe my body instinctively knows.....it won't harm your baby though, it can restrict blood flow to you. In other countries it's not even a thing they advise against so please don't worry! I've had a really easy pregnancy, no problems, and spent most of it sleeping on my back!

I always sleep on my back and have never been able to sleep on my side, as I got bigger in each pregnancy I just used more pillows to prop myself up.

I had no choice but to sleep on my back from about 25 weeks due to pgp and not being able to lie on either side. I used pillows so as not to be completely flat but would inevitably wake up more on my back than not. I currently have a healthy 5 week old slobbering on my shoulder, so no harm done.

I had no choice but to sleep on my back from about 25 weeks due to pgp and not being able to lie on either side. I used pillows so as not to be completely flat but would inevitably wake up more on my back than not. I currently have a healthy 5 week old slobbering on my shoulder, so no harm done.

I wake up on my stomach - at 32+ weeks. Erk. Sometimes the kid wakes me up by kicking, but basically I'm expecting it to be born slightly squashed on one side!

If you prop yourself up it is different/OK, firstly.

If you roll onto your back, don't worry. Just turn back on your side if you prefer. I asked my consultant (specialist in preventing loss) and they said this.

The risk is from cutting off the veins/arteries running by the spine or slowing them down. You would feel pins and needles, an overwhelming urge to turn over and possibly sick if this started to happen.

The risks, as I read them, increased the risk of stillbirth (in a sample inclusive of higher risk mothers) from 0.4% to 0.6% i.e. still less than 1%, still in the 'zone' of 1/200. Also worth noting that the reason for the back sleeping wasn't looked into: if it correlated with risk factors no one is to know exactly what caused the risk.

I'm 37 weeks and still wake up flat on my back! I dnt feel faint or anything but I try not to,

Also, I've got a friend who is 27 wks and she struggles to even lie on her back for scans as she immediately feels faint and sick. But I've never had this so I think it's a personal thing and you would know if you shouldn't be doing it.

There really isn't much good quality evidence on this. There's a really good analysis of the most quoted in media study here:

www.nhs.uk/news/2011/06June/Pages/mothers-sleeping-position-and-risk-of-stillbirth.aspx

I have fainted twice lying on my back. I feel dizzy almost immediately. I have to ask them to lift the back of the bed up if they want to examine me on my back.

I think it's more of a problem for you (and only a potential problem, which does affect me, but obviously not others) than the baby.