How bad is lying on your back when pregnant?

[silverfishlondon]

I like lying on my back when relaxing or sleeping. How much of a danger is it really?

Should I avoid it all together, even just half an hour?
Is it just preferable for optimum blood flow, or a real risk to baby?

Im 22 weeks. Thanks

Eek! I hope its ok. Since getting pregnant, lying in my back is the comfiest!

Apparently if you're awake you'd notice the negative impact before it had any harmful effects on you. I don't think realistically it'd do baby any harm without doing you harm beforehand and your instincts would make you roll over before it came to that.

A lot of rot is talked about lying down positions. Just lie how is comfortable. If you become uncomfortable, move.

Lying on your back in late pregnancy can, in theory, compress a major blood vessel. Far more likely to make you feel odd than anything else. But guess what, even whilst sleeping the human body tends to try and ensure you don't hurt yourself. So you will turn over in your sleep.

At 22 weeks I was still sleeping on my back. Soon after it got uncomfortable each time and I had to sleep on my side. Which I hated.

My midwife says you wake up feeling dizzy or uncomfortable before it does anybody any harm, I certainly am very uncomfortable and squashed-feeling on my back now at 35 weeks whereas I think at 22 I was fine and gradually couldn't do it depending on the baby's position. Your body's pretty smart :D I wouldn't worry too much

I'm 34 weeks and if I really can't get to sleep I end up sleeping on my back I get sore legs and its the only postion that makes them feel ok x

It's only really in the last 4-6 weeks that I've stopped lying on my back and I'm now 40 weeks. I've had to stop lying on my back as it's just not comfortable now and I do feel the weight of the baby pressing down on me. As other people have said you will wake up before any damage is done. I struggled to sleep and being on my back was the only way I could get comfortable.

You would awaken and notice if your blood reduced. Pins and needles or baby would feel awkward - it happens later tbh.
The data was for the benefit of women who couldn't do that easily for whatever reason.
If you're worried, prop your torso up a little: inclined is perfectly safe and won't cause pins and needles.

My GP seemed surprised when I brought it up around 18 weeks and told me that it's only much later on towards the end of the pregnancy when lying on my back may not be ideal. I am 25 weeks and try to sleep on my side, hate it, and tend to wake up lying on my back. Plus I have some lie downs on my back during the day, and it seems fine, though I sometimes I notice a strong pulse in my tummy and don't know what that means! Women of older generations, including a friend who is a doctor, tend to totally scoff at the idea you can't lie on your back and they all say they lay on their backs. We seem to have more to worry about these days!

I was worried about this too because I tend to roll onto my back when I sleep, and brought it up at my 16 week appointment, but my midwife said that all the fuss about it is a misunderstanding of the evidence, and that you would wake up if it was a problem, and encouraged me to lie however I felt comfortable. But from about 25 weeks I found that the weight of the baby pressing against my lower spine started to really hurt, and so I'd wake up with backache every time I rolled onto my back (after about another 4 weeks my body finally got the memo and stopped rolling over, but it took a while). So I'd say as long as you feel comfy, enjoy it while it lasts.

I lie on my back a lot (25 weeks) because in that position i can feel the best kicks .

I've only ever felt dizzy once on my back during any of my pregnancies and that was during a late scan so i was completely flat on my back on a solid surface. It was a feeling that you couldn't ignore-i felt hot, faint and nauseous. It went as soon as i moved.

I miss lying on my back. It's more a case of not being able to get up again rather than it doing me or baby any harm! This photo sums it up pretty well...

I feel weird if I lie on my back now (35 weeks) but it's quite a new thing. What I really miss is lying on my front to read. I can't wait to be able to lie on my front again!

I'm 30 weeks, and even when I fall asleep on my side, I wake up on my back, snoring! This happens about four times a night. I also push the duvet off throughout the night.

I have spd quite badly so it can be pretty painful to lie on my side, I think that must be why I roll over. I really miss sleeping on my front!