Sleeping on back

[teabagfreak]

I keep going to sleep on my side but wake up in a panic in middle of night because I'm on my back, I'm 25weeks and not got a huge bump yet so it's comfortable enough for me but I'm worried I'm harming the baby.... thoughts? 🤔

It's recommended to sleep on your left side-I think the back thing is due to blood supply, but it'll also be uncomfortable as you go on-I found I couldn't breathe and got panicky ! Try a Dream Genii pillow as they stop you rolling over in your sleep.

The latest advice from the Tommy's charity seems to be: avoid going to sleep on your back, but don't worry if you wake up on your back, just roll onto your side and go back to sleep. It is only based on a relatively small sample though. A pillow behind your back might help you not roll if you are worried about it.

Try not to worry. The important bit is to go to sleep on your side. If you wake up on your back then turn back over to your side to go back to sleep. I found I could wedge myself on to my side quite effectively with pillows but depends how much you move in your sleep!

Don't worry about waking up on your back. The advice from Tommys is that you should try and go to sleep on your side and if you wake up on your back just roll back onto your side.

Yeah I always sleep on side, try to sleep on left side but i started to get a sore hip, or sometimes arm goes numb so I swap sides but no matter what side I'm on most of the time wake up on back, and immediately turn onto side... I have a maternity pillow but normally I sleep with it to the front of me, will try putting some pillows behind me to stop me rolling over.

I struggled with this when I was using a standard maternity pillow. What you need is a giant u or v shaped one. I have it so that my head is at the point of the u/v and then I can have one bit round my front, under bump and between legs and then the other edges right into my back. Took a while to get used to it as I don’t normally like having too much round me in bed, but it has stopped me getting a numb arm or my hips hurting so much and I don’t roll onto my back any more.

Mind you now I’m 31 weeks rolling over in general is pretty much impossible without several items of heavy lifting gear and a health and safety assessment!!

I'm going to say the same as the others and say don't worry if you wake up on your back. I read somewhere that the chances are you have only been on your back for a few minutes and that is what has woken you up. I have to swap sides during the night too. I try and do 2/3 on my left and 1/3 in the middle on my right ( I swap when I wake up to go to the toilet!)

Also just to echo what others have said- don’t worry if you do wake up on your back. So long as you’re not going to sleep on your back and only waking up that way you’ll be fine!