Sleeping on back.. Third trimester

[Ihaterapmusic]

So this is the only place I'd be comfortable. Midwife said try to avoid due to the main artery etc.
However just looked on NHS website and it said sleep however is comfortable however some people find it isn't..
I just need sleep. I'm that shattered.. Getting max 2/3 hours in a night. And that's broken. That I nearly crashed my car today as I can't focus :(

Have you got a pregnancy pillow which you can put between your legs? I would be lost without the theraline- it's like a long bean bag.

Yep and makes me feel claustrophobic.. Silly I know

I'm in the third trimester and still sleeping on my back - in fact I sleep however I can get comfy! I have a maternity pillow but ends up on the floor after a few hours x

I put a normal pillow kind of half under my back so I’m not absolutely flat on my back. Means the weight of bump isn’t pressing down into my back; I can feel the difference. 36+5 with twins plus a worried toddler with a horrendous cold waking at least twice a night and need every minute of sleep I can get!

Advice has changed recently so perhaps midwife isn't up to date. NHS website is most up to date I think.

I don't mean to be dramatic but there was research published late last year that suggested back sleeping later in pregnancy increases the risk of still birth. Tommy's ran a campaign about it.

www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/pregnancy-calendar/third-trimester-weeks-29-40/sleep-position-pregnancy-qa

I'm 39 weeks pregnant and hated using lots of pillows too. I've found using one sofa cushion is much comfier for me. The lack of sleep in later pregnancy is pretty normal. Could you nap at any point? Until maternity leave, I was getting home from work at 5ish and then sleeping till DH had finished cooking dinner about half 6. I know everyone is different and I was lucky with that option (I did get up at 5.30am for work though!)

I have always been a back sleeper and was told to avoid it too, it's so difficult to get to sleep and I always wake up back on my back.

I use my pregnancy pillow (normal pillow will work too) and put it right snug against my back and the lean back on it. I find it's the only compromise I can do. Not full on my back but leaning backwards with the pillow supporting me. I also tuck the edge of the cover round my bump to support it like almost cup it.

I don't understand how you're supposed to sleep on your side at 38 weeks pregnant with a baby as fidgety as mine I feel like he is kicking me over into my back for more room!

My sister when she was pregnant use to prop herself up and sit up more so the strain wasn't on her back maybe that's something you could try too?

It’s really not recommended, see here:
www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/im-pregnant/pregnancy-calendar/third-trimester-weeks-29-40/sleep-position-pregnancy-qa

I would speak to your doctor if you are struggling that much to sleep, there may be something else they can do to help.

I really struggled as well due to awful sciatica which meant I was uncomfortable everywhere but just could not lie on my left side at all.

Have an experiment with more/less pillows under your head. I found I could sort of prop myself over to the right if I rolled up a towel and supported my bump, then a small cushion in the small of my back and a flattish pillow between my knees. Which was great till I needed a wee

Try not to worry too much, if you really can only sleep on your back then prop yourself up as much as possible so you’re not completely flat.

Try sleeping on a recliner or sofa. I gave my sister my recliner for the whole of her last trimester as she could only sleep on her back - but she was also fine when slightly upright.

Pregnancy is pain unfortunately - if you're not comfortable you just have to grin and bear it. I desperately want to sleep on my back but daren't due to the risk of stillbirth. As a last resort I prop myself on pillows and sleep virtually sitting up. Can't wait to give birth and have a comfy sleep on my back!

I was told - by a reliable source- that if lying on your back will be problematic, you will become symptomatic before baby. This was certainly the case with me. I couldn't tolerate lying on my back without symptoms. For me that included palpitations, dizziness and becoming lightheaded. It got to the point where I couldn't lie back for scans - had to lie in my side. I had to sleep on an armchair downstairs for most of my third trimester

Can you prop yourself up so you're at an angle and not flat on your back? As pps have suggested try extra cushions, maybe the sofa? I sympathise though have to say I love my pregnancy pillow!

I heard the recent research discussed on BBC woman's hour and I think they said either side is fine to go to sleep on. However if you really can't then maybe it is more important to get the sleep and just lie on your back.

Thank you will try pillow on back again.
I won't sleep on my back x

Yes I can occasionally sometimes nap straight from sch run. As already on mat leave but prob only about once a week due to other commitments. But I'll defo nap when possible 😂

Tried sofa but it's a two seater.. And the arm chair is a love swivel thing and can't sleep on that.
Altho occasionally sometimes get an hour on sofa once I get comfy.

This is so weird for me as with my DS I had no problems whatsoever with sleep or anything else pregnancy related at all. I barely knew I was even pregnant..
This however is certainly different lmao.

Sleep on your back if that's the only way you can get comfortable. If it begins to cause a problem you'll move in your sleep before any damage is done.

I'm due this month and still fall asleep on my back. I often wake up in a different position to how I went to sleep though!

Sleeping on your back doesn't 'cause' stillbirth. It is correlated with it, but there's no evidence that it causes it. The advice is to try to fall asleep on your side. If you wake up on your back because that's how you roll, that's fine. The research really only shows that women who initially go to sleep on their sides, even if they wake on their backs, have lower rates of stillbirth. Is there a reason you can only get comfortable on your back? If so, I'd try to get that sorted, so you don't feel miserable. A pillow between your legs may help to support your pelvis or putting a duvet underneath your fitted sheet to make the bed more comfortable for your hips. When all else fails, if you're in pain, see a cranial osteopath or chiropractor and have them check your back. There's no reason to feel awful if you can make it better.