When Should I Stop Lying On My Back?

[ballerini]

Pregnant women are advised not to lie on their back. I am only 8 wks pregnant. Does this apply to me yet or is it when the baby is bigger? And if so how many weeks would you say?

NHS guidance is from week 28, but the research begins it is, quite frankly, total bollocks, so don't worry about it too much

From your third trimester

Why do they say that?

Is it because they think you'll have to lie there like an upturned turtle until someone kindly rolls you over?

The belief is that lying on your back means your uterus is putting pressure on your vena cava - which is a major vein carrying blood to and from your legs, and baby

The research os based on questionnaires given to women who had still births, asking them to remember how the were sleeping in the days before the baby died. Dunno about you, but if my baby has just died, I don't think I'd be able to remember.

They did another study looking at a load of pregnant women and found it made fuck all difference, and none of the babies were still born.

More scaremongering

Lying on my back makes me feel funny now at 32 weeks, and has since about 25 weeks. You are 'meant' to stop from the third trimester - like PP I'm sceptical about the stillbirth research, but I think for lots of women it gets uncomfortable anyway.

Ignore. Sleep however you like.

I slept on my left side for most of the pregnancy (as advised) and it's my natural sleeping position anyway. By my third trimester I had SPD and had to sleep on my back sometimes as I was so uncomfortable. Baby is fine. Don't worry

I heard it was only in third trimester. Trying to sleep on my side in 2nd trimester to get used to it but my back is killing. I just love sleeping on my back! 🤣

If/when it gets uncomfortable.

I usually write something similar to NimbleKnitter about the reasearch that behind the scaremongering, but frankly they have it covered

Ha! I suspect I started looking at the studies more closely after reading a post of yours!

I think your body just tells you. I am 23 wks and just yesterday for the first time felt not so great on back.

I'm 33 weeks and if I lie on my back for more than ten minutes or so get really dizzy, if longer than end up with a really bad headache but that's just a personal quirk for me I think!

8 weeks 😂
How do you stop yourself rolling onto your back in your sleep anyway?

I my third trimester I used to feel faint/palpitations if I lay on my back for more than a few mins. I had to lie on my side/sit up when attending appt for scans, etc.
Yes there are dangers and risks but, you will feel it way before there is any risk to baby.

NHS Advice changed last year to be only if/when you're uncomfortable I thought.

I was paranoid about this in my first pregnancy, but my consultant said if it's not the right position for you to be in, your body will let you know (ie you will feel dizzy etc)

I'm about to enter my third trimester with DC2 and I try to fall asleep on my side, propped up by a full length pregnancy pillow but most mornings I wake up flat on my back anyway.

It’s about the uterus partially blocking the artery that serves the legs, so only from 3rd trimester.
But even when I was a student nurse in the 80 s I remember an obstetrician saying it probably only applied to women lying on hard surfaces, not beds. So I’m surprised it’s still a thing, especially as nobody mentioned it to me when I was pregnant 14 and11 years ago.