How to stop myself sleeping on my back..?!

[Bol87]

I’m just coming up 25 weeks pregnant, second baby & have fairly average sized bump by all accounts.

When not pregnant, I am 100% a side sleeper. Never any other position & last pregnancy, no problems. I just slept on my side as usual. But this pregnancy, I wake up multiple times a night (that’s a whole other issue 😴) and I’ve always rolled onto my back?! I just can’t seem to stay on my side..

I have a decent (& enormous) pregnancy pillow and try to wedge pillows behind it to stop myself rolling but it doesn’t seem to work I know it’s mostly the 3rd trimester you need to worry about back sleeping but it’s quickly creeping up!

Any tips? Feeling a bit anxious about it!

You probably wake very soon after you’ve rolled onto your back, so I wouldn’t get too concerned, just make sure to turn back on your side when you wake.

I’m exactly the same but I think I probably woke up on my back before I was pregnant and didn’t even think about it.

Just roll back onto your side.. I've not been too bad with rolling onto my back untill the past week and now 32 weeks and wake up on my back I just roll back over. it's not going to effect the baby being on your back for a little while and you can't help it when your asleep unless you literally wedge yourself onto your side. Which probally wouldn't work anyway x

Didn't even know it was a problem! Although I had my D.C. over a decade ago! But it just goes to show people were having healthy babies before this was even a concern. You could always put a peg or something in the back of your PJs so you can feel it and will rollover.

I’m 33 +3 and keep finding myself rolling on my back and front! Being on my side makes my back hurt for some reason.

DP wakes me up quite often in the night with “turn back on your side, you’re on your back”

Have you tried using a pillow wedge? My dream genie pregnancy pillow has a flat bit of material that goes under me with a wedge in my lower back and the long pillow at my front. I do find it helps me to not roll over but I end up not sleeping anyway because being on my side is so irritating I can’t sleep anyway

Tbh the research does not seen entirely conclusive.

www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/pregnant-women-should-avoid-sleeping-back-last-trimester/

Put something hard and annoying in the back of your pyjamas so you can't sleep on it.

treeofwhispers

That particular study didn't actually look at stillbirth, and only had 29 participants. Much larger studies that investigated the sleeping positions of women in the past night prior to a stillbirth occurring did find an association, eg journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0179396

Oh, ok, Table. I only looked for the NHS advice. As it is, I really feel for pregnant women. A lot of the very detailed advice can lead to added stress in pregnancy. And if a mother cannot sleep on her side the decision is a tricky one. Is interrupted sleep and the associated stress a worse health risk? All a person can do is best endeavours.

I spoke to my consultant about this as I was getting really worried. If I wedged cushions around me, I'd wake up with them on the floor and then wake up on my back. He said to be honest you can't help what you do when you're asleep but just to shift back to your side and try and fall back to sleep. I've had to move to sleeping sat up/propped up as second trimester back pain and now third trimester SPD means side sleeping is so painful. Can't wait for baby to arrive and I can sleep in any position I want!

Thanks all!

Oh I know @Lizzieee2727 - I can still remember the absolute relief of how comfy it was to sleep after giving birth to my first! For weeks, I’d wake up and just marvel at how comfy I was in bed 😂

My friend used to roll onto her front all the time and ended up securing a tennis ball in her pyjama top with an elastic band.

My midwife told me to put a pillow behind me so if I did move I wouldn't be completely on my back xx

I'm 33+2, and fall asleep upright otherwise I can't breathe properly. And hips hurt to lay in side.
Always wake. Slid done the bed. On my back and front.. Mainly front but at an angle so not quite full on bump though.
.
I've tried everything

Im 25 weeks. I wake up on my back often and just go back to my side. Try not to panic.

2 1/2 years ago I read the research about back sleeping, but the research had not yet informed advice so when I asked my midwife about sleeping on my back she said it was fine. I kept waking on my back and just rolled on to my side then too.