How bad is it to sleep on your back?

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I keep finding myself waking up on my back multiple times a night. My bump is really uncomfortable when lying on my sides and causes pain, I have tried a pillow underneath but it ends up out of the bed and I just can't stop myself from sleeping on my back! I don't think I could fit a big pregnancy pillow in my bed. I'm 27 weeks.

The NHS advice is to sleep on your side, because sleeping on your back increased chance of stillbirth and other complications. The American Health authority advice left side only.

Just get a pregnancy pillow to put under your bump and in between your knees and sleep in your left side. You can pad out the fight side with further pillows to stop you rolling over, or even get one of those huge pillows which goes around both sides of you.

If you wake up in the night on your back that's ok- just roll back over onto your side.

Its further on in pregnancy that it can effect you more as its linked to stillbirth so they recommend side sleeping earlier on so your more used to it I know it is a pain but it really is worth sleeping on your side, I was the same as you am not a side sleeper at all but after about 4 weeks it got better and I find a V-shaped pillow helps me sleep better on my side xx

I can't answer how bad it is - but I can recommend the Dreamgenii pregnancy pillow. We don't have a big bed, so I didn't want a huge one, and this one doesn't take up too much room. I find it's stopped me from sleeping on my back - which is also my default position.

I'm 27 weeks too - all the midwife advice I've had has been to not worry if you wake up on your back, but to roll on to your side to go back to sleep.

Sleeping on your back can restrict blood flow to the baby and there have been some links to an increased rate of stillbirth, although you often feel light-headed or sick on your back so don't want to stay in that position anyway.

If you find side sleeping uncomfortable you can prop a pillow underneath your hip on one side so you're tilted, rather than fully on your side, takes a bit of the pressure off.