Hip discomfort during the night

[Sophie2309]

Hello everyone,

I'm currently 38 weeks pregnant, I sleep on my side, mainly my left but I alternate between left and right during the night. I use a pregnancy support pillow too, one from mother care that has a section for the legs, belly and another for head (all connected) that I have every night, having the leg part between my knees for the support.

My issue is, that I get pains/discomfort on the side I am laying on after a while. Like from the pressure/weight on being on that side, my hip/right at the top of my leg (outer that's on the mattress) will begin to ache/hurt/be uncomfortable and cause me to have to turn over. Some nights it gets to the point where I have to sleep on my back, which I am a natural back sleeper but really isn't the position I want to be sleeping in at this point in my pregnancy!

When I end up on my back, I get pains in my groin/pelvic area on either the right of left side that is quite painful, like a shooting pain for around a minute or so before it goes.

Does anyone else have the same issues? How do you cope/deal with it?

Any help would be brilliant as I'm so done with being pregnant now and just want to be able to sleep without being in pain 😩

@Sophie2309 I can sympathise with you, im 37+4 and my hips ache the exact same way you describe 😭 by the morning they are both killing me and I can't stand being in bed anymore. I just keep alternating sides throughout the night, and then in the morning I prop myself so im half sitting up. But im not sleeping well anymore because of the the hip ache! Usually have a nap during the day.

Try putting a thick spare duvet under your bedsheet and take some paracetamol before bed. If it's not helping, might be worth talking to your GP to get stronger painkillers. Not long to go now!

I agree you need more padding for your hip to sink into. Can you afford a memory foam topper for your bed? Even if you just get a single for your side. I told DH i was only getting pregnant again if we bought a memory foam mattress as my hips hurt so much when pregnant and lying on a traditional mattress

Try the wedge from little chick London, this really helped me!

Thanks everyone! I'll defo look into getting some extra padding after trying pain killers (paracetamol)! I have one of those 'fancy' mattresses from Dreams that cost £1K 🙈 so you'd think the padding would be sufficient with its 101 layers in it😩

I just really don't like laying on my back at the moment because of baby, I will for a while, but then have to turn back over as I get paranoid something will happen! Will try the paracetamol and some extra padding. I'm hoping she is born soon, so many twinges, aches and pains that I've had enough now aha!

I have the same, it's part of my pelvic girdle pain issues.

As others have suggested, it's mostly a case of getting as comfortable as possible (mattress topper, pregnancy pillow), paracetamol before bed, and accepting I am going to have crappy sleep so having a nap whenever I can.

Also, if you can sleep 'propped up' in more of a sitting position, that might alleviate some of it without you needing to lay on your back. It doesn't work for me, because baby then pushes down on my pelvis and that causes worse pain.

I could Have written this. I'm 32 weeks but for about 6 weeks or so I wake up every hour/2 with hip aches. I alternate sides, but do not lie on my back. I have a pillow behind me, against my pregnancy pillow I can lean into so it takes the pressure off, and recently I put a pillow under my bump too. I get up and stretch when I have a wee (regularly 😏) and move my hips and turn to the other side. I also stretch before bed and in the morning. Hot showers before bed. I have sciatica and self referred to the physio and have exercises to do. Yoga dvd also. Please try these before you go onto your back.

And an extra pillow between your legs is crucial! ☺️

Will try propped up too thank you 😊 I tend to get up every hour or so too, especially first few hours after going to bed aha so I do tend to have a stretch and reposition when I get back into bed. Guna try the parade too before bed and see if that helps and extra support. I had paracetamol before head about a week ago and slept better (had a really bad night the night before so felt like absolute rubbish with aching etc) so I'm hoping that will help. Thanks everyone 😊

Your all so far along, I get this really bad and wake up constantly in the night in so much pain and have to constantly keep turning over, I’m only 16 weeks and have been experiencing this for a couple of weeks now, I’m a small girl as it is anyways not like I have much weight to me! So unsure why I’m having it so early on.

I could have written this myself! Also 38 weeks and it only really intensified around a week ago but feeling the same pain which regularly wakes me during the night and I often end up on my back which isnt ideal. Going to try extra padding under my body tonight! 🤞

Second pregnancy here - 38 weeks - I know from last time that the pregnancy pillow alone isn’t ‘enough’ to elevate your leg/hip enough to prevent the pain. I bought a yoga bolster this pregnancy because it’s way way firmer. So I have the pregnancy pillow and then the bolster next to it to put my leg onto. It doesn’t sag like the pillow does. You could try two really firm pillows instead of buying a bolster at this stage but honestly it’s way better! I haven’t had trouble sleeping this time other than needing wees at night!

Definitely extra padding for the mattress x

Make sure you have the pillow between knees AND ankles, not just knees. So ideally a long pillow, or use two if you have to.

33+3 here and exactly the same! After standing and walking too long on Friday I spent the whole night feeling like someone was stabbing me in all of my joints, I could barely stand when I got up the next morning! I really wish I had something helpful to add, but I think don't worry too much if you need to lie on your back for a few minutes during the night, you could try putting a pillow to one side so that you can roll more onto your back without actually lying on it. I've even found myself lying almost on my front some nights! I asked the midwife if that was a problem and she said I would wake up if I was uncomfortable so not to worry. Good luck, not long to go now!

Im glad I'm not the only one ladies!! I've just taken some paracetamol and going to see how that goes. My pregnancy pillow is a full length one so it goes between ankles too, but it isn't the 'outer' hip I have issues with, it's the one I'm laying on. Other hip will be perfectly fine. (If laying on left side, it left hip that hurts and right will be fine).

Hoping the paracetamol helps (good timing too as baby girl is really hurting my leg tonight right at the top pressing on a nerve or something it's sooo painful!! 😖😖 I've had all the bad end of pregnancy things today, the back pain, shooting pains down below, now my leg tonight I'm done and want this baby out😩 so I'm praying I have a better night as I need a good nights sleep aha!! Will try the extra padding too😊

@RestorationInsanity good to see your user name come up, even if it's for the awfulness that is hip/pelvic pain. Sorry your suffering, if I'm on my feet to much I get it really bad too, i simply cannot wait now to get these twins out. Hope your doing well otherwise, and the renovations are continuing in earnest 😘