Laying on my back

[katemumtobe87]

So I'm 21 weeks pregnant nearly 22 and I woke up this morning on my back. I don't know how long I was on my back for but I've read so many articles saying how dangerous it is to lay on your back past 20 weeks and now I'm stressing 😩 can anyone help?

Don't stress, you can't control how you move when you're asleep 😅At 22 weeks the baby isn't really that big and if it had been compressing your inferior vena cava, I'm sure you would have woken up before. I heard it becomes more of a problem in the third trimester.

Try to fall asleep on your side, and if you wake up in the night on your back just turn over. You can also wedge pillows around you to stop you from being able to lie completely on your back.

Studies show that whatever position you fall asleep in, you stay in the longest when asleep. So if you fall asleep on your side you’d be spending more time on your side than on your back, and it’s quite common to wake up on your back and have to roll to the side again. I’m 35+6 and had to do this all the way through pregnancy.
also I will tell you you will 100% know when you shouldn’t be on your back. I was laying flat for a private scan and it felt like my body was leaving my soul and I had to ask if I could prop myself up (they should have known!!)

@katemumtobe87 the studies that highlighted the risks and suggest you to not sleep on your back were based on women STARTING their sleep on their back I think. And studies show your starting position to sleep is what you stay most of the night on (like @Vimto1991 said) so a bit of back sleeping during the night is nothing to be concerned about apparently :) as long as you switch to the side once you realise :)

The advice is not to fall asleep on your back from 28 weeks and if you wake up on your back to change positions. Like others have said that means starting on your back and spending the whole time asleep that way. If you think you might do this a lot then get a pregnancy pillow that can help prevent it.