Third trimester sleep advice

[LaddieCthulu]

My sleep at night is now very broken thanks to incredible pressure and pain just under my ribs if I lie on either side. I can't stay on my right side at all, occasionally can stay on my left side for longer than a few minutes but not that long. So I can only get any sleep on my back. Not ideal at 29 weeks :/

I have been trying to sleep propped up on my back on about 5 pillows at least so I am not flat on my back. I am now getting bad back pain in the middle of my back too and have been referred to physio.

I spoke to the gp two days ago who said, "well that's pregnancy for you, if you start vomiting blood or can't breath then contact us". My bump isn't huge, I so I can't see how a c shaped pillow to support the bump will help.

Any other ladies experienced something similar, and if so what did you find helped? A v shaped pillow behind me? I cannot imagine another 10 weeks of this. Is there any other particular type of pillow that would help?

Thanks!

Some people feel a full pregnancy pillow helps.

But here I am rooting at 3.30am at 27 weeks after waking again with heartburn and leg cramps.

You just need to experiment with different pillow set ups to see what works. It also doesn't matter if your bump isn't 'huge', it will still be putting pressure in places there wasn't before especially with the way everything else moves internally.

You just need to not be completely flat on your back to take pressure off the vena cava. You can sleep on your side but tilted backwards slightly and propped up on pillows. Also with pillows under your hump and between your knees.

I also managed to sleep on my front until almost term by constructing an an enormous pillow pile that I lay on that had a hole for my belly and support down the sides. As I have a high BMI this was quite easy as there was more cushioning all over anyway, whereas some women with a lower BMI couldn't sleep on their fronts even at the start of second trimester.

Basically everybody's body is different so you really just need to get a shit load of pillows and experiment with placing them around you to see what feels best for you. Then if you find that actually having something under your hump is helping you can buy a special pregnancy pillow if you want.

Even in my second trimester I found it was way more comfortable to have a soft pillow to support the little bump. It just took a bit of pressure off.

I also recommend a full U-shaped body pillow which can support the bump and also offer a way to get your legs/knees/hips into a better position

Thank you all so much for replying! I tried sleeping on my side with a pillow under the bump, and it helped more than I thought it would! I will splash out on pillows and get comfortable for the next couple of months :)

I swear by my pregnancy pillow but also reached a point where my sleep is interrupted because my hips start to hurt if I spend too long on one side. Then there is the middle of the night wee trips, and then at 33 weeks heartburn hit.

37 weeks now and sometimes if I'm really lucky I'm so uncomfortable with rib pain that falling asleep is near on impossible.

Roll on baby time because at least my partner can be carrying the baby when she isn't feeding so I can finally sleep! 😂

Honestly I wouldn't spend loads on a pregnancy pillow - with my twin bump just a couple of normal pillows was fine
I actually found sleeping on the sofa much comfier maybe as it was squishier so sank into a bit more than the mattress