Trying to sleep on left side

[thepregnantpause]

I'm 12 weeks pregnant with my first, and I'm trying to get used to sleeping on my left side so I can be in the habit by the time it matters, but it's so uncomfortable to stay in the same position all night! I'm constantly waking up in the night feeling like I have a bruised left hip. I bought an L-shaped pillow so I can sleep with it between my legs but it's not really helping. I'm worried I won't be able to do it when I get further along in the pregnancy. Any tips?

You don’t need to sleep on your left. The right side is fine too. Sleeping on your stomach will soon become impossible and your back won’t be comfortable either as you get further along as it’s too heavy so really no need to force anything. Pregnancy is a long enough slog already without making yourself deliberately uncomfortable!

If you want the official advice:

Bump-friendly sleep positions
The safest position to go to sleep is on your side, either left or right. Research suggests that, after 28 weeks, falling asleep on your back can double the risk of stillbirth. This may be to do with the flow of blood and oxygen to the baby.
Do not worry if you wake up on your back – the research looked at the position pregnant people fell asleep in, as this is the position we keep for longest. If you wake up on your back, you can just turn over and go to sleep again on your side.

https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/tiredness/#:~:text=The%20safest%20position%20to%20go,and%20oxygen%20to%20the%20baby.

This website https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/news/092019-pregnancy-sleep-position#:~:text=Many%20physicians%20advise%20pregnant%20women,disorder%20that%20affects%20the%20mother. (and others) says:
Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother. Researchers have hypothesized that, with these sleep positions, the increasing weight of the uterus during pregnancy could compress the aorta (the central artery conveying blood to the upper and lower abdomen) and the inferior vena cava (the central vein returning blood from the lower abdomen to the heart).

We've been trying for 6 years and this is an IVF baby on the third try, and we had a miscarriage last year so I'm not taking any risks!

OP, I was in hospital and very unwell from 32-37 weeks with my daughter. The wires and drips etc meant I had to be on my back and I was worried about it, but the consultant obstetricians I saw (three or four of them, many times each) were clear that it wasn't alarming to them.

I have a pregnancy pillow and I use the long side behind my back to support me and stop me rolling - and then the smaller side between my hips to lift them. I think it's just a case of using as many pillows as possible to get comfy and try and doze off that way.

I would personally try and enjoy the early trimesters not having to worry about this though! Get some rest however suits you comfortably and then in the third trimester you'll figure it out!

I agree with @peachesandsweets , don't waste your precious second trimester sleep by worrying over your left side! I obsessed over this on my first pregnancy, never ever lay on my right side. This time around I go with whichever side allows me to get a decent stretch of sleep. For a while that was indeed the left, but since baby's moved down it's now the right. I know the vena cava is on the right, but I vomit if I lie on my left for longer than 5 minutes, so right it is...

OP did you actually read that link? I just did and it doesn’t say anything of the sort. Quote: Sleeping on the back or side through the 30th week of pregnancy does not appear to increase the risk of stillbirth, reduced size at birth, or high blood pressure disorders of pregnancy It also did not study beyond the 30th week. And anecdotal I know I’ve been pregnant in the US where that study was done and my OB didn’t advise left side sleeping, nor to my knowledge were any of my friends there advised to do it. So who knows who those ‘many physicians’ are.

Honestly I think listen to the medical advice in your country, so the NHS if UK, and ignore everything else because otherwise you’ll drive yourself insane as Dr Google is full of all sorts of nonsense or irrelevant info (see also food advice from American websites where the food standards differ a lot from
the UK. If you’re anxious, understandably as it sounds like you’ve been through so much to get to 12 weeks, then please talk to your midwife as they can help and reassure you with the correct advice.

Also Congratulations!

I felt the same OP didn't want to take any risks. I slept on my front as long as I can remember before pregnancy so sleeping on my left side was so hard. It took a while to get used to and was uncomfortable on my hips even painful. I'm now on maternity leave and find my left side is my preference. You do get used to it.

I got a memory foam mattress topper to ease the pain during pregnancy too

@thepregnantpause Ive recently bought the baby moov sleep belt, it’s been amazing it stops my hips hurting! I do still have to swap sides but I’m not in half as much pain as I used to be so it’s worth a go xx

OP, I say this from a place of kindness, but you need to relax. You don't need to be stressing about sleep positions, especially at only 12 weeks pregnant. I'm currently 37 weeks with DC2, and quite frankly, I'd sleep in any bloody position I could if it meant I got more than the few hours sleep I'm currently getting. Late stage pregnancy is hard and by the time you get there your whole body will feel very different to how you feel now, and you'll adopt new positions accordingly. This is literally not an issue. Just enjoy the second trimester - it's by far the easiest part.

Hi OP - I'm a major back sleeper and like you tried to make the switch to left side sleeping early on. I really struggled to stay in position and with the pain at that point and wondered how I'd stick with it. But it gets much easier later, as others have said - when your bump progresses it's really the most comfortable/natural position to support it, and that's when it seems to be more important, so don't give yourself a hard time now.

I sympathise re wanting to control the few things you can control after a difficult path to getting pregnant, but my midwife assured me that it really is later on where the studies suggest side sleeping has a benefit (and even they are not unanimous about how much of a difference it makes, if any).

I found it difficult but got used to it. Get a pregnancy pillow, that helped me

Bbhugme pregnancy pillow 💯. Expensive but so much better than any others I tried and so comfy I still use it post pregnancy