Pain lying on side - difficulty sleeping

[TigerJoy]

I'm 23 weeks pregnant and for the last week or so I'm having real difficulty sleeping as lying on either side is incredibly painful. It hurts in the hip joint itself and i can't seem to find a position it doesn't hurt.

I have a huge U shaped pregnancy pillow which has been amazing up until this point. I saw a physio who diagnosed me with pelvic girdle pain but can't see much info about this causing pain when lying down on your side - it seems to be more about turning over / getting in to bed.

Does anyone have any advice that will help me get to sleep and stay that way?

Is your mattress recent & supportive? I found as I got later into pregnancy the fact that our mattress was past its best became very obvious.

Our mattress is very firm and remains so. It's 6 years old - surely it should last a bit longer?

Yes, I get this with every pregnancy. I can’t handle the hip pain and the lower back pain, and then the pain of getting out of bed. So I gave up on lying down on my side and now sleep sitting up (with pillows under knees / bean bag / sofa). It is the only thing that works and I am not uncomfortable anymore.

I've had this in both pregnancies and found it got a bit better if I used something on top of the mattress to make it a bit softer. Last time I used a folded up duvet and this time I've bought a mattress topper. I do still get a bit of pain in some positions but I can usually find a way to get comfortable enough to sleep for a bit. I do find I have to alternate sides every few hours though.

It sounds as if your mattress is too firm. All your ligaments soften when you are pregnant and lying on a firm mattress will be pushing your pelvis out of alignment.
As PP suggested, lying on a folded duvet should help, but a good, thick, foam mattress topper would be even better.
Never get out of bed by sitting up straight then swinging your legs out. always roll onto your side, keep your legs together, put them over the side, then sit up sideways placing your feet on the floor. that keeps your pelvis aligned.

My physio advised me to wear a double compression band (which they provided) when walking, she said I can take this down to a single layer when sleeping to help with the compression which has definitely made my hip pain more manageable.

she also recommended sleeping on my back but making I am raised slightly so it’s not flat on my back- I haven’t tried this yet though

Im the same as you OP so I really sympathise, I am very close to crying most nights because I’m just so fed up

I had this in my first pregnancy (but strangely not in this one!) I had to sleep with one knee up on a pregnancy pillow. I chose a bolster style one that wasn't too long and didn't get in the way of the bump. By raising my knee it realigned my hips and I could sleep without pain. Absolute pain in the arse to turn over in the night though 😅

Can you describe this band - is there a brand I could google and buy?

I slept the first half of the night last night propped up with my knees supported, but there's something so depressing about it!

Thanks everyone for sharing tips.

I have one question - it doesn't hurt me that much at the time getting in/out of bed or turning over. But could my pain at night partly be caused by doing these things - just later?

I'll try sleeping on an extra duvet tomorrow night - I'm too tired to muck about with the bed tonight.