Lying/sleeping on your stomach..

[SheWillBeLoved]

When did this become impossible for you?

I'm 12+4.. and find it really hard, infact impossible, to fall asleep on anything but my stomach. First child so not much of a bump yet making it easy and not uncomfortable. Absoloutely dreading the time when it becomes impossible to sleep on my belly though! I can get comfy on my side, and almost doze off, but never quite get there and end up having to shift to my stomach or I think i'd just lie there half asleep all night!

Have been trying to get into sleeping on my side since finding out I was PG, but it's not happening! Any tips? Also, is it harmful at all to sleep on my stomach.. for me or baby?

Maybe lie on a really soft pillow? Not sure of the physiology of it/why its bad - might be jjust that it gets uncomfy. I was big by about 17 weeks and just couldn't - I now sleep with two soft pillows and sort of 'lean' into them on my half front/side (if that makes any sense!!)

I am sure someone on here will tell you soon!

I'm trying that now dan, just to get used to it.. but it's like my belly is thinking "Hang on, you aren't fully lying on me here.. don't think you're falling asleep any time soon!"

Just frustrating not being able to sleep on my side, i'm just as comfy as I am on my belly but it won't happen

I'm 13+1 and have exactly the same problem. All my life have slept face down on the pillows - to the point where, on a school trip once - my english teacher thought I had died as my face was fully in the pillows, I was very still and she couldn't see me breathing...

Am trying very hard to train myself to sleep on my left hand side (which means sleeping with my back to my husband. Very romantic.)but wake up in the middle of the night to go for a wee, and always find myself back on my front, and wake up there again in the morning.

I guess it's not a problem at the moment, as baby has plenty of room to sloosh about, so maybe it's just a matter of it's not bad until it's impossible to do it anyway? I am telling myself for the moment it's probably better to get lots of good quality sleep than it is to sleep in the "right" way (especially since my ms is so much worse when I don't sleep well)... do you think that's true?

I suppose it is Verity, makes sense

But what happens when we can no longer sleep the right way i'm gonna have enough sleepless nights when the baby is here, I don't want them to start 5 months before

I guess i'm just gonna have to be stubborn and not turn onto my stomach just to fall asleep faster!

I was the same when pregnant with DS in the end a v neck pillow between legs worked.

As soon as I had had it back onto my front!

He sleeps the same way as me now....weird!

I did try barricading myself into position using pillows... unfortunately had been v grumpy before going to bed, and husband thought I wasn't speaking to him and had built a wall of pillows down the middle of the bed to prevent him getting near me...

Im 25+5 with a small bump and still want to lie on my tummy!!! Baby kicks when im too much on belly and that makes me move!! Lying on your left side is best for bubs, i start off this way and often wake up on back or half belly (pillow under me) Last night had bad nights sleep ended up on setee hope not that way tonight..

Sounds like a nightmare wellbalanced! I know I shouldn't stress too much about it but I really get myself wound up about not being able to sleep on my side DP is forever telling me to shut up when i'm muttering "just effing go to sleep, pathetic!"

I think i'll go to bed an hour earlier tonight and be stubborn, not give in to rolling onto my front.. whether it works or not will be a different matter but if not at least I got an extra hour in bed

Hi All,

Am a new joiner...just saw all the messages here and thought i will also share my experience...I feel really awful sleeping on my side and am most comfy lying on my back. I am 21 weeks pg but strangely my belly becomes almost flat when i lie on my back. Does that mean that the baby has little space to move in this position ??? Please advise!

Im 30wks so thought I'd throw in my experience so far. Think your body will do what it needs to...I remember thinking I'd better get used to side sleeping but never did early on.

I too loved to sleep face down and did so until it wasnt possible. The change happened naturally and I slowly rotated onto a full side position as any front contact became uncomfy. I now sleep with extra pillows; one under bump (thin pillow) and one between knees.

Now I lie on left side at first then usally wake with stiff hip so swap to right until i feel odd and then move back to my right. Sometimes I lie on my back for short periods (being awake watching tv) but its not recommended past 28wks. But when i lie on my back I feel like a beetle who has been tipped over and its quite an effort to roll over! All the fun of being pregnant..

subi01- when i lie on my back, my bump drops too. Think issue is less about space for baby and more about baby squashing your vital organs and blood vessels. IME, you will soon move when its uncomfy, so do what ever is good for you now.

28wks I think is recommended cut of for sleeping on your back due to squashing the major vein returning to heart.

Oh, I am very interested to read this thread. I am 28 weeks pg with first baby, and have always always slept on my stomach. I am really struggling getting to sleep on my side and wake up with sore hips. I have tried a pillow wedged under my bump and also between thighs which helps a little, but sometimes I just HAVE to lay on my stomach! I have tried laying on stomach on a soft pillow but baby starts kicking like crazy so I'm guessing it doesn't like it much! lol!

....and now you're saying I can't even lay on my back! Argh!

Any suggestions from MNetters who have had this problem????