Sleeping on your back: what is the deal?

[taffywelsh]

Hi,
I am 31 weeks along, so I am pretty big. I KNOW I am not supposed to sleep on my back, duh. However, (and hopefully some of you can relate), I have a very hard time not turning onto my back in my sleep. For my front side, I have a nice body pillow. For my back, I have a little wedge-shaped pillow I put under my rump, and a flat one I put behind my upper back, in case of these roll-overs. So then, I am kind of partly propped up. But not very much.
It is getting irksome because pretty much every night I wake up, on my back, kind of roll over to my side again once my brain has turned on, and maybe it happens a couple of times a night.
Up until now I haven't been too paranoid about this, but I'm starting to worry that I have actually hurt the baby already somehow by decreasing circulation. There was only one time that I really woke up out of breath, but there have been countless times I slept g-d only knows how long, semi-flat on my back (slightly buffered by the aforementioned pillow arrangement). I have the feeling that sometimes I wake up on my back, then my mostly-unconscious mind says "screw it" and I fall back to sleep again that way.
If somebody could please tell me this is no big deal, I would be very appreciative. THNX

[JessieBird]

I worry about this too - I wake up on my back or right side every single night. I've been told over and over again by my midwives, both this pregnancy and last, that it is no big deal. That if we really are compromising circulation at all, we will wake up feeling uncomfortable/gross/weird before any damage is done.

A few times I have felt odd when waking up on my right side - once I was very, very dizzy (to the point of vomitting not being able to walk) and I couldn't shake it. I had severe HG at the time though and was on all sorts of drugs for it so it could have been caused by something else entirely. Then a couple of times my left arm (so the top arm, not the one being squished by me lying on it) has been totally pins and needles asleep when I wake up. That to me is pretty bizarre. MWs have always said that these are random pregnancy oddities and not related to sleeping position but still I try to stay on my left for peace of mind.

Sorry that's not much help!

[MissMorgan]

Originally Posted by JessieBird

... that it is no big deal. That if we really are compromising circulation at all, we will wake up feeling uncomfortable/gross/weird before any damage is done.

I am 36 weeks and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to sleep on my back but it just feels like there is a bowling ball on my stomach! Anyway, i've been told many times that it doesn't matter which side you sleep on or even on your back because you wake up or unconsciously move if something isn't right about it. (Unless maybe you CAN'T because you are restrained or medicated.) SO .. its no big deal.

[karen1968]

I'd die if I couldn't change sides several times a night! My hips get so achey from being laid on. I've never been much of a back sleeper, but I still go on my back to do stretches and pilates. The one weird thing I've noticed is sometimes it's hard for me to exhale fully in that position. Otherwise, not a big deal. The danger is more to YOU than to the baby, in any case. The weight of the baby/uterus compresses a vessel and reduces YOUR circulation.

[tinynyota]

You're fine. I was worried too, but after asking I was told that you will feel nauseated, sick, out of breath, absolutely horrible and desperately want to change position well before anything at all even starts to affect baby. She said yes, laying on your left side puts least pressure on the vena cava, but that doesn't automatically mean that laying on your back WILL put too much pressure on it, if that makes sense.
I hate how books, etc, scare us like this!!!

[Twinklefae]

Aside from circulation issues, it can potentionally cause positioning problems. I slept on my back to about 36 weeks last time, and DS was posterior for the majority of labour. NOT fun, and caused quite a few issues.

I'm really trying to avoid it this time, and have started early getting used to sleeping just on my sides. (Plus it's good to get used to before baby comes and wants to nurse all night!)

[SubliminalDarkness]

I did the same thing through both of my pregnancies.... Went to sleep on my side, would often wake up on my back.

Meh. I don't think it's that big of a deal. Both my kids are fine. I'm fine. Boys were each head down, no positioning problems. Etc.

[taffywelsh]

Thanks for the responses, ladies! If my big fear is positioning, I really have nothing to worry about because all this child does is flip over and over. She is very far from finding her final position, I'm sure. I probably won't know until the day she is born (I'm having her in the hospital, too).
I did just sew an extra pillow onto the top of my silly "Boppy" wedge pillow, hopefully that will give my HEAVY body a little more of a tilt.
Glad to know that it is not a big deal, at least to you folks (and to my midwife!).