Sleeping position during pregnancy!

[Blessed_Mom]

Hi,

When should pregnant women start sleeping on the left side and stop sleeping on their backs as much as possible? I am guessing not until after 14-16 weeks but am I wrong and they should start it right away?

TIA

Edited by Blessed_Mom - 2/6/12 at 7:03pm

[MrsSlocombe]

I'm curious to know.  I have always slept however I wished, and at 20 weeks, my baby-to-be seemed very healthy on her ultrasound.  I believe my friend who is on her second pregnancy has always slept according to her own comfort, as well.

It is the case that I am on my left side the majority of the time, since my husband tosses a lot in his sleep, and facing him (which would require a turn to the right) can be hazardous, with all those flying elbows.  Still, I change positions whenever I become uncomfortable.

[cristeen]

Stop sleeping on your back - as soon as the baby starts getting heavy, and laying on your back makes you uncomfortable in any way. 

Start sleeping on your left side - unless you have HBP or another medical reason for it, this is not necessary.  Sleep however you can get comfortable, you'll get little enough sleep soon enough. 

[1babysmom]

I found that my body figured it out on its own.  The "bad" positions naturally became uncomfortable and so I'd avoid them without really even having to think about it!

[sageowl]

I never worried a bit about this...of course by the end of things, no matter what you do, you're gonna be too uncomfortable to sleep in ANY position.

[LilyTiger]

I asked my doctor about this early on because a few of the pregnancy books I was looking through were terrifying about it.  She said your body will tell you when it's time to stop.  I usually sleep mostly on one side or another, but I'm sometimes more comfortable on my back so I sleep that when in those cases.  I have my doc's sworn statement that it's safe as long as it is comfortable.  She pointed out that in those cases the baby's weight does start interfering with circulation you'll have a hard time breathing and your legs will fall asleep.  It's not like you're silently smothering the baby or anything. 

I'm 25 weeks and still back sleeping when I feel like it.

[AmandaMamma]

I don't have any complications...my midwife told me to sleep how I'm comfortable.

[Sol_y_Paz]

I can still sleep on my stomach comfortably at 26 weeks and my doctor said don't worry about sleeping positions during pregnancy.  I laid on my back for awhile today in the full sun outside, it wasn't uncomfortable.  My doctor said my body will tell me when it isn't comfortable/right and I am not going to hurt the baby sleeping.  

[andaluza]

I recently read this story about someone whose body told her she was in a bad sleeping position on her back: http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2012/04/16/why-sleeping-on-your-back-is-no-joke/

It sounds like she is somewhere further along in the 2nd trimester, (the tag in the article says 3rd trimester) but she doesn't clearly indicate how many weeks she is.

[LilyTiger]

As additional anecdotal evidence (for whatever it's worth), I woke up twice last night on my back and my right arm had fallen asleep.  It was just resting on top of me, so it wasn't squished or anything.  As soon as I rolled over, my circulation normalized and everything was fine.  Your body really does tell you when to change positions. 

[Chrisa]

I read "after the second trimester". I'm in week 17 and can already feel the weight of my uterus while on my back. It feels only slightly uncomfortable, no symptoms of hypotension yet, but it might be time for me to start sleeping on my side already.

[RedTree]

I ran into this with my last pregnancy in the mid third trimester and it was absolutely awful.  Starting in the second trimester I made a concentrated effort not to sleep on my back but since that was my normal default sleep position pre-pregnancy I would awaken on my back having rolled at some point while I was sleeping.  By the 32 weeks or so I would awaken with tingly hands and legs.  To try and stop me from rolling over I sandwiched myself between pillows with only enough room to sleep on my side.  Didn't stop me all that much and sleeping on my back never felt uncomfortable.

The real scare came at about at 35 weeks when I awoke suddenly gasping out of a deep sleep.  My legs had gone totally numb.  I felt like the room was spinning and fading in and out.  I was on my back and in a blind panic I started flailing (waking DH) who helped me roll over.  After I was able to take some deep breaths and regulate my heart beat (which was way too slow)  I noticed my little baby moving erratically and frantically.  Not the normal "I'm gonna keep mommy awake" pattern I had been acustomed too.  Luckily everything was fine (a frantic midnight call to the midwife and hours upon hours of kick counts and worries later).  After that I slept on a low padded bench (with a mattress below in case I rolled off) that was not wide enough for me to sleep on my back.

Just an example of someone who has encountered it.  Its a real issue but it does not effect all pregnant women.  I started training myself to sleep on my side as soon as I saw those two pink lines this time around.  But my last experience left me a little jumpy.

[lakeruby]

RedTree-- scarey! That is something I'm afraid of.

LilyTiger-- I have had those same experiences w/ sleeping on my back. It's funny, it was NEVER comfortable for me before pregnancy.  I'd hear it was the perfect sleep position (for non-preggos) and tried for a while to get myself to sleep on my back to no avail.  Until I became pregnant! And now it is the most comfortable position for me, go figure.  I think it's because I like to lay on my back while I fall asleep so I can rest my hands on my stomach and maybe feel a few kicks.  At any rate, I've woken up several times now (at 22 weeks) with my arms asleep (resting on my chest, not squished at all).

[MeAndVee]

I'm not a back sleeper.  I want to know how long I can safely sleep on my tummy!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by MeAndVee 

I'm not a back sleeper.  I want to know how long I can safely sleep on my tummy!

Baby will let you know! With my DS I couldn't sleep on my tummy much past 25 weeks. But this time I'm still sleeping on my tummy, and I'm 36 weeks. It doesn't hurt the baby any, but it will usually get to the point it's not comfortable any longer.

[amysue]

What about sleeping on your right side.  It's so much more comfy to me than my left, although I do make an effort to sleep on my left side, I wake up on my right. 

I've heard that your body knows what's going on and you will feel physically uncomfortable before any damage is done.  That makes sense to me!

[Cicely]

So happy to hear this, as I've been wondering what to do since I'm a back sleeper. Thanks all.

[Cicely]

So happy to hear this, as I've been wondering what to do since I'm a back sleeper. Thanks all.