Suggestions for alleviating hip pain at night? « Back to Group Discussions

[jacquelinej]

Anyone who has tried the special pillows (Snoogle, etc) for pregnancy and have active hip pain, did it help?  Did you find anything else that helped?  I have tried the wedge pillows with no luck.  I am getting desperate...

[eepeepee]

I've been using the Boppy body pillow - not because I heard it was great, but because it was the only one they had at Target and I was also desperate!  It definitely has made a difference, but I think the biggest difference has been since I started seeing a chiropractor about a month ago.  Is that an option for you?  It's made a huge difference in my back and hip pain.

[OtherMother]

When it hit me, I used doggie-style all-fours position and cat-cow to alleviate, as well as pelvic rocking and squats.

It helped. But obviously I couldn't sleep during doing that.

[jacquelinej]

Thanks for the quick replies.  Yes I just went back to my chiro last week for the first time and have another appointment tomorrow.

OtherMother, what is the cat-cow?  Is that the one with your head down hips up?  That seems to alleviate it, but I hate doing it at 3 am and then I can't go back to sleep...  I guess I should just accept that I am headed for newborn land of waking at night and sleeping during the day :p

[OtherMother]

Originally Posted by jacquelinej 

Thanks for the quick replies.  Yes I just went back to my chiro last week for the first time and have another appointment tomorrow.

OtherMother, what is the cat-cow?  Is that the one with your head down hips up?  That seems to alleviate it, but I hate doing it at 3 am and then I can't go back to sleep...  I guess I should just accept that I am headed for newborn land of waking at night and sleeping during the day :p

hey there- you can see it here-

http://fitnessjunkie-kate.blogspot.com/2011/05/prenatal-yoga-poses.html

[Quinalla]

The only thing alleviating it for me is to bicycle my legs and lean ever so slightly onto my stomach so I'm not laying directly on my hip bone. Anytime I try to lay straight on my side, I wake up in a house with hip pain. Also, when I was at my parents they have a memory foam topper on the bed we sleep on and that did help a lot too and my DH said it helped with my snoring

[jacquelinej]

Thanks!  Ok that's cat, I know that one and haven't tried it yet.  So will do shortly.

[berrymama]

I had terrible hip pain last pregnancy (having to turn every 20-30 minutes), but we now have a latex mattress and my side is very soft. I have not had any problems with it so far. So maybe a couple layers of latex or foam topper on the mattress would provide the same cushion?

[MarieWalter]

I know some are squeamish about this, but I was getting pretty bad hip pain pretty early in pregnancy until I decided, after a talk with my new midwife, that I wasn't going to obsess about staying off of my back at night. I don't typically even spend long on my back, and I still try to stay on my sides, but if I wake up aching, I go ahead and flip to my back. If I'm wakeful enough, I shove a pillow behind me first to keep me at a slight angle. As soon as I adopted this decision, the worst of the pain - waking up repeatedly, inability to go back to sleep, hip pain persisting into the day - resolved, probably within 3-4 days if memory serves.

I know we've discussed this before, but my thoughts more recently have been:

1. I couldn't find evidence of *meaningful bad outcomes* tied to back sleeping (as opposed to proximate outcomes),

2. I needed to balance whatever risks DID exist with the impact on my overall health of pain, bad sleep, misalignment, etc., and

3. My midwife assured me that *I* would start feeling any effects (e.g. lightheadedness, nausea) and turn well before it posed any risk to the fetus. As it turns out, I don't experience those symptoms, but I will wake, lightly, while on my back with the feeling that I really would be more comfortable on my side, and turn. This rotisserie pattern at night has kept me about 95% pain free since with a minimum of sleep disruption.

Just my €0.02 - take what works and leave the rest! Hope you find some things that help! :)

[pastormama]

Originally Posted by MarieWalter 

I know some are squeamish about this, but I was getting pretty bad hip pain pretty early in pregnancy until I decided, after a talk with my new midwife, that I wasn't going to obsess about staying off of my back at night. I don't typically even spend long on my back, and I still try to stay on my sides, but if I wake up aching, I go ahead and flip to my back. If I'm wakeful enough, I shove a pillow behind me first to keep me at a slight angle. As soon as I adopted this decision, the worst of the pain - waking up repeatedly, inability to go back to sleep, hip pain persisting into the day - resolved, probably within 3-4 days if memory serves.

I know we've discussed this before, but my thoughts more recently have been:

1. I couldn't find evidence of *meaningful bad outcomes* tied to back sleeping (as opposed to proximate outcomes),

2. I needed to balance whatever risks DID exist with the impact on my overall health of pain, bad sleep, misalignment, etc., and

3. My midwife assured me that *I* would start feeling any effects (e.g. lightheadedness, nausea) and turn well before it posed any risk to the fetus. As it turns out, I don't experience those symptoms, but I will wake, lightly, while on my back with the feeling that I really would be more comfortable on my side, and turn. This rotisserie pattern at night has kept me about 95% pain free since with a minimum of sleep disruption.

Just my €0.02 - take what works and leave the rest! Hope you find some things that help! :)

This.

I often find myself awake on my back, even when I have gone to sleep on my side.  I struggled with awful hip pain in pregnancy #1, trying to always stay on my sides, as recommended.  I, too, prop a pillow behind one hip so that I'm tilted to one side.  But I've decided not to stress too too much about back sleeping for short time periods.  It's really helped with the hip ache.

[jessmn]

I have had terrible hip pain most of my pregnancy. I use the snoogle pillow to keep me from rolling onto my back (but I can kind of lay against it so I'm less on my hip), flip the top curved part over the head of my bed so I can use a regular pillow, and use the lower curved part plus another pillow on top of it to keep my knees separated. I've found that the wider my knees are separated, the more comfortable I am. My chiropractor also seconded this. Oh, even though we have a pillow top mattress, I also added a down comforter folded in two under the sheet for extra padding. Separating the knees and adding cushioning has helped a ton. However, I still wake up about every 2 hours in pain that shoots down my hip through my leg. :(
 

[eepeepee]

Originally Posted by pastormama 

This.

I often find myself awake on my back, even when I have gone to sleep on my side.  I struggled with awful hip pain in pregnancy #1, trying to always stay on my sides, as recommended.  I, too, prop a pillow behind one hip so that I'm tilted to one side.  But I've decided not to stress too too much about back sleeping for short time periods.  It's really helped with the hip ache.

I've noticed myself doing this sometimes too - I'll wake up and realize I'm on my back (something I didn't do before I was pregnant), and turn back onto a side.  It does seem to help a bit, though.

I made the mistake of telling my husband early on that I'm not supposed to be sleeping on my back, and for weeks after he'd wake me up in the middle of the night, poking me and saying "you're on your back!!"

...thanks, darling.

[amlikam]

I do the back sleeping from time to time.. I also sleep on my belly too... fwiw... never too long but I have always slept that way so it is hard not too. Also a body pillow of some sort helps.

[lisedea]

I use the Boppy pillow and would not be able to survive without it! It helps with the weight of my stomach, provides the right amount of support under body and between legs, AND I don't have to be surrounded by multiple pillows. I have had the absolute WORST hip pains--I flip from side to side and end up getting up and sitting in a recliner throughout the night. Sleeping is not my favorite thing to do...

As for back sleeping, you will wake up if it is an issue!! I slept however I felt comfortable at first--but as soon as the weight of my stomach made me feel dizzy and lightheaded (it happens within seconds!!!), I didn't even WANT to sleep on my back. Really, your body will tell you if you need to move.

[PhilsBabyMama]

I had a prenatal massage the other day and the massage therapist had a pretty neat set up that she said would be great to alleviate hip pain and shoulder pain at night, too. First, she had a pillow for my head, then another below that. There was a bit of a space between the pillows, and that's where (lying in your side) you'd put your shoulder. Then, she had a very thick pillow, lying lengthwise that I would put my top leg on and my back leg was positioned so it was back a little ways from the pillow. (Not under it.) Then she had another pillow for me to just hold up to my tummy, in between my arms. It was awesome! I think I need to start making my own pillow nest at night.

[PhilsBabyMama]

Originally Posted by eepeepee 



I made the mistake of telling my husband early on that I'm not supposed to be sleeping on my back, and for weeks after he'd wake me up in the middle of the night, poking me and saying "you're on your back!!"

...thanks, darling.

Gotta love "helpful" husbands. Sounds very much like mine! Haha!

[aHikaru]

squatting def helps :)

[timesway]

i have really awful hip pain.. and i sleep with a pillow between my legs, a long thin pillow under my tummy/chin that i sortve hug.. i then put a man behind me who shares the leg pillow (helps support me lol) and then 2 pillows under my head, bottom one is normal pillow and angled under my back up, the top one is memory foam and angled down towards my face a bit more.. and then if there is no man i shove pillows behind my bum and back too.. i also sleep in an si belt and do pelvic tilts and si squeezes before bed and at any time the pain gets too bad.. also when i turn i put one hand on each hip putting my fingers under my bum and squeeze together/hold up and literally lift my hips round instead of turning as turning is verrrry painful otherwise.. sometimes even this is too painful buti wait a minute try and do some squeezing and then do it again..

[nofrillsmamma]

I am also having a lot of hip pain and lower back pain at night, and sometimes during the day.  A physical therapist friend of mine suggested I use a belly band or just tie a scarf tightly around my hips to help stabilize my pelvis.  I'm trying this tonight...will see how it goes...