Sleeping on my back

[clovermom]

Ok so I know the "don't lay on your back while pregnant" advise is largely exaggerated and that if I was truly cutting off my baby's oxygen supply I would also be short of breath but.... I have been going to sleep on my side, all propped up with a million pillows, but keep waking up flat on my back. It kinda freaks me out because I have no idea how long I've been sleeping like that and when I do wake up and roll over onto my side again I feel like I can take a nice big deep breath. ? I guess there isn't much I can do about it but do you think I should be concerned?

[nighten]

No. Any weight on the vena cava will affect you before it affects baby. If you're waking on your back, it may be your body's way of telling you to readjust. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it unless it's obviously affecting you (dizziness, etc.), and then just change position or stick a small travel pillow under one hip.

[Larissa]

Yep, I agree. I wouldn't be concerned about it. I am constantly waking up on my back, and whenever I do, I just readjust and get back over on my side.

[AKislandgirl]

I asked my Dr about this. She said not to worry. I'd wake myself up before any thing happened. She said just readjust if I wake up on my back and not to stress about it. This has helped me to sleep better (most nights!).

[Citykid]

Yeah, I had the same issue in my last pregnancy - going to sleep on my side and waking up in the morning on my back - and asked my midwife about it - she said exactly what other posters have said.

[cagnew]

I wake up on my back too. I worried about it with dd, but not with this one. One thing I thought of is that women who get epidurals in the hospital usually spend their entire labor and delivery on their backs, and that can be for many hours... so if it was really that bad, wouldn't the baby stop breathing or something? I had an epidural with dd and spent 12 hours straight on my back and no one said anything about it. And the babies heartbeat was fine (until the very end, which probably had nothing to do with being on my back).

[nighten]

I think the concern is that the flow of oxygen-rich blood is slowed or hindered, and this can have issues that may not be readily apparent. At least that's how it was explained to me. Plus if a woman is numb, then she may not have enough feeling physically to know that she needs to roll over, etc. I had an epidural and was told to not lie flat but be upright, on my side or at an angle.

I'm not saying there are issues from your experiences or experiences similar to yours at all, but I definitely agree there are valid concerns about it. It's just sometimes taken out of context and/or blown out of proportion, I think. And it varies from hospital to hospital. For me it's all about listening to my body, and the difference between forcing a woman to lie flat on her back and ignore or be unable to heed her body's signs, versus letting her do what comes naturally and adjust as needed.

[JosieAK]

I'm having this problem too. I woke up the other night to my concerned Bradley Birthing educated husband gently trying to tug me back into position. I am about to try to invest in a body pillow or wedge. I just hope it works!

[ewolthuis]

How sweet of your hubbie to try to roll you over!

[mommabear207]

i won't worry. i think its another one of those over blown things women have been pregnant and sleeping on their backs for ages before anyone knew anything about the vena cava.

[Queen of my Castle]

Originally Posted by JosieAK

I'm having this problem too. I woke up the other night to my concerned Bradley Birthing educated husband gently trying to tug me back into position. I am about to try to invest in a body pillow or wedge. I just hope it works!

That is so cute. My hubby would never do that.
Not only do I sometimes wake up on my back, I fall asleep on my back, when I only lay that way in an effort to fall asleep, after unsucessfully on my sides. I've asked about it too, and known it was ok, but this thread is still reassuing; if I can fall asleep comfortably that way, it must be fine!