[ascheele]

He ladies,

I've got a relatively new pain on either side that I wake up with. It seems to be my abdominal muscles struggling to hold up my bigger belly and baby while I'm sleeping on my side. Any tips? My body pillow just isn't doing the trick, and I don't want to start sleeping on my back, but that seems to be the only relief.

 

[akayerich]

That happened to me last time I was pregnant. I ended up sleeping on my back, but propped on a bunch of pillows so my torso was at about a 30-45% angle to my lower body. That way I wasn't laying flat on my back, but wasn't putting strain on my belly muscles either. I can't really say the pillow-propping-back-sleeping was exactly comfortable, but it was better than anything else I figured out. Good luck! I have the hardest time finding a comfy way to sleep when pregnant.

 

[yellowdart]

I've been getting belly pain when I try to go to sleep leaning on a body pillow too. What works better for me is to roll more onto my belly - not flat stomach-sleeping, but tilted a bit to the side, the lower arm behind me, the top leg out. It's the first sleeping pose on http://www.spinningbabies.com/techniques/in-pregnancy/rest-smart-posture. It tends to be very comfortable for me.

 

[Dreamy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowdart

I've been getting belly pain when I try to go to sleep leaning on a body pillow too. What works better for me is to roll more onto my belly - not flat stomach-sleeping, but tilted a bit to the side, the lower arm behind me, the top leg out. It's the first sleeping pose on http://www.spinningbabies.com/techniques/in-pregnancy/rest-smart-posture. It tends to be very comfortable for me.

That's how I sleep too, only with my lower arm in front - sort of angled forward so that my belly isn't "hanging" - that's when it gets strained.

 

[justgonnadoulait]

I started to have groin pain early in pregnancy, and my midwife and her assistant who is a massage therapist thought perhaps the connective tissue that attaches my abdominal muscles to my pubic bone were being over stretched. I got a small wedge pillow from Boppy and I love it. It's designed just perfectly to prop up bellies, and works much better than a body pillow. It really has soothed my soreness. Best of luck!

 

[lifeguard]

I can't open the spinningbabies page but that sounds like how I usually sleep too - so my belly is actually on the mattress. I also usually hug a pillow so my shoulders/boobs stay more comfortable. Sometimes I will even stuff a small pillow sort of under my backside so I can't roll back easily.

Are you sleeping with something between your legs?