A pregnancy pillow isn't a must have, but lots of pregnant people appreciate the extra support, especially in the later months of pregnancy. You can use regular pillows to bolster your back, belly and in between your knees, but it's often a lot easier to purchase a pregnancy pillow instead.
Even though it's not a “need,” a pregnancy pillow isn't a luxury item: it's something that can help you have more energy, more stamina, and more flexibility as you move throughout your pregnancy.
There's no set time when you need to, or have to, start using a pregnancy pillow. To put it simply, you should start using one whenever you start finding it difficult to change positions during sleep. For most women, this is around week 20, when your belly starts to expand.
A quality pregnancy pillow can improve the alignment of your spine, back, and hips; relieve pressure while you sleep; and help you wake up with less pain in the morning. Even a simple belly wedge can prevent pain in your abdominals and lower back.
Is a C-shaped or U-shaped pregnancy pillow better? It depends on what you're looking for. A U-shaped version will offer support for both your back and front, but it takes up more bed space. Alternatively, a C-shaped pillow will take up a little less space, but it does not offer the full-body support you may be craving.
Women who experience hip or back pain during pregnancy may find that placing a pillow or two between the knees or bending the knees during sleep can help provide relief. A woman who prefers to sleep on her right side can adopt this position instead. There is no research showing that this is dangerous.
Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
If you feel a need to clean the vulva while you are in the shower or bath, plain water is all you need. Do not use soaps or body washes on the vulva. Read Vulvovaginal Health to learn more.
In the second and third trimesters, lying on your back may compress a major blood vessel that takes blood to your uterus, making you feel dizzy and possibly reducing blood flow to your fetus. Sleeping on your side during your second and third trimesters may be best. Keep one or both knees bent.
In your first trimester, you might use your pillow to keep you from rolling onto your stomach or back. As you progress throughout your pregnancy, you'll probably find your pregnancy pillow is invaluable.
The safest position to go to sleep is on your side, either left or right. Research suggests that, after 28 weeks, falling asleep on your back can double the risk of stillbirth. This may be to do with the flow of blood and oxygen to the baby.
Research has shown that in the third trimester (after 28 weeks of pregnancy) going to sleep on your back increases your risk of stillbirth. As the link has now been shown in four separate research trials, our advice is to go to sleep on your side in the third trimester because it is safer for your baby.
“As long as you're not flat on your back, you're going to be fine,” she says. “Even if you can be on a 20- to 30-degree angle, that's going to relieve any potential pressure on your inferior vena cava.
When does your belly start feeling hard during pregnancy? This varies, but it's usually during your second or third trimester. As your uterus grows, it eventually pushes against your abdominal wall, making your abdomen feel firm. The muscles and ligaments around your uterus stretch, too, which can cause mild cramping.
But medical advice advances with research. “Randomized control trials have shown no decrease in infections with hair removal and, in fact, have shown a slight increase with shaving compared to clipping or waxing before procedures. Hospital infection control doesn't recommend [shaving] at this time.”
In previous years, traditional childbirth recommended hair removal on the pubic area before delivery. However, modern childbirth finds that it's not necessary to shave your pubic hair before delivery. Clinical research shows that shaving or not shaving pubic hair doesn't necessarily affect birth.
By waiting to give the newborn the first bath, studies show the newborn is better able to stabilize his or her blood sugar and temperature.
When pregnancy weight gain causes your belly to enlarge, try lying on your side during sex, either facing toward or away from your partner, suggests Perez-Delboy. Having the woman on top may also be more comfortable, because she can control the depth of penetration.
While it's touted as one of the best sleep positions for posture, sleeping on your back while pregnant is largely considered a no-no. Between 15 and 20 weeks gestation, the uterus starts becoming large enough to interfere with blood flow when you sleep on your back, as it can compress the IVC.
A double pregnancy, or superfetation, is extremely rare — in fact, there aren't even stats on how often it happens — but it's scientifically possible. We're not saying you should worry about it happening to you, just that you can't say that it's impossible.
Early on in pregnancy, you can sleep on your stomach. Eventually, that position can become uncomfortable. But it's OK to sleep on your stomach if it is comfortable.