Either the left or right side is fine,” Professor Gordon said. “After 28 weeks of pregnancy, lying on your back presses on major blood vessels which can reduce both the blood flow to the woman's womb and oxygen supply to the baby.”
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.
After about 20 weeks, the weight of the uterus can compress these vessels and decrease blood flow back to your heart and also to the baby. Historically, practitioners have recommended sleeping with a little tilt to the left, therefore taking pressure off the aorta and vena cava.
Doctors agree that the best sleeping position in the third trimester is on the left side, with your legs slightly tucked up towards your chin. This position improves blood flow. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov to the uterus, and helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to the fetus.
This position allows for maximum blood flow and nutrients to the placenta (which means less pressure on the vena cava) and enhances kidney function, which means better elimination of waste products and less swelling in your feet, ankles and hands.
Sleeping On Your Left Side
The result of venous compression is slowed blood return to the heart, and less blood circulation to the body, including the uterus. Because of the change in blood flow you may start to feel nauseous and light headed, like someone is choking you or like you are about to pass out.
It's best to avoid lying on your back, especially in late pregnancy, when the weight of the heavy uterus can press on the large blood vessels in your belly. When lying on your side, keep your body in line, with your knees bent slightly, and avoid twisting.
Try your best to avoid sitting cross legged especially during pregnancy! This can create an imbalance with the joints and ligaments that hold and grow with your uterus. As your baby grows you want as much even space as possible to allow for optimal positioning for birth as well.
A healthy workout will leave you feeling a little tired at first, but energized and refreshed overall. If you feel completely drained or increasingly fatigued long after a workout, you're probably overdoing it.
Dr. Zanotti reassures expectant mothers not to stress if they accidentally find themselves on their backs for a brief spell. “We do know that short periods of time ― even if you were on your back for an hour or two ― probably do no harm to your child,” she says.
Compressing this can disrupt blood flow to your baby and leave you nauseated, dizzy and short of breath. Back sleeping can also constrict the aorta, blocking off the main blood supply to your body and placenta.
Pregnant women may find relief by snoozing with a pregnancy pillow or a pillow between their legs. A huggable pillow to wrap the arms and legs around can help release tension on the legs, knees, and lower back.
"We can reassure women that through 30 weeks of pregnancy, different sleep positions are safe," said study lead author Dr. Robert Silver, chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Utah School of Medicine.
Reflux and heartburn: If you suffer from heartburn, sleeping on your right side can make symptoms worse, Salas says. That's true for people who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and for people who have heartburn for other reasons, such as pregnant women. Flip to your left side to cool the burn.
Back sleeping is no longer safe after 28 weeks gestation, but there are a few other comfortable positions for you to safely doze in.
The truth: They might feel uncomfortable, but no, tight clothes won't hurt baby, Prabhu says. So go ahead and show off your baby bump in maternity jeans or a fitted dress, though of course there are plenty of other options when it comes to maternity clothes these days.
If you do start having cravings, it'll probably be in your first trimester (it could be as early as 5 weeks into pregnancy). They'll get stronger in your second trimester, and then eventually stop in your third trimester. Cravings come in all shapes and sizes. Some women crave fatty foods like chips.
Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies. As many as half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage.
The takeaway
While it's true your baby can cry in the womb, it doesn't make a sound, and it's not something to worry about. The baby's practice cries include imitating the breathing pattern, facial expression, and mouth movements of a baby crying outside of the womb. You shouldn't worry that your baby is in pain.
Again, pregnancy pillows can help with this! But if you do end up rolling over onto your back while sleeping, try not to stress too much. Many doctors agree that ending up on your back here and there throughout the night should not be harmful to your baby.
During pregnancy, don't do: Any activity that has a lot of jerky, bouncing movements that may cause you to fall, like horseback riding, downhill skiing, off-road cycling, gymnastics or skating. Any sport in which you can get hit in the belly, like ice hockey, boxing, soccer or basketball.
Generally, an active baby is a healthy baby. The movement is your baby exercising to promote healthy bone and joint development. All pregnancies and all babies are different, but it's unlikely that lots of activity means anything other than your baby is growing in size and strength.