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.
Pregnancy-Safe Alternatives
Back sleeping is no longer safe after 28 weeks gestation, but there are a few other comfortable positions for you to safely doze in.
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.
Share on Pinterest Placing a pillow between the legs when sleeping may help with back pain. During the first trimester, it is safe for a woman to sleep in whatever position she feels comfortable in, whether this is on her back, side, or stomach. Any combination of the above positions is also fine.
Stomach sleeping may be fine for the first part of the second trimester, until the growing baby bump makes this position uncomfortable. Starting around week 16, you should try to avoid sleeping on your back.
Background. 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.
Sleeping on your stomach is fine in early pregnancy — but sooner or later you'll have to turn over. Generally, sleeping on your stomach is OK until the belly is growing, which is between 16 and 18 weeks. Once your bump starts to show, stomach sleeping gets pretty uncomfortable for most women.
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.
Depending on your stage of pregnancy, your body type, and even the time of day, sometimes your belly will feel soft and other times it will feel tight and hard. The reality is, there's no normal to compare yourself with. Pregnant bellies come in all shapes, sizes, and firmness.
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.
Pregnant women are frequently most comfortable sleeping on their side with bent knees, which promotes healthy circulation. Most doctors recommend sleeping on the left side specifically, as this position is thought to protect the liver and increase blood flow. View Source to the heart, fetus, uterus, and kidneys.
Sleeping for more than nine hours per night, without disturbance, during pregnancy may be associated with late stillbirth, according to US researchers. Their study suggested that maternal sleep habits, including lengthy periods of sleep without waking more than once in the night, may be associated with foetal health.
Most experts agree that once the abdomen starts to expand, it is best to sleep on the left side with knees bent. Not only is side sleeping more comfortable, it also helps improve blood flow for the pregnant person and the fetus.
“A pregnant woman is more likely to have comfort with positioning herself on top of her partner, or with her partner behind her.” Options include lying on your side, getting on your hands and knees, and sitting on your partner's lap. Put safety first.
But by the third trimester, it can become hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. At this stage, high levels of estrogen can also cause some women to develop rhinitis (swelling of the nasal tissue), which can be associated with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea .
A: It doesn't happen to everyone who's pregnant, but sometimes a growing fetus in the uterus puts so much pressure on your abdominal wall that your normally “innie” belly button becomes an “outie.” It typically happens in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, most commonly around 26 weeks.
Symptoms not to ignore when you're 36 weeks pregnant
You have a persistent headache or visual disturbance. If your feet/ankles/hands or face are unusually swollen. You experience vaginal bleeding. You have an unusual coloured discharge.
Typically, your bump becomes noticeable during your second trimester. Between 16-20 weeks, your body will start showing your baby's growth. For some women, their bump may not be noticeable until the end of the second trimester and even into the third trimester. The second trimester starts in the fourth month.
Your nausea and vomiting may be worse than ever: Morning sickness peaks around 9 or 10 weeks of pregnancy for many women. That's when levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are highest (morning sickness is thought to be linked to rises in hCG and estrogen).
Situating a pillow between your lower half helps keep the knees aligned on top of one another, which in turn keeps your hip and pelvic area aligned. It can also reduce stress on the hips: A firm pillow between the knees can prevent the upper leg from pulling the spine out of alignment.
Therefore, pregnant women can work 40 hours a week if the working conditions are safe for them to do so. If a pregnant employee begins to work over 40 hours a week and is subject to a lot of stress, it could be harmful to their health and the health of their unborn child.
The third trimester is a time to expect increasing insomnia and night waking. Most women wake up 3 to 5 times a night, usually because of such discomforts as back pain, needing to urinate, leg cramps, heartburn, and fetal movement. Strange dreams are also common in the last few weeks of pregnancy.
Certain uterine conditions or weak cervical tissues (incompetent cervix) might increase the risk of miscarriage. Smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Women who smoke during pregnancy have a greater risk of miscarriage than do nonsmokers. Heavy alcohol use and illicit drug use also increase the risk of miscarriage.