Sleeping on left side

D&D4Ever7

I have a day off today and being lazy and watching tv all day.  The Today's show just talked about PG women sleeping on their side especially left because as the baby gets bigger it presses on blood vessels.  This is all they mentioned.  I am curious how far along you have to be to do this. Did any of your ob mention this?  I always go to bed sleeping on my side and wake up on my back.  It is hard to sleep in one position all night long.

jess252

I have heard about this too. My OB never said anything. And i actually sleep on my right side anyway, no matter what position i fall asleep in, i wake up on my right side......

DowagerCountessofNJ

None of the doctors I have seen in the practice has mentioned sleeping on my left.  I usually start out sleeping on one side or the other but always, always wake up on my back.  I figure if my body didn't like the way I was laying it would tell me but I do make an effort when I'm awake.

bryanandkatrina

My OB never said anything, but I have heard of it.

The thought is that once baby gets big and heavy enough, laying on your back can cause him/her to put pressure on a major blood vessel.

From what I've heard, your body will tell you when this happens and "instruct" you to turn over or reposition.

The 'left side' concept comes from the fact that it's better for circulation and digestion in general. 

Gummybear

I am most comfortable on my right side. I sleep like that most often, sometimes on my left (though on my left I face DH and if he is facing in we have to share air which makes me claustrophobic). I cannot be on my back for too long -- my body lets me know for sure. I can short of breathe and very dizzy. I can't even be on it long enough to complete my weekly u/s anymore.

No Dr. has mentioned it to me outside of seeing how I get during the u/s -- they actually can tell before I say anything and have me roll over. 

camdenfaithful

I asked my OB at my 20 week appointment and she told me that I need to stop sleeping on my back.  I was bummed at the time because it was still so comfy for me, but at 25 weeks now, back sleeping is NOT comfortable. 

My OB said as long as I was on my side, or sort of propped up, I would be fine.  I think a lot of research says no back sleeping and no right side sleeping because of the location of the vena cava.  

I tend to sleep only on my left side now because that's the only position I am comfortable in.

TigerFan

I asked my OB about this a few weeks ago, because I was told this when I was pregnant with DS #1.  Apparently this used to be a bigger deal than now.  My OB told me to sleep however I could, but it does seem there are some benefits to sleeping on your left side.  I have been flip-flopping from side to side lately.

kateisgreat

The papers my doctor gave me suggest sleeping on your side, not just on the left side. If I stay on one side all night I'm extremely sore in the morning.  Like the PP said, your body will let you know when you can't sleep on your back anymore.  It's still comfortable for me as long as I have a few pillows under my head/upper back otherwise I lose my breath sometimes.

MusicalMegan

I was just asking my OB at my last appointment about stretches I can do and ones I should avoid. She mentioned that once my belly starts to get big I should avoid doing any on my back so I'm guessing thats when you would also want to start sleeping on your side. ?I've heard this too about sleeping on your left side...I've started already so I can start getting used to it before I really need to sleep that way.?

ravenorchid

I have heard that sleeping on your side is better - something about the pressure the baby can put on your internal organs. I have heard that the left side is best, but either is really fine. My ob hasn't mentioned anything about this, but it was mentioned in my pregnancy book. I can only sleep on my side, so it wasn't an issue.

erinlovesdavid

I had heard this, too, and wondered why the left side, specifically. This article explains it well, I think.

Froggy76

I have heard about this, but only on the Bump.  I'm normally a stomach sleeper, but I've been sleeping on my back since my BFP.  I'm trying to get used to sleeping on my side now, so I bought a maternity pillow to help keep me from rolling to my back.  So far, it's helping, but I still toss and turn. 

Something about sleeping on my left side gives me an instant stomach ache, so I'm just going to try sleeping on my right.

romigu

My doctor mentioned this as did "What to expect".  Here's another article from webmd

https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/sleep-soundly-during-pregnancy

The reasoning is that the inferior vena cava (blue vessel in the middle) is a large vein that brings blood back to the heart and lies on the right so it is compressed by the uterus when you lie on your right side.  The aorta (red vessel next to it) is more muscular and not as easily compressed.  Lying on your back during the later weeks of pregnancy compresses both of them and is not recommended.

Eris-Alexis

I have also heard this.  I know that once you are 4 months along you aren't supposed to sleep on your back, but I am not sure which side is recommended.  Do you think trying a body pillow might help you?

quezzo

I talked to my doctor about this because I turned into a back sleeper and right side sleeper once I got pregnant. I told him I was having trouble staying on my left side and he said either the right or the left is fine. He also said I can still do the back if I put a pillow under one side to prop it up.

I then bought a Snoogle and it helps me to stay on the left. I switch when I get up to pee between the right and the left. I still pee like three times a night so it works well. 

D&D4Ever7

Eris-Alexis:

I have also heard this.  I know that once you are 4 months along you aren't supposed to sleep on your back, but I am not sure which side is recommended.  Do you think trying a body pillow might help you?

I don't have a pillow yet.  I am actually not a fan of pillow or having anything around my body.  I might get one just in case.

MsPegees

I asked my OB about this at my last appointment.  She said that side sleeping is preferred but that you can sleep on your back until the baby is big enough to cause you to feel lightheaded or shortness of breath.  She said the left side is preferred b/c of something to do with the flow of blood through you liver, but that whichever side I'm most comfortable on is fine and it won't hurt the baby.  I'm a tummy sleeper so learning to sleep on my side has been hard.