Side Sleeping?

tetiananina

I have been really good about sleeping on my sides. I started practicing around 16 weeks. I have NEVER been a back sleeper but I noticed that around 14 weeks I would wake up and be on my back. I am not going to lie it's really comfortable but I know it's not good. If I am watching TV I lay propped up on my back but tend to end up switching to a side because overall it's just more comfortable. The past 2 nights I have woken up on my back and I feel as if my heart is racing like I am going to have an anxiety attack. My question is how have you been able to prevent yourself from moving to your back. I sleep with 4 pillows and just these past 2 days I have ended up on my back. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Waking up feeling like I am going to have an anxiety attack is not fun.

noah-bear

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

Regne

Currently I sleep on my side with a gazillion (actually six or seven) pillows arranged under my back, under my front, between my legs and under my head. The pillows kept shifting in the night, falling off the bed, etc. so finally I broke down and ordered this monster  

It arrives in the mail tomorrow. Poor DH will have about three inches of the bed to sleep on.  

 

adoxyinherear

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

This! Exactly what my midwives told me when I asked about positions.

MoreThanABride

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

This is what I have always been told.

tetiananina

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

Thank You. I guess my anxiety is me thinking I shouldn't be sleeping this way. : (

rsolsem

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

 I'm kind of wondering the same thing as you, but I'm assuming this principle. I'll do my best to fall asleep on my side, and that's all I can do. Our bodies or LOs should let us know when/if something isn't right!! Sleep tight!

edinger3

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

This as well!  Sometimes you need to lie on your back for comfort or other reasons, but your body will tell you when to move.  It will tell you when to move regardless of any postion that you're in.

luvinlifeMN

I asked my doctor about this because I had always heard 'left side only' and was afraid I was doing harm by sleeping in any other position.  She told me getting sleep was the biggest priority and your body will naturally wake you up when you have had enough of one position (or you will flip over).    She also told me sleeping on my back is perfectly fine BUT you should do the best you can not to be entirely flat and prop up your upper back/shoulders/head with a few pillows if possible.

I wouldn't stress too much about how you wake up - just flip back on over to your side each time and start fresh!

Carolee

I woke up on my back a lot between about 14-18 weeks, but it's been a while since that happened now.  I've heard that you'll wake up before it becomes a problem.  If you're really worried about it, my acupuncturist gave me an idea.  He said take an old t-shirt and sew a pocket on the back, and stick a tennis ball in the pocket.  That way if you roll over, you'll wake up right away.  I haven't tried it, but I imagine it would work pretty well.

nuttycoconut

Regne:

Currently I sleep on my side with a gazillion (actually six or seven) pillows arranged under my back, under my front, between my legs and under my head. The pillows kept shifting in the night, falling off the bed, etc. so finally I broke down and ordered this monster  

 

It arrives in the mail tomorrow. Poor DH will have about three inches of the bed to sleep on.  

 

 

 

I have this pillow! Love it. My DH snuggles with it too, haha. It definitely keeps me on my side.  

ChristinaCT

noah-bear:

You can sleep in any position. Your body will tell you when to stop

Exactly.  

KJohnson826

I was a back sleeper before I got pregnant, and as soon as I found out I was pregnant I started trying to sleep on my side more since I knew eventually it wouldn't be good for me to sleep on my back later in pregnancy. I bought the Boppy Total Body Pillow, and I already had a body pillow from Target.

I use the Boppy on one side of me, and the body pillow on the other, and I sleep in the middle, so I have a body pillow against my back at all times. My doctor said that it is better to be slightly propped up on one side than to be flat on my back, should I turn onto my back in the middle of the night.

As you get bigger it does get more uncomfortable to be on your back, because now I can't stand being on my back. My doctor also said not to worry too much if I wake up on my back, I will likely get so uncomfortable that I will wake up on my own before any harm is done to the baby. HTH!

KJohnson826

My doctor told me the reason they tell you to avoid sleeping on your back is the weight of your ute and baby puts pressure on the inferior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood from your extremities back to your heart, the pressure causes a drop in blood pressure, hence why you probably woke up with your heart pounding. I have woken up with my arms going numb from sleeping on my back, once I turned onto my side the feeling in my arms returned, but I was terrified.

skye83

KJohnson826:

My doctor told me the reason they tell you to avoid sleeping on your back is the weight of your ute and baby puts pressure on the inferior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood from your extremities back to your heart, the pressure causes a drop in blood pressure, hence why you probably woke up with your heart pounding. I have woken up with my arms going numb from sleeping on my back, once I turned onto my side the feeling in my arms returned, but I was terrified.

This. MW told me the same thing but said not to worry because I would naturally wake up before I hurt myself or LO. I try to sleep on my side but sometimes on my back with pillows propped behind me and under my knees. Heck sometimes I still sleep on my stomach if I can manage it with enough pillows.