WDYT: Lying flat on your back

je2161 · January 2013

What do you ladies think about lying flat on your back during pregnancy? The general guideline is to avoid it because the weight of the growing uterus can put too much pressure on the blood vessel that supplies oxygen and nutrients to the fetus.

During my last pregnancy, my prenatal yoga instructor, who is very pro-natural childbirth, felt that this advice is basically antiquated. And moreover, she believed our bodies will alert us to shift positions if too much pressure is restricting blood flow to the fetus.

Anyway, what say you? Is it dangerous to lie flat on your back during pregnancy or is it another one of those hyped-up, unnecessary "rules"?

PrimRoseMama · January 2013

I find I am uncomfortable on my back already. I am of a mind much the same as your yoga instructor. If its uncomfortable then don't do it. Laying on the left side opens up the vena cava blood vessel which is a major player in supplying nutrients to the fetus. That is why its recommended over laying on your back or right side. However, I say do what is comfortable for you. Your body will tell you.

bobcee · January 2013

I layed however I felt comfortable at the time, sometimes that would be flat on my back. If that became uncomfortable, my body let me know and I adjusted positions accordingly. I never had any problems.

EVA116 · January 2013

My body won't let me....I get sick every time I lay on my back.

jennipalmer · January 2013

I toss and turn so often I don't think it matters for me but in labor with my son they made me lay on my back to moniter contractions even though I was very uncomfortable. I was not happy about being told that it has made me consider birthing center now but I am very pro epidural because I have 10 pound babies not sure I can take it.

starshine985 · January 2013

In all honesty, throughout my first pregancy, I was most comfortable lying on my back than on my side. That held true until the day DS was born! If the same is true for this pregnancy, I intend to do the same. I might as well be comfortable somehow, right?

notreallyirish · January 2013

I thought that just applied to later on in pregnancy, and by that stage it's uncomfortable anyway.

babystoli · January 2013

Just to clarify, the vena cava is a vein. It carries the deoxygenated blood back to the heart. The reason they don't want you to lay on your right side is that the walls of veins are much much weaker than the walls of arteries The wall of an artery is like a garden hose- it's thick and strong. The wall of a vein is thin and weak, like a balloon (really not that thin and weak- just for comparison purposes!). So laying on your right for too long could temporarily compress the vena cava and cause blood to pool in your lower limbs (which is not good).

The picture below is as if you are looking at a mirror image of you. The vena cava (blue) is on the left side of the image, but the right side of the body. The aorta (which splits into the common illiac and external illiac, in red) is on the right side of the image but the left side of the body. Branches of the illiacs- the uterine and vaginal arteries, provide the blood supply (oxygen, glucose, nutrients) to the uterus and the fetus.

andrea0418 · January 2013

I'm still sleeping on my stomach. Is that bad?

PrimRoseMama · January 2013

babystoli:
Just to clarify, the vena cava is a vein. It carries the deoxygenated blood back to the heart. The reason they don't want you to lay on your right side is that the walls of veins are much much weaker than the walls of arteries The wall of an artery is like a garden hose- it's thick and strong. The wall of a vein is thin and weak, like a balloon (really not that thin and weak- just for comparison purposes!). So laying on your right for too long could temporarily compress the vena cava and cause blood to pool in your lower limbs (which is not good).
The picture below is as if you are looking at a mirror image of you. The vena cava (blue) is on the left side of the image, but the right side of the body. The aorta (which splits into the common illiac and external illiac, in red) is on the right side of the image but the left side of the body. Branches of the illiacs- the uterine and vaginal arteries, provide the blood supply (oxygen, glucose, nutrients) to the uterus and the fetus.

Thank you! Is a vessel not the same as a vein? Well, a vein being a type of vessel? I appreciate the more detailed explanation!

TXwife9 · January 2013

I toss and turn all night so no matter how I'm laying when I fall asleep, that's not how I'm laying when I wake up! With my last pregnancy, it became very uncomfortable to lay on my back in third tri. I expect that will happen again this time as well.

babystoli · January 2013

@Primrose: Veins are the blue ones, arteries are red ones. They are both types of blood vessels but they have very different functions.

99% of veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart (right atria, flows into right ventricle, pumped into lungs, gets oxygenated, goes to left atria, left ventricle, then is pumped out to the body). Arteries carry oxygenated blood to the body (away from the heart). The big exception is the pulmonary artery, which carries blood from the right ventricle into the pulmonary circulation (lungs). It's still carrying blood away from the heart, so it's an artery.

CarlaAndJames · January 2013

Your body will let you know! I was fine on my back until pretty late in my pregnancy last time, and then I definitely would get dizzy if I did it for more than a minute or two, so I had to quit.

ecampbell80 · January 2013

I am too. Once it's in the way, I'll readjust.

eaglesfan700 · January 2013

With my first 2 pregnancies, I was told by a fitness instructor to stop doing exercises that involved laying on your back in the middle of 2nd tri.

This time around, I spoke to my dr about it and he agreed with your yoga instructor - he said listen to your body, that some of his patients continued everything they did pre-pg up until the end and that others had to stop in first tri.

rondosa · January 2013

No matter what I do, whenever I wake up, I am flat on my back. It's so much more comfortable for me - I've always been a back sleeper. I started to get super upset trying to not sleep on my back when I heard that OWT, but now I just figure if there's something not right, my body will tell me to move around.

I'm just SOO happy to be back in our glorious bed after two weeks at my parent's place. PSA: Kingsdown Chopin mattress in King size is probably the most fabulous, terrific, fantastic, magical mattress in the whole wide world. Highly recommended

Kristina

AngieG87 · January 2013

andrea0418:
I'm still sleeping on my stomach. Is that bad?

I read the other night in "Your baby's first year" that it is not actually bad for the baby for you to sleep on your stomach. It is just probably going to be uncomfortable for you as you get further along.

pepomntpat · January 2013

I tend to agree with your yoga instructor. Lately I only seem to be able to get comfortable on my back. I'm sure that will change.

valstulas · January 2013

Vena cava insufficiency is a very real thing and can be caused by the weight of your uterus compressing the vena cava. Typically, the weight of the uterus is not heavy enough to cause this until 20 weeks or so. While some women can be very comfortable laying flat on their backs, many others become symptomatic. Some women even pass out when laying flat on their backs later in their pregnancies.

The important thing to remember is that vena cava insufficiency can compromise both mom and baby. Although you may be comfortable flat on your back, your baby may be compromised without you realizing it. This is not meant to scare or guilt anyone, but is just something to think about.

You don't have to lay high on your left side to avoid this. Just rolling slightly off your back is enough to ensure good blood return. In the hospital, we will use a rolled up bath towel as a wedge under a mom's right hip to help keep her from laying flat.

StarshineR · January 2013

I don't know. I know for me before I was pregnant that I don't breathe as well on my back, that it used to make my sleep paralysis episodes worse (years ago - don't have them anymore), and that my general sleep quality suffers. My dh snores more on his back, too. So, I think for some people, back sleeping is just generally not a good idea.

If I can't breathe as well on my back, then that might not be good for the fetus either.

deter03 · January 2013

I asked my doctor about this same thing, because I always wake up on my back in the morning, and I generally like laying on my back to watch tv or whatever, and she sort of laughed at me and said to lay however I felt comfortable. If it makes me feel dizzy or it just doesn't feel right later in my pregnancy I'll stop but for now I feel fine with my doctors ok to keep doing it.

Want a personalized experience?

WDYT: Lying flat on your back

Re: WDYT: Lying flat on your back

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

Choose Another Board

Search Boards