Help! Is it bad? back sleeping..

nickicb7 · August 2015

Is it bad that I am still sleeping on my back? I have a snoogle and I like it but I keep finding myself on my back. And I am comfortable that way, I seem to have this perfect little cranny to lie in.

But why is sleeping on your back bad anyway, if I feel comfortable is it still okay? Will it hurt the baby?

MrsB915 · August 2015

I asked my Dr. about this at my last appointment, almost 19w, and she said not to worry about waking up on my back. She told me to try to start off on my side, angled towards the bed and that should help. I usually start off sleeping like a flamingo, bottom leg nearly straight, top leg bent and laying over the bottom leg. I also wedge a fat pillow under the small of my back to prevent rolling.

They say not to sleep on your back because as the baby grows the uterus gets heavier and will compress blood vessels, causing decreased blood flow to your lower body and to baby. But from everything I've heard you will wake up before this becomes a problem. That is, unless you're under the influence of sleep aids, alcohol or drugs.

Of course if you're concerned you should bring it up with your health care provider.

Krisdee123 · August 2015

I don't think it's too bad yet, when you get bigger is when I would worry. Hopefully by the it will be too uncomfortable to lay on your back anyway.

ChristinaAnneW · August 2015

Lying on my back is the only thing that subsides my leg cramps I will usually lay on my back for five minutes, then go back on my side and try to sleep again.

gerd1986 · August 2015

Thanks for posting this bc ive been waking up on my back then then moving and was going to ask my doc about it too.

tinne004 · August 2015

OMG me too! I've been trying soooo hard to sleep on my side but it's soooo difficult. Try shoving a small pillow under one side of your hips to tilt your cray cray uterus away from your blood vessels

enkb · August 2015

I have been looking at some scientific articles about this (search google scholar for 'maternal supine position pregnancy' if you are interested) and cannot find anything conclusive that laying flat on your back is harmful to the baby at any stage. Your cardiac output will change slightly, and the blood flow to and from your legs may decrease, but blood flow to the placenta, intrauterine space and baby are unaffected. There don't seem to be alot of large scale studies on this, but all of the smaller scale ones show the same thing. My midwife told me I should be in whatever position is comfortable, and that this was a non-issue.

Thinking about it from a biological perspective, it doesn't make alot of sense that being in a commonly assumed position would cause harm to a fetus, if it did humans wouldn't be nearly so good at reproducing if baby was that poorly protected.

You should of course consult your primary care provider and do what is most comfortable for you, but the scientific information indicates this isn't something to worry about. One study in a sleep lab with several hundred pregnant women showed that up to 90% of pregnant women end up sleeping on their backs for part of the night anyway, so even if you try not to its probably going to happen.

littleloves3 · August 2015

I asked my doctor about this this week at my appointment, as I was also worried. She said not to worry at all about it and my body will tell me when it's time to stop sleeping that way.

cawalp · August 2015

It seems like my doctor is the only one saying that it's really bad and she told me could cause fetal death. After reading some of the science about it, I compromised with myself by putting a super fluffy pillow behind my back and then laying/leaning on that, so I feel like I'm on my back but I'm still at a teeny angle. It helps me as that is the only position I will fall asleep in. I've laid in bed for 2 hours one night trying to fall asleep on my side, I just hate it.

CaraBoonie · August 2015

What PPs have said...if you're at the point where it's an issue, your body will wake you up or signal your brain to turn over in your sleep. If you're still comfortable on your back, you're okay on your back, you should notice when it gets to that point (which shouldn't be until baby belly is a bit heavier)

jrouge12 · August 2015

Asked my doctor about this at the last visit and she said the same as others are posting. Start on your side, if you wake up on your back it's no big deal. She also said comfort and sleeping well is more important than stressing over sleeping position.

SamJoR · August 2015

Ask my Dr last pregnancy and he said it would not be comfortable if it was bad.

beckerlaine · August 2015

My Dr. told me at the last appointment when my bump gets to my belly button, it's time to stop sleeping on my back. It compromises blood flow.

Flyingtrouble · August 2015

Well, you're not supposed to sleep on your back, on your tummy or on your left side. So unless you're sleeping on your right side you're going to be wrong according to someone. Try making a pillow fort like I do which stops you rolling at all, I go to sleep on my right and wake up on my right. Can't be too careful.

nickicb7 · August 2015

@flyingtrouble this is exactly what it feels like! I guess I will have to go buy more pillows. I don't know what else to do! If everyone says it's bad it must be. I don't want anything bad to happen!

cameronreed · August 2015

I'm a stomach sleeper and even though I have a little bump, I've been falling asleep comfortably on my tummy.... but every time I wake up in the morning I'm on my back, which is weird because I never sleep on my back! Good to hear that the docs say it's ok. I need to invest in a pregnancy pillow.

rah938 · August 2015

https://www.jogc.com/abstracts/full/200710_Commentary_1.pdf
Thought this was a good overview.

MamaHolland · August 2015

My doctor said don't worry just get sleep as best as I can.

MeghaJake · August 2015

I've read not to sleep on my back but I always thought it was funny that, whenever I have been in the hospital while pregnant, they have me on my back. I was in labor for 13 hours with my first - pretty much on my back the entire time. I was also hospitalized for preterm labor with my first and spent a long time on my back hooked up to machines.

MrsB915 · August 2015

@Flyingtrouble actually of all positions back, belly, right or left; sleeping on your left side is the most desirable. When I was in the hospital for PTL and premature delivery anytime the baby was in distress the nurses would forcibly roll me onto my left side and the baby would quickly recover. Of course this was an extreme case. During a normal, healthy pregnancy right, left or back have all been given the ok by my Dr.

laur0n · August 2015

Normally the problem I have is that it hurts my side and ribs to lay on my left side. Laying on my back, I'm fine. Speaking of which, I just switched to my back.
I usually try to keep my back pushed up to my husband's chest/stomach and have his arm around me with his hand between my ribcage and the bed. But he moves throughout the night and I don't want to constantly wake him up to make myself comfortable so then I do with a different poster said and sleep like a flamingo -- left leg straight and right leg bent over the left leg.
I've been told by my cousin and MIL that my body will let me know when to switch to my back bc it'll get really painful to be on my back.

nickicb7 · August 2015

rah938 said:
https://www.jogc.com/abstracts/full/200710_Commentary_1.pdf
Thought this was a good overview.

I love the line in the conclusion "physicians should refrain from giving impractical advice."

mg137 · August 2015

What PPs have said. My dr last pregnancy told me (and I confirmed with Dr Google) that it's only a problem for some women and if you're one, you'll know because you'll get nauseous, dizzy, or feel pain when lying on your back.

l4rk · August 2015

I'm so grateful for this post! I used to be a side sleeper but now, with my back pain, laying flat on my back is the only comfortable position. I ache in any other position. Sometimes I can do the flamingo side sleep, but it's generally short lived. I've been so worried about sleeping on my back but the logic wasn't adding up for me either; why would something so bad feel so good?!

Blueyedsky · August 2015

For me personally, lounging on my back is comfortable and I prefer it. However, the last couple of weeks, if I stay on my back longer than five minutes, I can feel my heart start to beat really fast and my body kind of freaks out. I guess that's a good sign I should roll over onto my side more often!

amargaret24 · August 2015

There's a thread called Sleepless in ______? That has a lot of girls' input on different methods of trying to sleep with avoiding back and front sleeping.

Also, your body will let you know when something is REALLY bad. For instance, back sleeping can lead to cutting of a main artery which can cause you to feel lightheaded or dizzy.

mch9191 · August 2015

Thanks for this post! When I feel really sick to my stomach lying on my back is the only position that doesn't make me way more nauseous, but I'm sure eventually that will become less comfortable as baby grows bigger

ellaxo1 · August 2015

Flyingtrouble said:
Well, you're not supposed to sleep on your back, on your tummy or on your left side. So unless you're sleeping on your right side you're going to be wrong according to someone. Try making a pillow fort like I do which stops you rolling at all, I go to sleep on my right and wake up on my right. Can't be too careful.

@Flyingtrouble everything I have heard/read advises that left side sleeping is better than right. I flip back and fourth all night I get horrible hip pain even with a pillow between my knees. I also had sciatica a few years prior to becoming pregnant so that has been bothering me at night also.

nickicb7 · August 2015

I'm just going to start sleeping sitting up in my snoogle.

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