Sleep.. or lack thereof

lena1024 · March 2016

Hello ladies.. I'm 31wks today with my first and the sleep has been getting worse and worse. What are your sleep remedies? Is it worth getting the snoogle? I've heard mixed reviews from friends- wondering what your opinions are. Or a different pillow you recommend? I know its best to sleep on my left but that is the most painful as I have some intense pain in my upper right shoulder blade that I guess intensifies when I sleep on my left. Sleeping on my back is the most comfortable but 'isn't' preferred so I wake up in the middle of the night all anxious that something bad happened. Just a never ending circle

Any help is appreciated, TIA!

saladflambe · March 2016

I hated the Snoogle; I use a body pillow and love that.
I can't sleep on my left most of the time - it's painful and causes her to kick. I can sleep on my right some, but mostly I end up on my back with the body pillow slightly behind me so I'm just slightly tilted.
Sometimes I prop my head up more with multiple pillows because "sitting" a bit calms her down when she's kicky at night.
BUT sleep is getting much more difficult for me just in general. Boo.

sarawifenow · March 2016

I loathe the snoogle. I sleep on my right side with three pillows...one body and two regular. I put the body pillow lower in the bed and kind of wrap it between my legs so that my knees are together with the pillow in between. Then I put a regular pillow next to me that my arms go on either side of and then another regular pillow under my head. It keeps me off of my back which is the main point. I've woken up barely able to breathe when sleeping on my back because LO (who is actually a big guy) was blocking off the artery in my back that cuts off blood flow. That is the main reason that they don't want you sleeping on your back because it can cut off oxygen to both you and the baby.

littlebb22 · March 2016

I'm 31 weeks and have also been having trouble sleeping. I try to sleep on my left side with a regular pillow wedged between my legs and under my belly, but to be honest, I often wake up on my back. I do the same thing where I get all panicked about baby and wonder how long I've been lying that way! I've talked to my midwife about it, many times, and she always says the same thing, "just do what you can". Basically, we need to sleep and you can't control how you move your body when you are unconscious. From what I understand, if you are cutting off the vena cava artery you will wake up from discomfort like @sarawifenow described.

Oh, also, if you are a hard core back sleeper, you can try propping yourself up with a few pillows and sleeping semi-reclined on your back.

BabyL52716 · March 2016

Snoogle is a huge waste of money...get a 10 $ body pillow.

dsmith211 · March 2016

I've managed to do fine with just a cheap body pillow from Target. DH hogs it sometimes, but I feel like I'd end up feeling cramped and hot with a snoogle. Obviously I'm not 100% comfortable when I sleep, but I guess that comes with the territory.

clw617 · March 2016

I'm a back sleeper as well. I try to start on my side with just a body pillow wedged underneath me. But always wind up on my back. My doctor said sleeping on your back can be fine if you prop a pillow under one hip so you're sort of tilted -- just as long as you're not laid out flat.

proudparent2b · March 2016

I just use a normal pillow between my legs. I tend to turn a few times during the night and it's easiest to turn with.

rlworzalla · March 2016

Ditto PP's who recommended the body pillow. You'll be able to use it after birth, it's easier to switch around and maneuver how you want it, and so much more comfy!

gemini2005 · March 2016

I agree that the snoogle is a waste. I use a body pillow on my left and a regular pillow tucked behind my back on the right. I don't end up on my back but sleep badly most nights anyway. I keep reminding myself that my insomnia will magically vanish in 9 weeks but I still won't get any sleep for about a year!

kbrands7 · March 2016

I use a body pillow between my legs and a toss pillow under my bump. I'm usually most comfortable on my left side and l lean back on DH so that I don't roll onto my back accidentally (I used to wake up gasping when this happened). I found that stretching out my hips before I go to bed helps me to stay more comfortable too.

MsIan · March 2016

I LOVE my snoogle, but I do agree, I could have probably done okay with a really good, but cheaper body pillow. The biggest reason why I love my snoogle is because it wraps around my shoulders and I can lay my head on it at the perfect height. I honestly can't really sleep without it. I still put a pillow or make sure DH is snuggled up behind me, so I don't roll over onto my back completely.

But yes, sleeping for me has gotten super difficult. I sleep through the night (with maybe 1-2 bathroom breaks) maybe 1-2 times a week. Other than that, I'm up several times during the night and most times I wake up around 6 for the day.

KidShrink · March 2016

I support all the pillow recommendations (I personally have a snoogle and a wedge to support my tummy). I've been seeing a chiropractor for a few weeks now and I'm definitely sleeping better now (between the treatments and all the pillows-the wedge has helped a lot). However, I now get up 3-4 times/night to pee. Getting used to what's to come, right?

slfezz · March 2016

I am up to 4 pillows in bed with me to help me sleep. I call it my pillow fort. I have 1 under my head, 1 under my belly, 1 behind my back, and 1 between my legs (this one has to be a king size one so I have support from my thighs to my feet. I have a snoogle but it was a little to high for my head, I couldn't get it under my bump like I want to, and it didn't support my entire leg. I do love my snoogle for propping me up when I can't lay flat but that's about it right now

doozer1345 · March 2016

I have a pillow slightly under my bump while I lay on my side and DH stuffs a body pillow under the length of me for support. It relieves a lot of the pressure and makes the pain subside when on your side. Either that or sometimes I just prop myself up with 2 body pillows on each side, 4-5 pillows supporting me upwards, and I sleep on my back that way.

sparkledonuts · March 2016

I am a belly sleeper so the more pillows the merrier for me! I use a body pillow for my stomach and stomach and normally sleep on my left side because he is stuck in my right side so it's painful on that side and two pillow at my head and sometimes a third just for the heck of it which ends up wedged on my other side haha my fiancé is running out of room !

LadySamLady · March 2016

I LOVE my snoogle. It isn't a perfect solution because pregnancy is just uncomfortable but I use it in bed to "sleep" and on the couch to prop myself up "comfortably."

lalala2004 · March 2016

I use the Snoogle propped up with a pillow on either side, which are propped up by another pillow in the middle. I also have a small pillow I will move between my neck, shoulders, and bump as needed. My DH wishes we had a king size bed, but he doesn't complain about how much room all of this takes up!

JoMunson · March 2016

I use the snoogle with one pillow under my head, and a pillow under my feet to elevate them at night. I tuck the snoogle under my bump to give it a little support. I usually wake up about 3 times a night, once to pee and twice to readjust and I'm not really getting the deep sleep I'm used to.

avidkeo · March 2016

Ah the old sleeping on your back issues.

Here's the biology behind sleeping on your back at this point. Your inferior vena cava runs up your body, slightly to the right of middle. It can potentially be squashed by the weight of baby, causing blood flowing back to the heart to back up a bit. BUT what happens is you feel a bit queasy or weird, wake up and move to another position. Its a bit like when you fall asleep on your hand, and you wake up and move to allow the blood to flow again. This all happens really quickly and your body has amazing things in place to prevent anything major from happening. Please be assured that for most normal situations, you will wake up long before anything can go wrong. So sleeping on your back is only an issue really if a: you start feeling sick quickly (pretty much me ATM cause baby is mostly on the right side of my uterus, annoying). b: you are on drugs/alcohol that cause you to go unconscious rather than asleep and your body's natural response cant kick in.

It wont stop blood flow to baby.

So fall asleep how ever you are comfortable. If you wake up on your back, don't panic, roll over, and go back to sleep - if you can.

I miss sleep. I'm sure I'll find it again in a year or so! lol.

Soontobejones33 · March 2016

My snuggle is the only thing that let's me sleep at all. I tried to go without one night recently because it takes up so much room, worse night ever. I too supplement with extra pillows but only when the acid reflux is bad. Then I just elevate me head a little. But even with that sleep is hard. I got these awful hot flashes that last hours. Sleep is impossible. Movement from little one doesn't really keep me awake. Except when it's on my bladder.

mrstmoose · March 2016

I wouldn't waste my money again on a snoogle. It's sat in a corner in our room for 4 months. The last two nights, my husband has used it because his back hurts. But then again, at this point, is sleeping comfortable for any of us? If so, I'm very jealous.

southerngirlgetsfit · March 2016

There is no way I could've made it without my Snoogle. Best money I have ever spent! It keeps me from ending up flat on my my back, which is how I have slept my whole life. It also keeps my back straight when I'm lying on my side so I don't wake up hunched over and in pain (another thing I tended to do in the past).

The only thing I can recommend is the obvious. Even if you just peed 10 minutes before bed, go pee again. You'll wake up again in the middle of the night to pee, but not as many times. Trust me, that one or two times you avoid make all the difference in the world!

JoMunson · March 2016

I just had a pep talk with my mom where I made her tell me that my LO is gunna be a great sleeper. She did say in all honesty that I was a good sleeper and never cried when I woke up, just made little noises.
please let that be my baby too!!

Dasha420 · March 2016

I don't know what I'm going to do about this sleeping nonsense. Even before the pregnancy I had an issue with going to bed on time or early and now it's the same thing except I wake up about two to three times a night.
My baby is most active at night and, well no pillow helps.

Here's to all the mommies getting their sleep! A virtual nonalcoholic beverage to us all.
Good luck.

mcb2016 · March 2016

I feel like I keep getting less and less sleep. I have a snoogle but my husband hates it. It takes up a lot of the bed. I wish it was just a little bit taller length wise. (but I am almost 6 ft tall). I may try it again because I haven't had a decent night of sleep in way too long!

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