Pregnancy discomforts
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Getting comfortable in bed when you're pregnant

Between the heat, your bump and other maternity discomforts, it's not easy to have a happy nighttime. Here are some tips.

Posted: 18 February 2009
by Laura Lee Davies

It's not always easy getting a good night's sleep during pregnancy.
Despite the fact that you know you need to rest up for the birth and early months with baby that lay ahead, your bump, your raised body temperature and problems like leg cramps can make bedtime far from a restful experience.

Blooming Marvellous Double Sided Pregnancy Pillow, £14.99.
Check out our article called Trouble Sleeping? for tips on dealing with sleeplessness.

Getting into a comfortable position is not always easy.
As you get heavier during pregnancy, it is advisable to avoid sleeping on your back. The weight of your bump puts pressure on the flow of blood up from your lower body to your heart, as well as adding strains that can lead to back ache, piles and digestive discomfort.
Sleeping on your side will be much more comfortable and an easier position to rise from.
Try to sleep on your left side as that way the weight of your bump will put less pressure on the flow of blood around your body - good for you and for getting nourishment to the womb for your baby. If you wake up and find you have turned onto your back or your right hand side, don't worry. Just try to sleep on the left side more if you can.

You may well find that sleeping on your side causes you to 'pull' across as your bump falls towards the bed. Use a pillow under your right knee if you sleep with this raised when you are on your side, or use a small pillow under your bump to prevent it pulling your back into a twisted position - a common cause of strains on the lower back.
You can get several different kinds of pregnancy pillow to support your bump, back or legs when sleeping or resting. Some of these are useful when your baby is born, for resting your baby on when breastfeeding. Companies like Blooming Marvellous stock a range of pillows from about £15 to £40. MotherBliss and Dream Genii are worth checking out too.

Try to make sure you have a good mattress and replace an ageing bed frame if you can.
Keep a bottle of water and possibly even a snack like some nuts or a banana by your bed, in case you find you wake up hot or hungry in the night but feel just too wiped out to struggle to the kitchen.

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Discuss this story


Laura Davies
Do you have sleep problems in pregnancy, or have any tips to help other women get a good night's sleep?

Posted: 27/06/2006 at 15:07


kelly dawson
hiya laura, the last few nights i have either been too hot or just cant find a comfy position as i was so used to sleeping on my front,i end up having a fight with the quilt ! but this weekend my fella is gonna change bedroom around so that we are sleeping by the window hopefully this might help ! kel x

Posted: 30/06/2006 at 15:00


Trisha M
I'm also used to sleeping on my front so right now it's a nightmare trying to fall asleep on my side, took me 3 hours last night and then I was awake every half hour :( But sleeping with a thin pillow between your legs definately helps! And maybe one underneath your bump if it's big enough to need a little support, just to keep your back from twisting. Good luck :) x x

Posted: 01/07/2006 at 11:19


sarah jane
Couldn't sleep last night and woke up with back ache - think i ended up sleeping on my back (like I used to before pregnancy) which i know you're not supposed to do!

Think i'm going to invest in some more pillows and see if that helps, but think it's probably more just that it's so hot at the moment.

Getting leg cramps at night too - is there anything i can do to prevent these?

Sarah

Oh and the leg cramps aren't helping

Posted: 01/07/2006 at 11:32


Trisha M
Ahh leg cramps are a nightmare, suffer really bad with them in the summer but i've been lucky so far!

The only thing that seems to work for me is to keep a 'cold' water bottle at the side of the bed, and then once the cramps started i'd lie on my back with the water bottle underneath my legs while I stretched my foot towards my knee til I could feel the muscles stretching and then relaxing it and doing it again!

Hardly something you wanna be doing in the middle of the night when you're half asleep but it's worth a try, worked for me so far! Also try giving your legs a good stretch/massage before you go to sleep x x

Posted: 01/07/2006 at 11:42

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