Sleeping comfy/back pain

[katzenkowz]

Iam 35wks today (thank God!)and cannot get comfy in bed to sleep. ( Thank goodness no bedrest for me) I am on my feet all day and am fine, but the minute I lay down in bed, I feel the pull in my middle back--right where your bra band goes. Sometimes it's lower down too, but always there. I was always a left-sided sleeper pre-PG; now I have less trouble on my right side or even propped up on my back. This has been going on for about 2-3 months; I have tried combinations of pillows, blankets, towels, etc--I can usually find some combination that helps for a couple nights, then it's worse than having no extra support. It feels like my belly is pulling my spine down, but I can't seem to find the right support. I thought about buying a wedge or some other PG pillow, but since everything I've tried only works for a few nights at a time, I'm reluctant to invest in a pillow that's not flexible. My midwife suggested sleeping on the couch; helps my back but my rear gets sore & still can't sleep well enough. The best is leaning back-to-back with my husband--his warm bony back works lik a heat pad, but now he's on 3rd shift, and no pillow is solid enough. Any ideas?

[luvbeinmama]

I don't know what kind of pillows you have currently. I have 2 down/feather pillows & a buckwheat pillow, plus some old flat polyester fill pillows. If I remember right, last time I ended up switching between the feather & buckwheat pillows for my tummy/breasts and that seemed to work for me. I'm not that advanced with this one yet, only about 23-24 weeks, and the feather pillow is working just fine for the front, and I have the buckwheat pillow at my back in case I roll over that way (I'm a notorious back sleeper, freaked DH out last PG 'cause I always ended up on my back). I've been using one of the old flat pillows for between my knees.

You might want to try a buckwheat pillow. You can adjust it until comfortable, and it is extremely FIRM and supportive. At least, it's not a pillow you can only use when you're pregnant, like the wedge!

[Rachels]

If you have a Relax the Back store near you, check there! They've got great stuff, some of which I used when I was very pregnant and similarly uncomfortable. Ultimately what helped most was having weekly massage at the end of my pregnancy. It seemed to help the muscles enough to let me manage. Unfortunately, I think late pregnancy is just pretty hard. Hang in there! I know it seems interminable, but you don't have long to go. It gets MUCH better when the baby arrives!

[Andrews Mom]

I had one of those big giant C-shaped full-body size pillows (my husband named him Charlie cause he took up as much bed-space as a person LOL) that helped for a while, but ultimately what ended up being best for me was sleeping on the couch in a semi-upright position. I put a couple of pillows up against the arm of the couch to lean back on and one or two under my knees which kept them slightly bent. That was most comfy for me but everyone's different.

Good luck!

If it makes you feel any better, I really think the lack of sleep I got used to during pregnancy helped make it easier to get up with the baby later.

[katzenkowz]

Thanks for the ideas-I had a massage last week and she really spent a lot of time releasing--of all things--my gluteals! I didn't even know my gluts were sore until she worked them out. Once they were released, my mid back felt much better and I managed to get a few nights of pain-free sleep and could even get up without groaning!! We're starting to be a little sore again, but the feather pillows are working better now too.
Where do you find buckwheat pillows??? I've never heard of such a thing.

[luvbeinmama]

They are actually buckwheat hulls, I think. And they were introduced about 5-6 years ago (about, maybe more) from the orient. I think the first one I saw was the Sobakawa pillow. At the time they were selling them on QVC and the Home Shopping Network, I have absolutely no idea if they still do, as I haven't had our TV Cable hooked up for the last 2 years. I think they still sell buckwheat hull pillows at Bed, Bath & Beyond and perhaps Linens N Things. I got 2 when they had been out for a little while, and DH & I use them alternatively with our feather pillows. They were advertising how great they were at supporting your whole neck, and how they kept moisture away from your head (cool when it's hot), and how the material didn't burn, etc. All I know is you have to push the stuff around to get it comfortable, but once there, it's really nice. It's really great for side sleeping, and for maternity sleeping support, but I don't like to sleep on it on my back as it always feels too thick that way. Sorry, I don't do a lot of online shopping, so I don't know where to get them online. Hope this helps.

[suzska]

I'm sure there are others, but I have the "Bucky" travel pillow. I got mine about 4 years ago from LLBean. I've never used one of the bed size pillows.

http://www.bucky.com/index.htm

You can also do an internet search on "Buckwheat pillows" and probably turn up a bunch of sites.