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View Full Version : How long is it o.k. to sleep on my stomach?



ourbabygirl
06-05-2010, 03:59 PM
Is it until a certain # of weeks, or more just when it's too uncomfortable to do so?

Thanks!

wellyes
06-05-2010, 04:10 PM
As long as you possibly can get away with it. That you will smush the baby is not in the realm of possibility. Any way that is comfortable for you is fine.

flamingo
06-05-2010, 05:44 PM
Glad to hear that! I am 7 mo and I can still sort of lay on my tummy, but for comfort it's more of a half on my side/ half on my tummy position:) What about the whole "don't lie on your back/right side" b/c of cutting of blood flow???

BeccaB.
06-06-2010, 11:49 AM
Glad to hear that! I am 7 mo and I can still sort of lay on my tummy, but for comfort it's more of a half on my side/ half on my tummy position:) What about the whole "don't lie on your back/right side" b/c of cutting of blood flow???

I'm also doing the half side half tummy thing. My doctor said either side is fine. Left was better but either would work. She did recommend not to sleep on your back because of the blood flow issue. The pregnancy books I've read say not to worry if you wake up on your back or tummy. You can't do any damage to yourself/baby by sleeping in the wrong position, you'll just be healthier/feel better if you sleep on your side.

Hope that helps.

ewpmsw
06-07-2010, 01:29 PM
I'm loving the side/tummy position right now (30ish weeks). I slept that way all through an earlier pregnancy and my understanding was it's fine. I was advised not to sleep on back at all, and have woken up on my back feeling icky (dizzy, nauseous). I think they advise against back sleeping because it can decrease blood flow in the inferior vena cava, discussed mid-page here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_dizziness-and-fainting-during-pregnancy_228.bc.

truly scrumptious
06-07-2010, 01:34 PM
I'm loving the side/tummy position right now (30ish weeks). I slept that way all through an earlier pregnancy and my understanding was it's fine. I was advised not to sleep on back at all, and have woken up on my back feeling icky (dizzy, nauseous). I think they advise against back sleeping because it can decrease blood flow in the inferior vena cava, discussed mid-page here: http://www.babycenter.com/0_dizziness-and-fainting-during-pregnancy_228.bc.

I had heard and read about that and didn't really have any issues with it most of my pregnancy. I had a massage at 7 mo and was able to lay on my back fine.
Then I went for my 32 week U/S and the technician made me lay on my back for 5 minutes - I nearly passed out! DH had to bring me a paper bag to breathe into, and I was dizzy for a good half hour after. THEN I finally believed it!

AshleyAnn
06-07-2010, 01:42 PM
I slept on my tummy until it became uncomfortable to do so. Eventually you'll feel like an upside down camel.

sste
06-07-2010, 01:42 PM
My OB said there is no evidence that back sleeping will harm the baby. It DOES decrease oxygen supply to you and baby but baby compensates by staying very still so that it does not use as much oxygen. Again, no evidence of harm to baby.

That said, she thinks it is better to sleep on side versus back. I was having trouble with this so she helped me brainstorm some pillow/wedge solutions. Her key advice was to use the pillow/wedge/roll to prop up your opposite hip - - so right now I sleep basically on my back but maybe tilted 20-30 degrees toward the side. Has worked well. Alternatively, sleeping with extra pillows so your upper body is kind of one quarter sitting up works well and gets rid of the shortness of breath.

fumofu
06-07-2010, 09:49 PM
I also slept on my tummy or side/tummy for as long as I felt comfortable. I've read that sleeping on left side increases blood flow to the placenta, but my OB said either side is fine, so is waking up on your back (feeling like a rock is on my tummy!) but to turn to the side afterwards.

I'm now at the point where I wake myself up from a numb arm, or I have to pee. The body pillow didn't work for me in 2nd trimester, I'm wondering if it'll be helpful now (I'm at 33 weeks). But having a small pillow between my legs have been very helpful.

bostonsmama
06-07-2010, 10:02 PM
I seem to get really hot with a king sized pillow between my legs (or under my left lef) when I lay on my left side to sleep. I'm only about 16 weeks...so it's the time they start recommending to avoid the back sleeping, but I wish I liked it better. I feel like a furnace already!

I already have really low blood pressure (95/56), so I have to be really careful about the back sleeping. As it is, if I get out of bed quickly or stand up too fast, my eyes start to go black and I get dizzy. It's crazy, so I'm taking the vena cava advice about back sleeping to heart. I heard it's really only a big issue if you have low pressure issues.

firemama
06-08-2010, 01:27 PM
Like a pp said, I think you're fine on your stomach. The baby is well protected. I am taking the Bradley Method classes and they recommend a partial side/stomach sleeping position. I can't find the picture online, so here's the best description I can give. Lay on either side, bottom leg straight, top leg bent over a pillow, bottom arm either up above your head or behind you and next to your side, head and top arm over a pillow. Your chest will almost be flat on the bed/pillow, and your stomach will be half down/sideways.

I have tried this position and only use it for the relaxation exercises. I have a bad neck/shoulders, so the arm position is not comfortable for me. Everything else feels great.

Maybe you could have someone take a picture of your favorite sleeping position, then show it to your doctor. That might make it easier to ask him if it's still ok.

PearlsMom
06-09-2010, 09:59 AM
I seem to get really hot with a king sized pillow between my legs (or under my left lef) when I lay on my left side to sleep. I'm only about 16 weeks...so it's the time they start recommending to avoid the back sleeping, but I wish I liked it better. I feel like a furnace already!

More air conditioning! I'm usually so cold at night, but these days I sleep right under the A/C vent with it cranked up, with just a sheet over me, and DH is the one under a winter-weight comforter. I found that having my snoogle or other big pillows behind me prevents me from rolling onto my back too much when I sleep, but all those pillows do make for a warmer bed. I used to sleep with just one pillow...now I've raided the guest room bed and I'm up to 4!

swissair81
06-09-2010, 10:15 AM
My OB said there is no evidence that back sleeping will harm the baby. It DOES decrease oxygen supply to you and baby but baby compensates by staying very still so that it does not use as much oxygen. Again, no evidence of harm to baby.

That said, she thinks it is better to sleep on side versus back. I was having trouble with this so she helped me brainstorm some pillow/wedge solutions. Her key advice was to use the pillow/wedge/roll to prop up your opposite hip - - so right now I sleep basically on my back but maybe tilted 20-30 degrees toward the side. Has worked well. Alternatively, sleeping with extra pillows so your upper body is kind of one quarter sitting up works well and gets rid of the shortness of breath.

Did your OB tell you that it could cause you to have seriously low blood pressure? There's even a name for it. It's called supine hypotension & you can pass out from it. Anything that affects you, affects the baby. Period.

AnnieW625
06-09-2010, 10:49 AM
I slept on my side and stomach through most of my pregnancy. I have never heard of a blood pressure related condition and consistently my blood pressure is somewhere between 96 and 106 (120 is high for me, unless I am exercising). I think it just depends on the doctor and what they'll tell you, and what you are comfortable with.

swissair81
06-09-2010, 11:13 AM
If you didn't consistently sleep on your back, you wouldn't have that problem. It's not related to your normal blood pressure. It's related to the weight of your uterus compressing your inferior vena cava (and the blood supply to your lower body). I know OBs sometimes say different things, but just because a Dr says something doesn't make them able to change reality. Clearly it isn't a problem for everyone, but making a blanket statement that it is fine & there is no evidence to the contrary, is not accurate.

sste
06-10-2010, 01:37 PM
Did your OB tell you that it could cause you to have seriously low blood pressure? There's even a name for it. It's called supine hypotension & you can pass out from it. Anything that affects you, affects the baby. Period.

She said if I wasn't feeling shortness of breath or dizziness not to worry about it. Some people cannot sleep fully on their side or stomach - - I know, I am one of them! I will roll over to my back in sleep even if I end up on top of a mountain of wedges to do so. I don't think the goal, or at least my goal, is to have zero "effect" on the baby but rather no "harm." I specifically asked whether this whole no sleeping on your back thing or you will harm the baby was supported by a body of research evidence and she said no - - at least for someone like me who was not fainting or having other symptoms!