Can I Sleep On My Back While Pregnant?
Lying position while you are pregnant is not only important for your comfort but also medically.
At the beginning of pregnancy, your lying position is not very important. You can sleep in the position you want for an average of 25-30 weeks. The hesitation of expectant mothers is the thought that the baby will be trapped and harmed, especially in the prone position they are used to. The prone position does not harm the baby and should not be feared, thanks to the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. After the 6th month, the situation changes due to your growing belly and you cannot be comfortable in the prone position.
Sleeping on your back is inconvenient for the baby
Because as the pregnancy progresses, the growing uterus presses on the main veins that run along the mother’s spine. Especially in the last months, when the weight of up to 6 kg with the baby presses on the veins of the mother bringing it back to the heart, the blood returning to the heart decreases and causes a decrease in blood pressure in the mother. This is called supine hypotensive syndrome. Another bad consequence of this is that the blood going to the uterus will also decrease, so the blood going to the baby will decrease.
Therefore, full supine sleep should be avoided. While you don’t need to lie on your left or right side, lying on your stomach slightly to the side reduces this pressure. Because it is not possible to lie in the same position all the time and it is normal for you to turn around during the night.
The most recommended is the left side calm. In this case, both the blood flow to the baby will increase and the edema and swelling in the hands, feet and ankles will decrease as urine will be filtered more easily from the mother’s kidneys. But this does not mean that you should always sleep on your left side because it may disturb your comfort. It is enough just to lower your belly to the side. When you fall asleep, you can also place a pillow on the side of your back so that you don’t roll on your back without realizing it.
You can also put a pillow between your legs and under your stomach by turning one or both knees to the side with your knees bent.
Again, increased body weight can cause snoring and sleep apnea if you lie on your back. You can also benefit from pregnancy-specific pillows.