Hi lovelies,
Hope your weeks are going well!
I’m struggling with hip and rib aches sleeping on my side: I seem to wake up every few hours because it’s so painful! Been doing gentle yoga before bed but alas, it’s not helped. I probably need to invest in a pregnancy pillow but there are so many to choose from at such different price points. They also all look ridiculous 🫣 like SO CHUNKY. Fear my husband may end up sleeping on the floor!
Thank you 🙏🏻
Xxx
I've had 4 and I can honestly say, as pricey as it is, the bbhugme was/is the best for me. I even slept on it after and it was great for support when feeding. it's adjustable too. I've invested in the nursing pillow this time around too, currently using as a pillow for my head in this heat as its cooler than normal ones. do a search for discount codes if you do decide to get one x
Was just about to come and recommend the bbhugme one! Honestly worth every penny, it’s seen me through both my pregnancies and as you said it makes a good support in those postpartum days as well, esp if you’re breastfeeding x
Thanks, Kibo! did you find it helped with hip pain despite only being designed to hug around your front? xxx
Thanks so much, Holly! It looks very squishy and comfy, but I guess it only supports your front, not your back so worried it might not help with hip pain specifically?! xxx
It does indeed help, its great at alignment. might be helpful to visit the bbhugme YouTube channel to get a better idea of placement etc 🙂 it's not just for sleep too, I use it every evening just for extra comfort on the sofa and in the day working from home x
Hi! I'm just glad the weather is cooling down ☺️.
I can toootally relate to the sleep issues. I've also now got one baby who seems to like to ram my bladder if I turn over at night 😭
I can't help with brands as I've gone the DIY route so far. But in the meantime, try literally any pillow or cushion between your knees (assuming you're on your side by now). Then, to help the ribs, I tuck something kinda under my bump and it relieves the pressure. Luckily I'm short so 1x pillow actually does both for me! But on holiday I had two smaller cushions. You can play around with firmness etc too.
I've done this as the other pregnancy pillows look massive! And pricey! With that plus a cat who literally won't leave me alone, my partner would have no room. The cat seems to think the pillow is for her benefit 😂
Good luck! Xx
Hey Hoop. Yes, I'm so happy it's cooler too. I more or less ground to a halt in the heatwave. Can imagine it's much tougher carrying twins!!
Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, I'm currently using a longer pillow between my knees and ankles but it doesn't seem to be stopping the chronic hip pain. I think I might need something that also supports my back... not sure.
Xx
Made me laugh about your cat. Mine spent the entire first trimester sleeping on my pillow and taking up the whole damn thing. If I took her off, she'd just creep back again later in the night. Thankfully she's found a new favourite spot now!
My feet are sooo swollen! And sleep has been awful. But luckily I'm usually okay with heat so that's been handy despite the XL bump.
Hah phew!! I was worried you were pillow-less for a second! But that's really frustrating about your hip pain. I wake up and have to turn over often because my hip feels like it's digging into something. Usually that would mean I'd go on my back, but alas! So maybe something supporting your back is right, so you can kind of lean back and take some pressure off? I'm getting a lot of spam on Instagram for one that is a lot smaller and supports both back and front but it's not showing up at the moment (typical). I'll update you if it turns up.
I switched sides with my partner in the hope the cat would leave me alone for a bit but she's now back with a vengeance 😂 I'll wake up and she's fast asleep in a way that means I can't turn over in bed without accidentally shoving her...!
Second the bbhugme - husband now uses it 😂.
I posted this same question on the NCT page last year (the NCT page is really useful for this sort of thing as, without meaning to be insensitive, many people on there have had multiple kids): healthunlocked.com/nct/post... xx
Thanks, lovely. This thread is so helpful! Looking at the comments seems those with hip pain may be better off with something that provides back support too. Oh dear, this pillow is going to be huge!! 😂
Between me, bump, and pillow there wasn't exactly room for hubby. TBH the amount of fidgeting I did, he was very happy to be in the spare room for most of my third trimester! xx
Haha. I showed my husband the different pillows I was considering and there was a long pause and he said "... Maybe I'll set up the pull-out bed" 🙃
Honestly, by the time you're 32/33 weeks, you will both be glad of the space. Between getting up to pee every 30-60 mins (I wish I was exagerating) and the hip pain, I barely slept for weeks. Just what you want before the arrival of your little night owl 🤪 xx
😂 yes, I think by that point I'll be glad for a bed to myself too!
I needed something to support my back too and got one that looks like this: amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JR3T1G6/...
I also end up moving a lot because my left hip hurts after lying on it for a while, so rather than moving the pillow with me when turning (which was the case when using just a simple pillow for hip support), I can now turn around and adjust position of the U shaped pillow in front and back now, which requires less maneuvering. It is not perfect (I think because my mattress can be a bit soft but I can’t do much about that now) but has helped for sure.
In any case, I seem to have reached the stage where I need to accept I will not sleep much and discomfort will be inevitable until birth, so I’m just grabbing extra sleep when I can. 😬
Thanks so much, Sunflower. Yes, I’d been looking at the u/shaped pillows as I liked the idea of less manoeuvring pillows around at night. They do look too huge though for our bed! In the end I’ve ordered a c shaped one to try. We’ll see how it goes!! 🤞🏻 Xxx
I have a bad back generally and the 'V' shaped pillows available from any high street store worked well for me - and then as a little support for breastfeeding.
I was given some more expensive ones but just used that cheap one throughout!
Thanks, lovely. My mum was actually saying how back in the day v shaped pillows were the only option and she feels like they worked for her 👍🏼. I just ordered a c shaped one to try though, and I’m hoping it helps 🤞🏻
Hi hun, have you looked for 2nd hand ones? I got a second hand one through FB marketplace for £10 when I was 18 weeks. Washable cover was a must for me so obviously washed it all first and got it from a lady who only used it a few months (obviously a risk as you never know 100%) but I love it! Mine looks like this (also they are not tooo expensive)
amazon.co.uk/Kolbray®-Nursi...
I use mine different ways round and either use the long bit at the front or back, other end between my legs keeping the top hip aligned (should lead to less hip pain) and the little pillow on the other side. I mainly started using it as I tend to roll on my back and this stops me. But also hubby steals it when I am not there and he loves it haha. But it isn’t massive like some and will come in handy for feeding later on but obviously I don’t have experience yet with that.
Also with your pains, def advice to go and see a physio either specialising in womens health or pre natal! Can help soo much with pains.
Thanks so much, Riri. The advise to try a physio is great! I might start looking as I’d love not to be this uncomfortable for the next three months 😅 xxx
I second a physio! I went a few months ago and it was sooo helpful. She recommended a bunch of specific stretches and exercises to do before bed, including using one of those hard (not spiky) massage balls near my hips and glutes to help loosen everything up as I had quite bad lower back pain. Good luck!
I invested in the dream genii which worked in my first trimester and the bbhugme which had the best reviews did not help me whatsoever by itself. My issue was that I needed back support as my bump was huge! I ended up sleeping on the sofa on most nights with lots of pillows propped around me. The bbhugme was good to help with alignment but that was it.
Hope you find a pregnancy pillow that works for you!
Hi JoyfulStar, I'm just looking at getting a pregnancy pillow and like the look of the dream genii. Can you tell me if it also is suitable to sleep on your right side? I assume you can just turn it over?! I woukd appreciate your experience before I go and purchase one...
Thank you x
Hi there, yes you can just turn it over but I found that in the middle of the night picking it up to turn it over was too fiddly do I just turned myself and the long part supported my back and the little back support supported my bump. While not ideal, it still worked. I could not stay using the back support for my bump for too long as it is harder than the long c shape.
Overall I enjoyed using the dream genii over the more expensive bbhugme. It also is a great breastfeeding pillow!
Thanks, lovely. It's so hard finding the right pillow as we all have such different reasons for being uncomfortable during pregnancy. I've ordered a c-shaped pillow now as I'm hoping it will provide a little relief supporting my bump and also cushioning my ribs. Fingers crossed! xxx
Hi there, just to say I got the jojo madman Bebe one in the sale, it’s bean filled and a little firmer than some but I love it for that reason. Another tip I heard was to put a spare duvet under your bed sheet to reduce the pressure from the matress on your lower hip. This has really helped and cheaper than a matress topper. 👍
Thanks, Starlight. I like the duvet tip! will try that tonight!! xxx
Bbhugme all the way! Can't live without it! Also nice and snugly on the sofa!!
I had a massive pregnancy pillow and a fat lot of good it did me. I’ve barely even used it post partum. I used a very small rolled up part of it behind my back and kept shifting it. I also used other pillows for under my tummy as I got bigger but in a way just had to accept pelvic pain and back ache as part of pregnancy. My partner also moved to the spare bed 🤷🏻♀️
Oh no. I fear I may be similar. I'm just so uncomfortable I can't really see how anything will work 😅
Update in case anyone finds this in the future! I went for the Bellamoon in the end because I liked that it's also a nursing pillow. It's comfy, my alignment is better and I have less back pain. However, it has not gotten rid of my rib or hip pain; they just seem inevitable because of the pressure they're on when I lie on my side! Oh well...
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