Pregnancy pillow?

[MrsWilson69]

Hi all.

When is the best time to get a pregnancy pillow?

Do I even need one at all?

Also, when should I start worrying about not lying on my back or a certain side?

Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

[Prosopon]

Hi, I didn't get a pregnancy pillow until I needed one. At about 29 weeks I started getting bad back and hip pain from laying down, so I got one then though I haven't found it overly helpful to be honest!

When it comes to sleeping positions, the NHS say:

'...after 28 weeks, falling asleep on your back can double the risk of stillbirth. This may be to do with the flow of blood and oxygen to the baby.'

That's from here: nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy...

It might be a good idea to try to get used to sleeping on your side earlier in pregnancy though.

Hope this helps.

[ChrisWest1983]

I bought one, as I saw the movie with Jennifer Lopez where she's pregnant with twins and finds that pillow irreplaceable.

never needed it 🤷

I never really felt much of discomfort whist pregnant .

[BethJ7]

I’ve used a dream genie from around 20 weeks. It has back support which helps you from rolling over in the middle of the night (as I did!!) I also suffer from hip pain and can feel a noticeable difference when I use my pillow. I also use mine as a back support if I’m lying in bed reading so not completely flat - can see how that would easily help with nursing.

[kt_11]

I never had a pregnancy pillow and don’t really feel like I needed one. I think it comes down to how you feel. I’d probably just hold off and just get one if you start to feel uncomfortable.

I think I stopped lying on my back to sleep and exercise from 2nd trimester onwards.

[Octoberbaby2019]

I can't remember when I bought it but bought the i shaped one and it's the best pregnancy purchase I've made. I still use it now a month after giving birth as it helps with recovery and doubles up as nice back support for breastfeeding in bed

[HeatherJ02]

I am 26 weeks pregnant and have been using a Dream Genie on and off for a few weeks now. I'm finding that it 'trains' me to sleep on my left side. I love falling asleep with it however I do wake up most nights and fling it out of the bed haha (it lasted until 5.30am this morning!)

[ThatgirlRiv]

Honestly I think it depends on you. I think your body tells you when you need to sleep on your side or how. At 24 weeks or so I could sleep on my back anymore because I felt I couldn’t breathe. And I never got used to sleeping on my sides because at 17 weeks I felt pokes and kicks on my sides that made me uncomfortable. I got a pregnancy pillow but guess what? I actually couldn’t sleep on my sides still so I was sleeping on the couch ..: sitting and squirming around from 25- and tll the last day of pregnancy

[Floradora87]

I got a cheap one from Aldi early on but it really didn’t help once I got bigger. I slept on my left side pretty much the whole pregnancy because I was told is was best for baby and for the encouraging a good place for them to be in birth. He stayed on the left head down the whole pregnancy I think, because every scan or appointment they said that’s where he was. And the birth went well in the way that there were no complications.

So I would say if you feel uncomfortable then it’s worth investing in one. I got to week 30 and woke up with awful hip pain most of the time and did loads of research into which pillows were good. I did not want to spend the money on it but I gave in through not sleeping well and brought the bb hug me pillow. And i can honestly say I wish I bought it sooner! After one night I didn’t get any hip pain and slept so much better. It just gave so much more support and moulded to my bump which took the pressure off. I’ve also used it every day for little man and he loves it because he has colic and he sleeps lots in the daytime in it. I also exclusively pump so it’s been a lifesaver for putting him in to feed while I’ve got the pump on. I also used it as a nursing pillow while breastfeeding.

[babymamajewels]

I still use my pregnancy pillow to sleep (my child is 2 and a half now lol!) best thing I ever bought

I just got a long pillow so it's like two pillows joined together, but some people swear by huge U shaped pillows that go all around you. It just depends what you will find more comfortable.

Definitely get one, and I think you should try to not sleep on your back from aroi d the 2nd trimester, definitely sleep on your side (i think it's your left side?? Please don't quote me, I would ask the doc to confirm which side is better!), but I would wake in the night and had rolled onto my back and freak out, but it happens and it's nothing to worry about, just readjust your position back to wide lying.

[YunaMom]

I am at 38 weeks now and I never felt like I needed a pregnancy pillow. I have a way to get comfortable by resting my body against my husband's body in different configurations. I put my leg over him or I put my back against his body which my belly gets supported by the unsunken side of the mattess... I wouldn't get it ahead of time when you don't know how your body will feel like yet.

[YunaMom]

Also ur body will know when to sleep on sides. No need to force anything. Just sleep whatever way is comfortable for you.