Pregnant women are often plagued with the fear of right and wrong sleeping positions. Should I face upwards? Will I squash my baby if I face downwards? These are some of the questions pregnant women ask and this is exceptionally important because sometimes the effects of wrong sleeping can be unpleasant and even dangerous.
During the first trimester, you may not worry so much about the right or wrong sleeping positions; but at later stages, you have to mind how you place that big tummy. Some of your favorite sleeping positions may not favor your condition. Here, you can find out wrong sleeping positions during pregnancy and the effects.
Two Wrong Sleeping Positions In Pregnancy
1) Back position in Pregnancy
Many people like to sleep on their back because this is extremely comfortable and natural. However, when you are pregnant, you are advised to forget about this back sleeping position, especially in the second and third trimesters.
Experts suggest you add pillows under your back and put yourself in half-sitting position at approximately 45 degrees and try to sleep like this without getting too much pressure on your abdomen. What are the effects of this wrong position?
- You might start developing breathing difficulties (shortness of breath in particular)
- There could be issues with your digestive system
- You might develop hemorrhoids
- Some women experience bad snoring problems
- You might get back pains because the abdomen creates high pressure on your spine
- There is a big possibility of swelling
- You can feel dizziness
- Your blood pressure can decrease. Lower blood pressure might affect your baby by lowering down blood circulation to the yet unborn child
- Higher risk of stillbirth
Why could this happen during the second but more often the third trimester? The female abdomen ‘pressures’ on intestines. It also rests on the most important blood vessels. When you lay on the back, this pressure is multiplied and gets worse.
There was even a whole study conducted by experts and published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Great Britain), according to which sleeping on the back might possibly cause the birth of a dead child. At least, the research has shown that those ladies who chose to sleep like this risked 2.3 times more to get a stillbirth than moms-to-be who preferred the left side position.
2) Stomach position
This is a very popular position loved by many but you have to forgo it during pregnancy. Of course, it is normal to sleep on your stomach during the first trimester, but later this is considered one of the wrong sleeping positions and mainly impossible due to a big belly and tender sensitive breasts.
If you still dream of laying on your stomach, you should find the specific pregnancy pillow (the one that has a big hole in the middle for your stomach) and use it during your short daily naps. However, at night time you are highly advised to sleep on your side and get a good long sleep that is healthy and very important for your developing child.
The effects of sleeping on your stomach without a special pillow can also be unpleasant:
- Decrease blood flow to your body and your baby
- Heavyweight of your body pressures on the abdomen
- Breathing issues
- High pressure on blood vessels
- Other symptoms similar to what back sleeping position causes
Many find it hard to fall asleep due to these fears especially people that turn a lot while sleeping. But you don’t need to worry. According to doctors and experts, what really matters is the sleep-position chosen by a woman when she only goes to bed. This is because your go-to-sleep position is the one where you will spend most of your sleep time, and just in case you turn on your back it will be understood by your body, and it will quickly wake you up.
However, if you are still afraid to fall asleep because you cannot control your body at night, ask your partner or family member to check your sleeping position periodically and wake you up or help you turn on your side during sleep.