So no two pregnancies are the same. And I am not a doctor, but I
have had two babies. I have gone through pregnancy twice and I did
pick up a few things based on my own experiences, some tips and tricks that
I wanted to share with you because frankly, we all have to look out for
each other. So hopefully some things here resonate with you and you can take
them with you on your pregnancy journey. I know that as your pregnancy
progresses, it gets harder and harder to stay comfortable. But something I
didn't know until I had my first child is that about halfway through your
pregnancy, around that 20 week mark, doctors and health experts recommend
that you transition to one specific sleep position. And do you know which one
that is already? Comment below if you know or take your best guess.
We're going to dive into what that is and why and ways to get comfortable
and transition your body into that position so you're ready when you hit that
halfway mark. I'm also going to talk a little bit about my own pregnancy,
some things that were keeping me from getting a truly comfortable night's sleep,
and a lot of tips and tricks to help keep you comfortable. So whether you're
pregnant or trying to get pregnant, I know you're going to take something
awesome away from this video. So let's go.
There's no way around it. Pregnancy is tough on a woman.
It's tough on you physically, mentally, emotionally. And at a
time when you really want to get as much sleep as you possibly can,
it can make your sleep interrupted. And that is such a pain, but it doesn't
have to destroy it. So the American Academy of Pediatrics and your
ob Gyn and a lot of health experts are going to say that around the
20 week mark, which is about halfway through an average pregnancy, you're going
to want to transition to your side to sleep. If you think about it,
stomach sleepers, you're kind of running out of time anyway with your bump
growing and back sleepers. It's super important for you because as your
uterus grows and as your organs sort of shift to go in different places
when you do sleep on your back, you're going to be compressing different things,
including a very important vein called the inferior vena cava.
This brings deoxygenated blood up to your heart, so if you're
compressing it, you can understand why that might not be very good for your
health or the health of your baby. Some other things to think about when you
are sleeping on your back, you can have issues like backaches, headaches,
digestive issues, constipation, and overall low
blood circulation. So that is one of the many reasons, or a few of
the many reasons why doctors do recommend that you sleep on your starting
at about that half week mark. So if doctors and health experts had
a choice between left or right side sleeping, they're going to choose left side
sleeping. And that's because when you sleep on your left side and you're
pregnant, the way that your organs and everything have shifted, you're going to
get more nutrients, more blood flow. When you sleep on your left side, it's
going to go to your uterus and your kidneys and of course, your growing baby
a little bit more easier. But if you do wake up in one of these
positions, it's not your left side. Just transition yourself back
to that left side sleeping position. Do not freak out about it. So I do
definitely recommend pregnancy pillows because those are the ones that are
really designed for your growing body and the different aches and pains that
you're specifically going to be going through. But you don't have the budget or
don't have the time to get that. Just go with as many pillows as you
possibly can. So pregnancy pillows like the one I have around here come
in all different shapes and sizes. You can get a wedge one, a total
body one, a full length one. There's one made with really cool bean bag
material that are super supportive. And there's also inflatable options out
there which are awesome for travel because they can stay really compact. A full
length pregnancy pillow like the snoogle or the pharma document,
those are ones that are curved around your head and neck, but then they also
wrap around your back or your bump and help keep your hips elevated,
which is really going to help your body take off extra tension in places that
it's not used to having. But most of all, if you let it wrap around
your back, then if you are a back sleeper and you're worried about slipping over
or rolling over onto your back at night, you're going to have that pillow there.
That's going to stop you from doing that, plus give you extra support.
I really love it for that reason. I also want to say that if you
are hell bent on sleeping on your back or you really want to be able
to be on your back at some times, always speak with your Ob Gyn
first about that. But I have heard that some people like to get a big
wedge pillow. They do have these big wedge pillow options, and that allows you
to be on your back. But elevated. Taking some of that pressure off of your
veins and your blood vessels and all that stuff going on in your back.
So make sure you talk to your doctor first, but that could be a nice
option for you. I also want to mention that I have a list of my
favorite pregnancy pillows. Definitely check that out. Google mattress clarity.
Best pregnancy pillows. It'll be that first link that pops up. I did pick up
a few things based on my own experiences, some tips and tricks that I wanted
to share with you. The first one is those frequent trips to the bathroom.
Who hasn't had them? Your bladder is getting a lot of pressure on,
and of course that's going to change over different trimesters. I will say
though, that you want to stay hydrated. So I'm not recommending that you don't
drink water. But if you do, go ahead and front load that at the beginning
of the day, because the less water you can drink towards the end of the
night, the less frequent trips you're going to have to go to the bathroom.
Definitely try to ease up on the water at the end of the night,
but if you're thirsty or need more hydration, of course that's the priority. So
nausea is something that can get you out of bed. It can bring you to
your knees. It can be terrible. And morning sickness is a joke all
times of the day, including at night when you're trying to sleep. One thing
that I found to be really handy was that I had some bland crackers on
my nightstand. So if I woke up during the night or even early in
the morning before everyone else was up, just grabbed a couple crackers,
ate those, let it settle my stomach, and in some cases, I was able to
go back to sleep for a little while, which was awesome. The other thing that
I went through was heartburn, especially at the end. I had the
worst heartburn. I was driving through McDonald's eating ice cream cones every 2
seconds just to cool that burn. So if you've been there stinks,
one thing you can do is to elevate your body. So that's when a nice
wedge pillow comes in handy. Keeping your body upright helps from all of this
pressure. You know, your organs are being squished, your digestive system is
all messed up, and that's part of the reason you're having the heartburn. So two
things. One, stay elevated with the pillow and also try to avoid having a
super heavy, huge meal 3 hours before bed. If you can eat earlier,
it's going to allow your body to digest and leave less room for heartburn at
the end. Back pain was another issue I personally really struggled with. And
tailbone pain, especially, especially at the end when muscles are being pulled
in all different directions. It is so hard to stay comfortable and stay asleep
at night. That's where pregnancy pillows really came in handy.
They helped me support areas that I was really in a lot of pain with
that were pulling in weird directions. You know what I'm talking about. If
you're pregnant, especially at the end, it's a mess. And restless leg syndrome
is another thing that a lot of women go through. It's where you're trying to
go to sleep at night, but your legs kind of want to go for a
walk or they feel like they need to move. I would recommend talking to
your doctor for that one. You may need to add some more calcium to your
diet, but they're the ones who need to make a call on that. And last
but not least, for all pregnancy stages, I would recommend practicing some
deep breathing techniques, learning how to relax your body. Because pre
baby nerves are no joke. It can keep you up at night worrying about how
this is all going to go. And if you can learn how to relax your
body, it will help you ease you into sleep and stay asleep.
But of course, if you have any questions about pregnancy pillows, comment below
because I'm happy to make a personal recommendation at mattress clarity. We do
more than just review pregnancy pillows. We review all different types of things
that have a ton of content. So like or subscribe for more and I hope
I see you again soon.