Hi guys. It's Katie from Mattress Clarity. And today I'm going to talk to you
about the best sleep positions for pregnant woman sleep had two kids myself.
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 21 week mar, doctors and
health experts recommend that you transition to one specific sleep position.
And do you know which one that is already? So comment below if you know
for 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 pregnant sleep, 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.
So the American Academy of Pediatrics and your OBGYN 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 to 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 venicava. 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 back aches, headaches, digestive issues,
constipation, and overall low blood circulation. So that
is one of the many reasons are a few of the many reasons why doctors
do recommend that you sleep on your side, 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 has 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. So if you have to sleep on your side, which is highly suggested
after the 20 week mark, go ahead and just get yourself to the left side.
And I do want to say really quickly. If you're listening to this and all
of sudden a you're like, oh my gosh, I've been sleeping on my back or
my right side. Don't panic. This is all just important information for you to
have. But if you do wake up in one of these positions that is not
your left side, just transition yourself back to that left side sleeping
position. Do not freak out about it. All right, so we've established that about
the 20 week mark, you're going to want to transition to sleeping on your left
side. But if you're not used to doing that and you're already dealing with some
aches and pains, I want to recommend a pillow, whether it be a bed pillow,
body pillow, or pregnancy pillow, to help you stay comfortable. 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 beanbag
material that are super supportive. And there's also inflatable options
out there which are awesome for travel because they can stay really compact.
All right, let's talk a little bit about how to use them to keep you
comfortable. A full length pregnancy pillow like
the Snoogle or the Pharma Doc, 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
sleep 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. So 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 OBGYN 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,
in 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 will be the first thing that pops up. And in that video I
also give you an idea of what to think about before just going to the
store and grabbing a pregnancy pillow. So make sure you think about your spouse,
how big your bed is, where your aches and pains really are, and maybe if
you're like me, I had really bad tailbone pain. I needed like a little compact
wedge pillow. There's lots of different things. There are different options.
There are different price tags, lots of things to think about before getting a
pregnancy pillow. But I guarantee you, hands down, you'll be so
grateful you had one of these during your pregnancy. 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. So the first one is those frequent trips to
the bathroom. Who hasn't had them? Your bladder is getting a lot of
pressure on it, 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. You're probably going to have to go no matter what. But why don't
we just lessen the amount of trips you have to take? 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. All right.
Nausea. 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.
It's 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 of 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 is 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,
it 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 and all of this. Your organs are
being squished and if 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 a pillow and also try to avoid having a super heavy huge meal
3 hours before bed. 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 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.
I cannot recommend pregnancy pillows enough for that reason. If you're not
sure which one to get, I have reviewed a ton of them. Leave a comment
below. I'm happy to make a recommendation for you, 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 are the ones who need to make a call on that.
And last but not least, for all pregnant sleep, 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.
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 first of all, knowing that halfway through your
pregnancy, you're going to want to transition to sleeping on your side and on
your left side as possible. Definitely know that. But if you start having a
lot of aches and pains, things that are keeping you up at night, definitely
consider looking into a pregnancy pillow. Support all the areas nearby that
you can and will let you sleep as long as you can. Of course,
if you have anything you want to talk about aches and pain wise or things
that are keeping you up at night. Check with your OBGYN, with your healthcare
professional. They are the ones to definitely talk to you. They're the priority.
But of course if you have any questions about pregnancy pillows, comment below
because I'm happy to make a personal recommendation and not just clarity. We do
more than just review pregnancy. 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.