Pregnancy is a blessing and a challenge at the same time. The woman’s body goes through a number of changes during a nine months span of time.
For some ladies, the initial period of pregnancy is troublesome, and to a few women, the last trimester gives the toughest time when the bump is fully grown, and the baby is all made in the belly.
It is a fact that during pregnancy, a woman has to take care of not only herself but as well as the life growing in her womb. It becomes difficult at times to even sit, sleep, and turn over.
One of the nightmares that a pregnancy journey results in is deprivation of adequate sleep. Women suffer from insomnia; often spend the long weary nights being awakened. When bump-starts are giving the appearance, it becomes a challenge to attain a right position to lie down and sleep.
The following article aims to address the Sleep Disruptions, difficulty attaining DIFFERENT SLEEP POSITIONS, and the USE OF THE MATERNITY PILLOWS during this period. How to sleep with Pregnancy Support Pillows in order to bring ease to the moms-to-be? Before throwing light on the PREGNANCY SUPPORT PILLOWS, let’s have an overview of some of the challenges a pregnant woman usually deals with during this journey.
If you are having the above problem during your pregnancy. Let us show you how to get better and comfort sleep.
Pregnancy Affect Sleep Patterns of a Pregnant Woman
According to a study that was held in 2015 about finding out the sleep issues in pregnant women states,
“Frequent urination and difficulty finding a comfortable position frequently disturb sleep. All women should be screened and treated for sleep disturbances throughout pregnancy.”
The results of the study depict that night awakening, trips to the bathroom, lack of sleep are found in all 2500 expectant women that were studied under the above research. The statistics of this research strengthen the claim and discover that 76% of women with low sleep quality, 38% of the women with the inadequacy of nighttime sleep, and 49% moms to be suffered from day time sleep. Source
What Physical Discomforts Pregnant Women Deal With?
The journey of carrying and growing a baby in the womb remains a roller coaster throughout. The difficulties keep on shifting from the first trimester to the second and from the second to the third one. Each period comes with its own discomforts that expecting ladies manage with.
In the early months of pregnancy, morning sickness, nausea followed by vomiting, fear, nighttime hunger, hormonal changes are a few of the causes of poor quality sleep.
The ladies suffer from insufficient nighttime sleep. Thus the daytime naps are common in pregnant women.
The level of progesterone in women keeps on fluctuating during this journey.
It gives rise to aching, joint pain, swollen ankles, low blood flow, pressure on the liver and the bladder, deprivation of healthy and sufficient sleep, insomnia, being unable attaining a rightful position for herself and as well as for the baby are few of the common trials in the later period of the pregnancy.
As the uterus keeps on growing and enlarging, it interferes a lot in the sleep patterns of mothers to be.
In the light of the above facts and the figures, sleep therapists and the experts recommend few pregnancy tools and user-friendly devices to alleviate the discomforts that mothers to be dealing with during their challenging journey.
The PREGNANCY PILLOW or the MATERNITY SUPPORT PILLOW is one of those choices during your blessed and as well as a challenging time period that can pretty much address your difficulties and make this timeless agitating and tormenting.
The upcoming discussion will give you a step by step guide for the Choice of the Pregnancy Pillow, Use of the Pregnancy Pillow and the Types of the Pregnancy Pillow.
What is a Maternity Support Pillow or a Pregnancy Support Pillow?
Maternity Pillow or Pregnancy Support Pillow is a form of pillow that provides a special and targeting support by addressing the ever-changing contours and curves of your body that pregnancy gives rise to.
These sorts of pillows are bigger in size than the usual pillows, come in peculiar shape and size that suits the various needs of an expecting mom best.
In the later period of pregnancy, the baby grows, so make the difficulties. It gets more troublesome and full of discomfort for a mother to bear.
MATERNITY SUPPORT PILLOW is used to alleviate difficult situations like inadequate sleep and body aches during this time.
To pen off, it can be concluded that various sleeping positions can be adopted by pregnant ladies using maternity pillows.
These postures vary from woman to woman to meet their body requirements.
Why Use a Pregnancy Pillow?
By evaluating the challenges a pregnant lady goes through, the doctors, midwives, and the sleep therapists suggest PREGNANCY PILLOW. It is to bring ease in mom to be life, to make her able to cope with disrupted sleep patterns, and to provide pain relief.
The maternity pillow targets the need for a specific area that allows adopting positions that are good for blood circulation. These pillows allow turning over the sides in the best possible postures.
The curves and the arm of these pillows allow cuddling and can give relief from body aches. These pillows have a cooling system in their covers to allow pregnant women to get rid of night sweats.
These pillows are in various kinds from a small-sized pillow to a full body length pillow, which supports every part of the body from head to foot.
You can also read our in-depth article, Top 8 Pregnancy Pillow Health Benefits to answer your question in minds
What If You Don’t USE a Pregnancy Pillow?
According to the National Sleep Foundation,
“Pillows can offer relief by providing support where you need it.” Source
If these pillows are not used by pregnant women, one can have sleep disruptions even more terribly. The usual body aches, sheer belly weight, sleepiness nights that can be easily managed with these specially designed pregnancy support pillows, would be treated with medications otherwise.
During pregnancy, you can have disturbed sleep patterns for sure. It is due to being unable to attain the right sleeping position. The sleep inadequacy could not only affect the expecting mother but as well as fatal for the baby.
Moreover, if the expectant moms do not take advantage of a maternity support pillow, they will require having multiple pillows for every part of their body separately to give support to them. There will be a pile of several small pillows and the cushions tossing here and there on the bed. They would occupy the space asymmetrically.
How to Sleep With A Pregnancy Pillow?
Let’s take a review of different shapes of maternity support pillows available in the market with its pros and cons. How to Use the Pregnancy Support Pillow? What are different Possible Positions that can be adopted while sleeping with Maternity Support Pillow? The usual types available in markets all over the world are mentioned below.
The moms to be can select the BEST PREGNANCY PILLOW for herself and know how to sleep with these maternity Support Pillows. One can choose the pillow that suits the requirements of the body. Keeping in mind the features of various pregnancy pillows, one can surprise herself with the best one.
1) The Wedges Support Maternity Pillow
The Wedge Support Pregnancy Pillow contains firm foam in it. It permits your body to take an aligned and upright posture by using this pillow. It can provide support to your shoulders and neck separately too.
Shape: As for the shape, the most prominent feature of this pillow is its incline. The Wedge Support pillow has a crescent-shaped and triangular shape with an incline. The incline gets fit into a specific area and provides support to it.
Size: The Wedge Maternity Pillows are smaller in size than its competition. The incline of wedge support pillows ranges higher to lower. It usually ranges from 7 inches to 12 inches. The higher incline can best be used for sitting positions like reading, eating, or enjoying a favorite TV show while the lower incline goes best for attaining various sleep positions.
How to Sleep with Wedge Support Pregnancy Pillow?
The wedge maternity pillow is used to prop the back and head while leaning or lying. If you turn over a side while sleeping, it can provide support to your belly and back.
So this can be used in both positions while reclining on your back and on your side.
It has the added quality to provide ache reliefs of various muscles and joints. You can easily slide the wedge pillow beneath the affected area that needs to be propped up.
It would bear the burden of the weight and thus provides relief.
2) The C Shaped Pregnancy Support Pillow
Shape: It’s obvious from the name that this particular pillow comes in C shape. It has a large rear curve and front arms to snuggle up against. It can provide you better sleep throughout the night while adopting different positions with it. It helps to stress off affected joints and the muscles.
Size: This pillow is large as compared to many of the other pregnancy pillows from wedge to body pillows. One does not require any extra pillow for the head or any other place by using the C shaped pillow.
How to Use a C Shaped Pregnancy Support Pillow for sleeping?
C shaped maternity pillow has a large midsection. The middle empty space is where your body is placed in a resting position while sleeping.
The big C curve provides full back support. The front two arms of the C shaped pillow allow you to cuddle against by placing the arms on the upper arm of the pillow and resting the feet on the lower one.
By sleeping with C shaped pillow, you can release the stress of the upper body, back, and limbs.
The use of C shaped pregnancy pillows somehow resembled that of U shaped Pregnancy Pillow.
Both can be used for both sitting and as well as sleeping positions.
3) Body Pillows
Shape: The body pillows are straight pillows lacking any curve. Hence, you require an extra pillow to replace your head along with these pillows.
Size: As for the size of this pillow, it is a lengthy one. Its size is that of a body length. It’s best for side sleepers. While cradling, this pillow props up the shoulders, arms, knees, and feet.
How to Sleep with Body Pillows?
These straight, long pillows are best for the ladies who sleep on their sides.
First, the body pillow should be laid down against the full body length. Turn over to the pillow side.
Just like cradling, place the upper leg and wrap around the pillow length so that pillow places between your legs.
By elevating the leg, one can enhance the blood flow in one of the major veins that carry blood to the heart called vena cava.
You can hug the body pillow with spread arms to give you a more comfy effect.
You can also gently place your arms on the upper length of the body pillow.
4) The U Shaped Pregnancy Pillow
Shape: As the name suggests, this pillow forms U in shape. This is an ergonomically designed pillow that gives support to every part of the body by hugging you from front and back.
Size: This is the biggest pillow in size amongst all available pregnancy pillows. The size of this pillow is that of a small personal boat.
How to Sleep with a U Shaped Pregnancy Pillow?
This full-body length pillow takes you in a protected enclosure.
The body can be placed both in a sitting and as well as sleeping positions in it. It provides support equally from every side of the body.
This pillow brings ease in both sleeping positions, whether lying straight on your back or sleeping on the sides.
While sleeping, the head is rested on the curve of the U shaped pillow; you can snuggle up to one side of the pillow by hugging it.
The rear side will prop up your shoulders, back, and legs. This comfortable sleep position will enhance your sleep quality by alleviating the discomforts.
Bottom Line
I’m 100% sure 90% of your problems will be solved through the above tips and tricks because it works for me! It is very difficult to manage the especially when you are pregnant
Sleeping is essential for pregnant women as most of us experience overwhelmingly tired and even exhaust. Lack of sleeps may put you at risk for some serious conditions and even complicated your delivery. Therefore a good quality of of pregnancy support pillows plays a key role in it because it is helps to relieve pain and provide extra comfort and quality sleep to pregnancy mothers especially the 2nd and 3rd trimester.
Now, it’s your turn. Let me know what you do to make your have quality & comfortable sleep during your pregnancy. Share your tips and tricks and let’s help other moms like you to make a quick decision.
And don’t forget to share this guide if it helps you!