how many weeks pregnant do you have to sleep on your side?
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Research has shown that in the third trimester (after 28 weeks of pregnancy) going to sleep on your back increases your risk of stillbirth. As the link has now been shown in four separate research trials, our advice is to go to sleep on your side in the third trimester because it is safer for your baby.
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Sleeping on your stomach also places extra pressure on your uterus and should be avoided. The easiest way to begin sleeping on your side is to use several extra pillows or a pregnancy pillow.
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If you normally sleep on your back, it's safe to continue doing so during the first trimester. But as your womb (uterus) gets heavier in the second trimester, it's best to lie on your side. By the third trimester, sleeping on your back more than doubles your risk of stillbirth (though the risk is still low).
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A handful of these changes can also undermine sleep in pregnancy, and some develop soon after conception. It is even possible for some of these early alterations to lead to symptoms characteristic of insomnia. Women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy commonly experience fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness.
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11 weeks pregnant symptoms. Good news: The hard work of the first trimester is almost over. In the next few weeks, you might start to feel more energetic and have less nausea (though for some women, morning sickness may last until around week 16).
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Sleeping on your stomach is fine in early pregnancy—but sooner or later you'll have to turn over. “Generally, it's okay until the belly is growing, which is between 16 and 18 weeks, depending on how big the belly gets and how quickly,” Henning says.
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Experts recommend lying on your left side. It improves circulation, giving nutrient-packed blood an easier route from your heart to the placenta to nourish your baby. Lying on the left side also keeps your expanding body weight from pushing down too hard on your liver. While either side is okay, left is best.
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You may want to get used to a new sleep position now, since you shouldn't sleep on your back after 20 weeks of pregnancy. When you lie belly-up, the weight of your uterus can compress a major blood vessel, called the vena cava. This disrupts blood flow to your baby and leaves you nauseated, dizzy, and short of breath.
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Although your OB-GYN may recommend sleeping on your left side for optimal blood flow to your heart, a 2019 review of studies actually found that either left or right side is A-OK. However, sleeping on your back is not recommended as it causes your abdomen to rest on your intestines and some major blood vessels.
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Some doctors specifically recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side. Because your liver is on the right side of your abdomen, lying on your left side helps keep the uterus off that large organ.
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Our experts answer your pregnancy questions Those women may be busier with work and family. To them, I recommend getting a full eight hours if you can and a short nap in the day. Either way, an extra hour or two is often necessary, especially in the first trimester. Don't scrimp on sleep, for sure.
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Sleep on one side According to myth, if a pregnant woman naturally sleeps on her left side, she is carrying a boy, while if she sleeps on her right side, she's going to have a girl.
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It's also important to sleep on your left side in a non-fetal position. Cons: Sleeping on the left side can put pressure on the stomach and lungs, and affect blood flow, so it is best to switch it up… or you may experience numbness in your arms from resting on one for too long.
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When you're pregnant, finding a comfortable position to sleep in can be challenging at best. Sleeping on your back isn't recommended because it can obstruct blood vessels and slow blood circulation for you and your baby. But sleeping on your stomach will hurt your belly or breasts or cause stomach problems.
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In the early days of pregnancy it is fine to sleep on your stomach. Your bump will not start showing until the second trimester and sleeping on your stomach is unlikely to be uncomfortable. In the third trimester, you will have a large bump and it is very unlikely that you would choose this position.
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Sleeping on Your Back During Pregnancy Between 15 and 20 weeks gestation, the uterus starts becoming large enough to interfere with blood flow when you sleep on your back.
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Is it harmful to sleep on my stomach in pregnancy? In the early days of pregnancy it is fine to sleep on your stomach. Your bump will not start showing until the second trimester and sleeping on your stomach is unlikely to be uncomfortable.