Maternity Pillow – Get a Better Night’s Sleep

Getting and staying comfortable in bed may be one of the greatest challenges for a pregnant woman. Sleeping positions get more restricted as the baby grows and it can get pretty frustrating, especially for back and stomach sleepers.

During your first trimester, tender breasts make sleeping on your stomach downright painful, and as your belly grows, lying face-down will become close to impossible. Sleeping on your back puts the full weight of your uterus on your spine, intestines and major blood vessels. It may also cause backaches, poor digestion, shortness of breath and the dreaded hemorrhoids.

<

If you did not follow your doctor’s advice to start sleeping on your left side as early as the first trimester and still find the position extremely uncomfortable, a maternity pillow can be your best friend.

A maternity pillow can replace that pile of pillows you always try to arrange around you just to get into a comfortable enough position and get some sleep until morning, or until the neck pains wake you up. It can give the support that is essential for the rest and relaxation that you need in order to deliver a healthy and happy baby.

Maternity pillows come in different sizes, shapes and prices. The following are the three basic types commonly used by expectant mothers:

• Wedge pillow – When lying on your side, the weight of your abdomen pulls against your back, causing back pain. This pillow is essentially designed to be inserted under the belly when lying on your side or between the legs to help align your hips.

• U or V shaped pillow– This can be used to support the abdomen and align your hips when you are sleeping on your side. There are also some very large U-shaped pillows that are enough to fit between your knees, under your belly, up around under your head and then down behind your back. This pillow basically cradles the sleeper and provides additional back support, making it a favorite among pregnant women.

• Cylinder full body pillow – This is shaped like a long cylinder, usually as long as your body. It can be used in front of the body, under the abdomen and sometimes between the legs at the same time. It also offers the same benefits as the other two types.

Maternity body pillows are available in most stores as well as online. If you find it a hassle to drive to the nearest Bed Bath and Beyond, sites like Amazon.com offer a wide selection of maternity pillows that will fit different needs of different women.

Looking for a good maternity pillow online may be a wee bit difficult, considering that you cannot get the actual feel of the product to know if it works for you. This is where customer reviews come in. Read the most recent reviews on each product that piques your interest and decide which is best according to them. What worked for others may not work for you but the reviews will give you a general idea about the product.

Also check for features like the material and the thread count of the covering (rule of thumb: the higher the thread count, the better). And no matter what you decide to buy, look for a good deal. Some products come with freebies like extra pillow cases, which may come in very handy.

Investing in a good maternity pillow is a pregnancy must. Not only does it ensure that you get all the sleep you need to have a healthy baby, you can also make use of your sleep time buddy even after your little bundle of joy is born.

Tags: Maternity Pillow, Maternity Pillows