Are you wondering what is the best way to sleep when pregnant? It is only natural as a mother to be to make sure that you are doing everything to protect the health of yourself and your baby. Wondering about to sleep when pregnant is a legitimate concern. As it turns out there is a doctor recommended position to sleep in that will both maximize your comfort and well-being.Many expectant mothers face difficulties in sleeping during pregnancy. Many of these problems start happening in the second trimester as the size of the fetus gets large enough to cause discomfort. Women who are natural tummy or back sleepers find these positions difficult to maintain because they are no longer comfortable.
Back and tummy sleeping positions are not safe for your baby. Sleeping on your back during pregnancy leads to many discomforts and complications. When you sleep on your back during pregnancy the weight of the placenta and fetus lie directly on the spine. This leads to backaches and poor circulation to the placenta.
Obstetricians now recommend that those women expecting babies should learn to sleep on their sides as early in their pregnancies as possible, preferably on their left side. Results of research have established that more nutrients are absorbed into the placenta due to an increased blood supply when mother-to-be lies on her left side for sleep, resulting in her baby getting a better source of nutrition than if she were to continue to sleep in any other positions whilst in bed.Pregnant women also find that sleeping on their side is the most comfortable position as the weight of their baby is shifted to a position that reduces internal pressure. The problem lies in maintaining the side sleeping position. Many expectant mothers toss and turn while sleeping. Even if they fall asleep in the proper position they still find themselves on their back when they wake up.
Guidelines
Misinformation abounds in pregnancy, how to sleep being just one of them! However, there are certain guidelines that make it important that pregnancy makes advisable, if not imperative. This includes medical complications such as pre-eclampsia, placental insufficiency and premature labor. Obviously, these are high-risk complications that do not apply to all pregnant women. However, when labor occurs, there are going to be fluctuations in the amount of blood crossing from the uterus to the placenta. This occurs to all women in labor as a result of the uterine contractions during the labor. The best position for the laboring mother to lie in to prevent this occurring is her left side.
Increased Blood Flow
Just think about the weight of the growing uterus when lying on your back. The heavy uterus will be lying above the aorta, with its weight compressing the aorta, thereby compromising the flow of oxygenated blood available to your lower extremities. Your kidneys will also be affected due to the reduction in flow and, taking it still further this compression could increase your blood pressure and possibly be a contributing factor towards pre-eclampsia. While not intending to be alarmist, why compromise your health and the health of your baby if you follow advise in pregnancy, how to sleep being just one of the nuggets of information that can make a difference.
Basically, there is a reason why adhering to certain sleep positions in pregnancy is advised. This is due to the internal make-up of your body and, in pregnancy, how to sleep is an important factor in the blood flow ratio to your baby’s placenta. Your kidneys lie in a certain place, as does your aorta which is the main artery that takes oxygenated blood from your heart and pumps it around your body. Obviously, it is good for Baby to get as much of this oxygenated blood through the placenta as possible because oxygenated blood carries all the right nutrients that allow Baby to grow properly so that it starts its life as healthy as possible.
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