All the pregnancy books say that once you're about half-way through your pregnancy, you should never never never lie on your back. Something about a vein that takes blood/oxygen to the placenta getting squished, so it isn't good for the baby. So, I have dutifully attempted to stop sleeping on my back, which is no small feat when that's the way you've slept for most of your life.
Until tonight, when I realized something.
As soon as you go to the hospital to labor and deliver the baby, they make you lie on your back. For hours.
Logically: It can't be both awful to lie on your back during pregnancy and essential to lie on your back during labor.
It's a conspiracy, I tell you.
2 comments:
I will not say anything until you've had the baby. But please do a little research. You're not too far off. {{hugs}}
Dy
Well, my advice is to try one of those nice, big pregnancy pillows. The reason they advise not to lie on your back is because the weight of your uterus can put pressure on a vein that may slow the blood flow to your heart. This can cause a feeling of faintness, dizziness, nausea, an increase in heartrate, or a feeling of anxiousness. If you have none of these symptoms, I don't think you need to worry about it. I must confess I slept on my back in both my pregancies too! That said, it sucks that hospitals make you lie on your back. Not helpful in labor at all. Makes me thankful for my homebirths!
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