Tossing & Turning in bed at night

Dear all,

It is very difficult for me to get to a comfortable position to sleep at night. I try my best to sleep on the left side, but would get uncomfortable soon and would want to sleep on the right side. Then left, then right, goes on throughout the night. Now some elderly ladies have been telling me not to do that. To change positions from left to right and vice versa, they asked me to get up and sit and then turn to the desired side and lie down again. They told me to do this way each time I want to change position. They say that otherwise, the umbilical cord will go around the baby's neck and will harm the baby. Is this true? It will be very difficult to sit up each time at night to change sides. If i did that, I would never sleep throughout the night...can someone shed some light on this?

Radhee.

Hi Radhee,

Yes the elderly people are true regarding the Umblical Cord being stuck around the baby's neck if you change positions suddenly .No need to worry if you are not able to sleep on the left side.Make sure you dont sleep on your back .Sleeping on the left side is most desired as the baby gets more blood supply and oxygen but right side sleeping wont do any harm .Just have some extra pillows and you will soon find a suitable position .

Hope you feel better .

Ramya

Try using this pregnancy wedge pilllow. You put it under your tummy for support while sleeping on the side. It has really helped me with sleeping peacefully at night.

Amazon.com: Boppy Pregnancy Wedge with Cotton Slipcover: Baby

Hi Radhee,
After read ur thread, even i was doing samething like u, moving left, center, right in the night...sometimes frequently... i really do not know is really baby will be in such harmful situation?... i am little scared and also i am waiting if anybody would reply to this...
waiting for any replies from anyone.....

Thanks,
- Chitti.

Hi Pmahensa,
Thanks for suggesting this pillow. Actually i am on my 15th week.Can i use such pillows at this too early stage (or) we could use this pillow at any stage of our pregnancy?

Thanks,
Chitti.

Chitti,
Don't worry. . When I was pregnant with my first one, my grandma and my mom also asked me to sit and turn on to the other side. Though I wanted to follow, most of the time I forgot... tossed and turned like normal people. By God's grace, nothing happened. But it is always good to sit and then turn to your comfortable side.

Take care!

Hi Radhika!!

My problem is kinda similar to you. I sleep on my back no matter how much I try to sleep on my sides but whenever I wake up in between the night or in the morning I found myself lying on my back . I am trying really really hard to sleep on sides but when I am in deep sleep I turn on my back may be because that is the comfortable position for my body and it(body) does whatever comforts it when I dont have control over it while sleeping . But its a serious problem for me.

I have heard that too that if you change position suddenly while sleeping U.chord can stuck around the baby's neck. But here I have a question isnt it too early to be worried about it because baby itself literally dancing and moving so much inside that it can get stuck or can untangle itself . I think we should be worried about it during last months like 8-9 month when baby will not have much time to move and untangle itself.

Just a thought friend. May be senior ILs can shed more light or doctors like Vanathi can give us some relieving answer.

Take care
V n baby

I've been using the pillow since my 12th week!

Hello dear sleepless moms-to-be:

I'm pregnant with our 2nd baby (33rd week) and facing the same problem. Even with my first child I would sometimes without knowing be sleeping on my back:( My neighbours (i went home around 28 weeks for delivery) scared me to death about not sleeping on back, getting up everytime to turn etc., I don't know if it's all true but I followed my mom's advice. When it gets uncomfortable on one side, first come to the position on your back (i keep my knees bent coz i can't keep my legs straight on back... i'm left breathless) then slowly turn to the other side using your arms to support the body weight. I did this for my boy and nothing went wrong with the umbilical cord. Only if you do sudden movements side-side (which I think is just impossible towards the last couple months) you can end up hurting yourself or something inside you:).

Last one week or so I find that when I turn sides the baby takes a bit more time to follow suit and that's really tiring... the weight poking up and by the time we both get adjusted and get to sleep my bladder is ready for action..... grrrr. Y'day I was suddenly left breathless (even while lying on left side) and kept my legs elevated on a pillow. Oh my that was so heavenly!

Latha

Dear Radhee,

There is no medical evidence suggesting that tossing and turning in the bed will cause the umbilical cord to go around the baby's neck. You can confirm that with your OB/GYN. Then walking around all day and performing household chores, moving left and right must do the same. Babies toss and turn around in your uterus all day and night long independent of you tossing and turning anyway. VNbaby is right. They will untangle themselves if the cord wraps around them. Only when they have no space to move like in the final days or during childbirth, this might be a little difficult for them. So most importantly please dont add another worry when you are trying to sleep thinking you are going to harm your child. Peaceful sleep is of utmost importance during pregnancy.

For that reason it is not a good thing to toss and turn continuously during the night. If you are tossing and turning all night long, that might suggest you are not getting proper, peaceful sleep at night and something is keeping you restless and awake. In your case (as in the case for many pregnant women) it is difficulty in finding a comfortable position. As the ladies here have suggested, try and use pillows around you to position yourself properly, preferably on your left side. Try and drink warm/hot milk before bed so that you are able to sleep easier. Try and read a book until you are really bored and sleepy

Also sleeping on your back will not put pressure on the baby or the uterus. It is the other way around. When you sleep on your back, the uterus and the baby put pressure on the Inferior Vena Cava which is a major vein in your body.

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 and baby off that large organ. Sleeping on the left side also improves circulation to the heart and allows for the best blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys.

But don't drive yourself crazy worrying that you might roll over onto your back during the night. Shifting positions is a natural part of sleeping that you can't control. Most likely, during the third trimester of your pregnancy, your body won't shift into the back-sleeping position anyway because it will be too uncomfortable.

Again, your OB/GYN who is a medically trained doctor is your best and most reliable source of information. You must definitely discuss this with the doctor during your next visit.

So plase dont worry yourself. Be peaceful and happy. I am sure God will bless a caring mom like you with a wonderful baby