Pregnancy pillow: What is it and how can it improve your pregnancy journey?

A pregnancy pillow is a special pillow designed to provide body support, relieve pressure, and improve sleep quality in pregnant women. It allows you to sleep on the side, which is considered the best sleeping position due to improved blood flow to the baby and better kidney function.

Most commonly, maternal pillows are U-shaped, C-shaped, or L-shaped. Regardless of the type, these pillows provide a range of benefits:

• Improved comfort
• Pain relief
• Improved sleep
• Enhanced circulation
• Postpartum recovery

You can start using this pillow at any point in your pregnancy, depending on when you start feeling like you need extra support.

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Pregnancy is for sure an exciting stage in every woman’s life. It’s filled with very special, emotional moments and the anticipation of meeting your baby. But, on the other hand, this time is also associated with numerous discomforts that naturally come with pregnancy.

The majority of pregnancy-related discomforts are linked to body changes that you’re going through during this time. One of the most noticeable ones is swelling and backache caused by weight gain and bump growth. And unfortunately, these discomforts can disrupt not only your daily life, but your sleep as well.

As many as 80% of pregnant women report insomnia or poor sleep, especially in their third trimester. Although hormones and other pregnancy-related challenges contribute to this. Often, sleep issues are associated with physical discomfort of sleeping when your belly is already big enough. And that's where a pregnancy pillow can help a lot.

What Is a Pregnancy Pillow?

A pregnancy pillow is a special pillow designed for pregnant women. It’s made specifically to provide the so-needed body support, relieve pressure, and enable pregnant women to sleep comfortably on the side, which is considered the best sleeping position that allows for the best blood flow to the fetus and improves kidney function.

Pregnancy pillows come in a variety of shapes. Most often, they are U-shaped, C-shaped, or L-shaped. These shapes allow you to align the body during sleep and thus ease the discomfort and improve sleep quality.

What Is a Pregnancy Pillow Used For?

If you are just considering starting to use a maternal pillow, it’s natural to wonder how it can help you. The main benefits include:

Improved Comfort

When your belly grows, taking different lying positions can become rather uncomfortable. In particular, side-lying and the prone position are often unavailable to pregnant women.

A pregnancy pillow has been shown to align the body and provide support to your hips, legs, back, and belly, allowing you to feel more comfortable in different positions. One study even confirmed that it helps pregnant women feel comfortable in the prone position.

Pain Relief

According to studies, roughly 70% of all pregnant women experience low back, pelvic, or abdominal pain at some point in their journey. Needless to say, pain can add to stress and cause daily discomfort and even sleep disruptions.

A maternal pillow is designed for body support. It takes pressure off your joints and has been proven to help relieve back and pelvic pain.

Improved Sleep

Apart from hormonal changes, pregnancy insomnia is most commonly caused by physical discomfort, inability to find a comfortable sleep position, and pain.

As you already know, a pregnancy pillow can help relieve pain and improve overall comfort when you lie down. Respectively, it can help prevent sleep disruptions. Furthermore, such special pillows will help you stay in the recommended side-sleeping position at night and ensure a better blood flow to your baby.

Enhanced Circulation

When you’re pregnant, the growing uterus causes additional pressure on major veins, slowing blood return. At the same time, the amount of fluids in your body increases. These reasons typically lead to increased swelling in pregnant women, especially in their feet, ankles, and hands.

When you use a pregnancy pillow, you slightly elevate your legs during sleep. This can help improve blood and lymphatic circulation and thus reduce swelling.

Postpartum Recovery

If you’re thinking that a pregnancy pillow is only useful until you give birth, that’s not quite true. In fact, these pillows are commonly used in the process of postpartum recovery as they help to:

• Provide physical support.
• Promote comfort.
• Improve sleep quality.
• Offer ergonomic positioning during breastfeeding.
• Ease episiotomy and perineal discomfort relief.
• Help recover after a C-section.
• Reduce stress and promote well-being.

Long story short, you can continue using your pregnancy pillow long after you give birth and gain plenty of benefits too.

When Do You Need a Pregnancy Pillow?

Thanks to the wide range of benefits that it offers, a pregnancy pillow can come in handy to anyone who’s pregnant. In particular, you can consider using one if:

• Lying down or sleeping becomes uncomfortable.
• You are a side-sleeper and can’t sleep on your side anymore.
• You feel like extra support for your back, hips, and belly won’t harm.
• You are struggling with back or pelvic pain.
• You are swelling too much.
• You are experiencing nausea or reflux (aligning your spine can improve circulation and ease these symptoms).

When to Start Using Pregnancy Pillow

If you’re wondering how to use pregnancy pillow with maximum benefits, you might be asking yourself when the right time is to start. However, the truth is that there are no strict rules on this.

Generally, it’s recommended to start using a pregnancy pillow when you feel it’s time. Maybe you will do it early, when you start experiencing nausea and early back pain. Or maybe, you will start craving additional support in the second trimester, after week 20, when your belly starts growing rapidly.

The best tip we can give you in this regard is to listen to your body. Monitor your symptoms and sleep patterns to see when to start using pregnancy pillow for added comfort and support.

How to Use Pregnancy Pillow

In order to start using a pregnancy pillow, you first need to pick one that suits your needs. As you can guess, there are no specific rules on this, as every pregnant woman has unique needs. But here’s a brief overview of how you can get the most out of different pillow shapes to help guide your choice:

• C-shaped – Perfect for full-body support and side-sleeping.
• U-shaped – Perfect for full-body support and sleeping on the back/side.
• L-shaped – Perfect for bump and leg support; more compact.
• Wedge – Perfect for back and belly support; also comfortable for sitting.
• Full-length straight pillow – Perfect for side-sleeping and added support for your belly, hips, and knees.

Once you choose your pillow, you might also wonder how to use it the right way. The answer to this question depends on the pillow type and your specific needs. For example, if you choose a C- or U-shaped pillow, you can locate your head on the bend of the pillow and place the pillow’s end between your knees.

With more compact pillows, it’s recommended to place them where you need support the most, for example, between your knees or behind your back. 

FAQ

How do I know when to start using pregnancy pillow?

There is no rule. Listen to your body and consider using a pregnancy pillow as soon as you feel the need for extra support, comfort, or pain relief. Some women start as early as the first trimester, whereas others don’t need a special pillow until their baby bump grows in the second trimester. It’s all about your comfort.

What’s the best type of pregnancy pillow?

There is no single best pregnancy pillow. These pillows come in different shapes and kinds, and should be selected based on your individual needs. You can research different pillow shapes to find the perfect option for you. Or you can also consult with your healthcare provider for personalized advice.

What to look for in a pregnancy pillow?

When choosing your maternal pillow, first analyze your symptoms and discomforts to define where you need the most support. Think about your sleep patterns to understand how you want to sleep. This should help you determine the suitable pillow shape. Also, when choosing the right shape, mind the contours of your body and look at pillows that conform to them.

Bonus tip: When shopping for a pregnancy pillow, look at options with a washable cover. Remember that pregnancy is associated with hormonal changes and increased blood flow, which elevate body temperature and frequently cause excessive sweating. You want to have an opportunity to wash your pillow regularly.

Conclusion

A pregnancy pillow is a helpful tool that can help you feel comfortable, relieve pain, and improve your sleep quality even when your bump grows and creates discomfort. These pillows offer a great range of benefits both during pregnancy and postpartum, which is why many pregnant women find them useful.

After reading this article, you should have a better idea of different pregnancy pillow shapes and ways to use them for maximum benefit. Use this as a guide to your comfort and well-being in pregnancy.

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