Lots of good advice gets thrown at you when you are pregnant especially about what position to lie in when going to bed. First off - Don't lie on your back - very good advice it is too for the later months what with the possible potential of fainting and that it is rather uncomfortable too.
Then there is the advice for dealing with particular ailments such as heartburn/indigestion/acid reflux - sleep with your head raised up, use pillows to prop yourself up at night. It helps stop the acid from flowing up so easily.
If the other end of your body is bothering you and you have feet and ankles the size of Tasmania then the best thing to do when going to bed is to raise your feet up so that they are above your heart, pillows are great for this as are a couple of bricks under that end of the bed to raise up the whole of the bed.
But what do you do when you are like me, suffering from heartburn, oedema and find it really uncomfortable to sleep on my back? How exactly am I supposed to raise my head up and my feet above my heart at the same time, whilst sleeping on my left side? Since when did I have to be a contortionist? Exactly how many pillows do I have to take to bed at night? And where exactly is my husband supposed to sleep?
I so sympathise. I had backache too and couldn't find a comfortable position. In the end, I found the best thing was to lie on my side with the underneath leg straight and the top leg bent and supported by a pillow - actually, pretty well the recovery position. I had a couple of pillows under my head, but one was sideways on so the slope was gradual, if you see what I mean. My ankles didn't swell but bricks under the end bed feet sound sensible. I also put an old eiderdown under my sheet for softness while still having the support of a firm mattress.
ReplyDeleteThe splendid thing is that you wake the morning after the baby is born and none of those things hurt any more. They just vanish.
"The splendid thing is that you wake the morning after the baby is born and none of those things hurt any more..."
ReplyDeleteYOU MANAGED TO GET SOME SLEEP???
I know it's a bit of a naff comment and I know I obviously have no idea what it all feels like, but it is really worth it in the end :-)
Oh and remind me to tell you about how Tracy got stuck in a bath in deepest Norfolk when she was weeks away from giving birth!!!