Baby on Board!

Better Rest for Your Whole 9 Months

If you’re pregnant, your soon-to-be new edition is likely already changing a lot in your life—your home, your appetite and yes, your sleep.

“But I’m only in my first trimester!”

The first three months of your pregnancy actually are very active time, even though you may not physically see the fruits of your body’s labor quite yet. It’s working hard, creating extra blood support your baby, develop the placenta and otherwise grow your little one. And after all that work, you’re bound to be tired. Knocking out during this point in your pregnancy is likely no trouble. In fact, you may be nodding off more than you think your schedule can allow. Give yourself the chance to rest – you and your baby need it.

Now, the later months of your pregnancy are a bit of a different ballgame. Wait, let us: “That’s an understatement!” Being able snooze with ease can be anything but a breeze as the months go on as your size increases and demands on your body increase.

As you get bigger, finding a comfortable position to sleep in can be challenging. Doctors recommend sleeping on your side (oftentimes, specifically the left) with your knees bent.

You may also find using a body pillow when doing so useful for adding extra comfort.

Other pillow positions to try:

• Put a standard size pillow between your legs.
• Put a standard size pillow under your belly.
• Put a folded or round pillow under your lower back.

Beyond the standard sleep better tonight recommendations we’ve made on this site, with the exception of the use of herbal and over-the-counter remedies (not appropriate, now that you’re pregnant), try the following suggestions – good for helping you sleep and otherwise easy other issues that come along with your bump:

• Enroll, with your doctor’s approval, in a prenatal yoga class. This can help you relieve stress than can impact your sleep.
• Try eating heavier meals for breakfast and lunch, and going light for dinner.
• Try relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, to calm your picked-up heart rate (a result of all pregnancies).
• Wear flat shoes, preferably supportive sneakers, during the day. This can help support your now more injury prone ligaments and help reduce the chances of leg and back aches at night.