I've heard somewhere you shouldnt lie flat on your back while pregnant. Why is that?

Question

I have not been told this by mid-wife or GP, but I read it on a pregnancy tip I was emailled by Pregnancy weekly about exercise while pregnant, it said remember not to do anything which involves lying flat on your back. Trouble is, I cant help it while I'm asleep, I often wake up flat on my back! I'm a bit nervous I'm doing some sort of damage but I cant think what it could be doing. Any ideas?

Answer 1

the baby will crawl up your throat.

Answer 2

in both my pregnancies lying on my back was the most comfortable position, i couldnt lie any other way and i was fine. i dont see a problem at all with it.

most midwives dont even have kids they just read from a text book, not real life, everyone is different, if you lie on your back and your comfortable then thats fine.

Answer 3

The main vein/artery (cant remeber which) runs down the centre of your body, so if you lay on your back the weight of the baby can press on this and cause problems with blood flow.

My midwife told me that when I was pregnant.

Answer 4

Yes they recommend to not sleep on your back,something about blood flow or something.I did it anyways.I slept better & my child was fine.My doctor told me that it was fine.

Answer 5

Later in pregnancy, when the baby is heavier, lying on your back can cause him/her to put pressure on your superior vena cavae, a large vein transporting blood back to your heart.  This could be why they thought that was an important pregnancy tip to give to you, but it seems to me that in order to give a good tip, one has got to explain why it's important!

That's my guess - hope it helps!

Answer 6

because a pregnant woman is like a beached whale and will get stuck and cant get up.

Answer 7

It's not that you shouldn't but that as you and baby get bigger it becomes more uncomfortable because baby presses on your spine and bladder. Don't worry about it because if it does start getting uncomfortable you will soon find that you stop doing it. It is different asleep than when exercising. Because that will put too much pressure on your already overstretched muscles and tendons.

Answer 8

you cant help what you do in your sleeep.

if it says not to lie on your back try not to do it while your awake and that.

but when your asleep i dont think its any harm to the baby.

good luck with the pregnancy :)

Answer 9

Lying on your back WAS believed to put too much pressure on your vena cava, the large vein that takes blood back to your heart from your lower extremities.

Don't worry--you won't do any damage!  I had the same problem, and after reading about that, it scares you!

But, my first OB said that I'd be very uncomfortable (enough to wake up) before any serious damage was done.  

My OB with the second pregnancy told me that it is an old wives tale...  that you'd have to be extremely heavy (she actually said "morbidly obese") before your breathing would be compromised by your baby's body weight.  She also said that, even if I were in that situation, the most that would probably happen is that I would pass out and there would be a diminished blood flow to the baby (but not likely enough to threaten the baby).

But because I was still paranoid about it, I slept on the couch--and I would let my back lean against the back of the couch, making me always sleep on my side.

Answer 10

I heard it is related to the blood flow and lying on your back would reduce the quantity of blood (and therefore oxygen) to the baby. I personally believe that if you stay too long on your back because of the weight of the baby your back will start to hurt and there is also too much presure on the kidneys.

Answer 11

I think it will just feel uncomfortable. If you have heartburn, it will make it worse. Don't be scared, every little thing's gonna be alright.

Answer 12

When i was having my twins and i lay on my back i used to get dizzy and breathless and was told it was the weight of the babies pressing on my organs ...it was scary !