Is it Safe to Sleep on my Stomach during Pregnancy?

This is just the published medical research and medical case studies. This is not even the medical observations that have been published. One of which links lower back pain in pregnancy to the sleep positions we take, especially when we lie on our sides, which places a lot of strain on our spine and back when we stay in one position for too long [6]. Or how maternal sleep positions are linked to risk factors for stillbirth [7], such as maternal hypertension, gestational diabetes, and fetal growth restriction – all associated with the position in which pregnant women sleep [8].

All of the medical research, case studies and observations point to the fact that lying and sleeping on your front would not cause any harm to you or your baby during pregnancy. It is perfectly safe, as long as you are comfortable and don’t feel any pain or strain on your spine, hips, pelvis or legs. Just like any other sleeping, sitting, or standing position.

Sweet dreams!

Resources
[1] Nakai Y, Mine M, Nishio J, Maeda T, Imanaka M, Ogita S. Effects of maternal prone position of the umbilical arterial flow. Acta Obstet GynecolScand. 1998;77((10)):967-9. doi: 10.1080/j.1600-0412.1998.771003.x; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9849838/.

[2] Miller T.A., Joss-Moore L, Menon S.C, Weng C, Puchalski M.D. Umbilical Artery Systolic to Diastolic Ratio is Associated with Growth and Myocardial Performance in Infants with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Prenat Diagn. 2014 Feb; 34(2): 128-133. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3999234/.

[3] Oliveira C, Lopes M.A.B, Rodrigues A.S, Zugaib M, Francisco R.P.V. Influence of the prone position on a stretcher for pregnant women on maternal and fetal hemodynamic parameters and comfort in pregnancy. Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2017 Jun; 72(6): 325-332. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5463251/.

[4] Dennis A.T, Hardy L, Leeton L. The prone position in healthy pregnant women and in women with preeclampsia – a pilot study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Nov 16;18(1):445. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30445912/.

[5] Ali M, Sajjad N.S. Prone Positioning for Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Pregnancy. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2016;193:A1886. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm-conference.2016.193.1_MeetingAbstracts.A1886.

[6] Sabino J, Frauer J.N. Pregnancy and low back pain. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2008 Jun; 1(2): 137-141. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684210/.

[7] Heazell AEP, Li M, Budd J, Thompson JMD, Stacey T, Cronin RS, Martin B, Roberts D, Mitchell EA, McCowan LME. Association between maternal sleep practices and late stillbirth – findings from a stillbirth case-control study. BJOG2017; https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.14967.

[8] O’Brien L.M, Warland J. Maternal sleep position: what do we know where do we go? BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015; 15(Suppl 1):A4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402690/.


Natal Comfort is on a mission to help all people have a comfortable, healthy & positive pregnancy. They are doing this through their partnered research with the Imperial College’s NHS Trust, their panel of pregnancy health experts and their multi-award-winning stomach sleeping pregnancy pillow. You can connect with them via Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

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