Dr. Sandra Nnamani
Sleeping on your stomach:
If your favorite position is tummy-down, that’s okay, until your baby bump makes it uncomfortable or impossible, at which point you’ll have to switch positions.
Sleeping on your back during pregnancy:
Experts recommend pregnant women avoid sleeping on their backs during the second and third trimesters. Why? The back sleep position rests the entire weight of the growing uterus and baby on your back, your intestines and your vena cava, the main vein that carries blood back to the heart from your lower body.
This pressure can aggravate backaches and hemorrhoids and make digestion less efficient, interfere with circulation, and possibly cause hypotension (low blood pressure), which can make you dizzy. Less-than-optimal circulation can also reduce blood flow to the fetus, giving your baby less oxygen and nutrients.
But don’t worry if you wake up and find that you’ve rolled onto your back overnight. Just avoid that sleeping position during pregnancy for prolonged periods of time.
Sleeping on your left or right side:
During the second and third trimesters, sleeping on either side, preferably the left, if possible, is ideal for you and your baby-to-be. This position allows for maximum blood flow and nutrients to the placenta (which means less pressure on the vena cava) and enhances kidney function, which means better elimination of waste products and less swelling in your feet, ankles and hands.
Vladimir Chimaobi Ugwu reporting, Obinwannem News
