Pregnancy brings a lot of unexpected obstacles for a woman’s body. Starting in the first trimester. A pregnancy pillow is an easy fix for multiple common complaints about pregnancy. Such as lack of sleep, back pain, sciatic nerve pain, and/or pelvic pain.
Talk to your doctor about your discomfort and ask if they think a pregnancy pillow may help with your pain.
The best pregnancy pillow is one that will support your baby belly, support your head, and support your top leg while laying on your side.
Belly support is important when laying on your side (suggested by doctors). The weight of your belly will twist your back to allow the belly to rest on the bed.
A wedge pillow or body pillow will help support and align all areas of your body to enable a better, more restful sleep.
Learn the difference between each pillow type and find the best pregnancy pillow for you.
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When To Use A Pregnancy Pillow
The best time to purchase a pregnancy pillow is in your first trimester. Your body is changing, often bringing discomfort to your back and pelvis.
When you begin having hip pain, sciatic nerve pain, and back pain during pregnancy, that is when it is best to sleep with a pregnancy pillow.
How Pregnancy Pillows Help Pregnant Women
Pregnancy pillows help by adjusting your body so everything is aligned and supported. Women with wider hips can experience pain in their pelvis and back due to the position the body is in during sleep. Especially side sleepers.
During pregnancy, doctors suggest women sleep on their side. To support the natural shape of the body, you need to lift the top leg to hip height.
Once your belly/baby starts growing and getting heavier, you will feel more comfortable with support under your belly so your back isn’t being twisted with the weight of your belly, causing more pain.
This is why a full body pillow is suggested, so you have both leg and belly support, along with the head support of a normal bed pillow.
How To Use A Pregnancy Pillow
To use a pregnancy pillow properly, lay on your side with your top leg draped over the pillow in front of you.
Ensure your belly is laying on top of the pillow as well (in the second and third trimesters).
Different Types Of Pregnancy Pillows
There are different types of pregnancy pillows because not all women have the same pains during pregnancy.
There is only one downside to having a full body maternity pillow. They do take up a good amount of space on the bed but are well worth it.
If you aren’t sure about purchasing one, you can try using three separate bed pillows. One for your head like normal, along with one supporting your belly (to decrease back pain), and another one to put in between your legs for leg, hip, and knee support.
This is what I did for the first few months and that’s a lot of pillows to move around and re-situate every time you roll over at night!
If you choose to go with the bed pillow strategy, I encourage you to save this page on your phone or a Pinterest board to allow you to come back in the future to look at these recommendations.
Now that you know the main pain points for trying to sleep better and longer as a pregnant women, I’ll give you a suggestion in each category for the best pillow that will help you sleep better and wake up without pain while pregnant.
These pillows will also keep you more comfortable after the baby is born when recovering postpartum.
The Best Full Body U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow
The PharMeDoc pregnancy pillow has a special detachable body pillow that can be used on its own or in conjunction with the U shaped pillow for back or belly support.
This maternity pillow is 53 inches long and made to support your head, neck, back, hips, legs, and knees.
The PharMeDoc maternity pillow is my number one suggestion for pregnant mamas looking for one pillow to take care of the entire body simultaneously including head support.
The Best Knee & Belly Support Pregnancy Pillow
I am a HUGE Boppy pillow supporter. I have quite a few different Boppy pillows. They are all high quality and perform to my high standards.
That being said, the best pregnancy pillow for supporting your belly, hips, and legs would be the Boppy Pregnancy Support Pillow.
The Boppy support pillow can be used in 3 separate ways. Supporting your:
- Back and legs
- Belly and legs
- Head and neck
If you are limited on space in the bed, I would highly recommend this maternity pillow as it meets all the needs of a pregnancy pillow without being as bulky as a full-body pregnancy pillow. It is also easy to clean with a removable cover.
Get a good look at how other moms are using this pillow on Amazon.
The Best Wedge Pregnancy Pillow
A memory foam wedge pillow is the smallest pregnancy pillow available. It can be used as a belly support pillow OR a knee pillow to relieve pain from your hips and back.
I suggest this wedge pillow for moms who have back pain during the second and third trimester. Sleeping without belly support can and will produce back pain.
Without belly support, while side sleeping, the weight of your belly forces your back to twist for an extended period of time. This causes your body to be out of alignment, creating an uncomfortable sleep position and daily back pain.
Realign your body while sleeping on your side with a simple memory foam wedge pillow. Small enough to take with you anywhere.
