How To Use A Pregnancy Pillow?
Pregnancy brings along a wave of happiness and excitement, as well as aches and pains. In addition, relaxing and getting enough sleep at night is challenging. Therefore, that’s where women suffer. Most of them report having poor quality sleep and sleeping less at irregular intervals. However, avoid these with the help of a comfortable maternity pillow. Pregnancy pillows are the biggest life savers, especially when it comes to sleeping like a baby yourself. The uniquely shaped pillows offer full neck and body support. In addition, their designs offer maximum comfort levels. Hopefully our guide below will better inform you as to how to use a pregnancy pillow.
Investing in the right pregnancy pillow and using it in the right way will help you make the most out of your purchase.
Types of Pregnancy Pillows
- Full body pillow – These pillows are straight and long, and easily adaptable. However, if not used correctly, they will fail to provide hardly any support to the back.
- U shaped pillows – This pillow provides support from both sides, and is designed to act as head and neck pillow. This is a very popular design, and is best suited to those women who roll a lot in their sleep because it acts as a wall on both sides, keeping the body safe within its cavity.
- C Shaped Pillow – C shaped pillows are particularly useful for women who find it hard to adjust to new positions and stay asleep in the same position throughout the night. These pillows are designed to cradle the whole body, offer support to the neck and head, and raise and separate the pelvic area. In addition, they also act as a great padding for the back and knees.
- Wedge Pillow – Just like the name suggests, a wedge pillow is shaped as a wedge (thicker on one part and narrow on the other). The narrow part is supposed to be placed beneath the belly, in order to slightly lift it up. This basically reduces pressure on the back and at the same time helps women stay put in the side positions without falling onto their stomachs while sleeping.
- L Shaped Pillow – This pillow comes with a tail for your neck and head or your legs. It provides support to your belly and back, and does not occupy that much space.
How to use a pregnancy pillow in the right manner?
With a good one, you should be able to get better results and also feel good during the night. Listed below is a comprehensive guide on how to use a pregnancy pillow. So read on to learn more about how to use a pregnancy pillow.
back to menu ↑1. Begin by supporting your neck
A majority of pregnancy pillows are designed in such a way that they prop your spine up. Support your head and neck when sleeping on your side in a way that your spinal cord remains as straight as possible. Do not sleep in curved positions as this might result in neck or shoulders pain.
back to menu ↑2. Put the pregnancy pillow under your belly
When sleeping or resting on your side, put your belly below the maternity pillow. This will not only support your belly, but also minimize the discomfort caused by pulling the belly on your side or the stress from the muscles in your back.
back to menu ↑3. Embrace the pillow with the help of your legs and arms
Put the pillow between the legs and hug it using your arms to help alleviate the pressure placed on your ankles and joints. Plus, when sleeping on your side, putting the pregnancy pillow between the legs will minimize the chances of swelling, and will also increase blood circulation.
back to menu ↑4. Proper back support
A lot of pregnancy pillows are created to provide a wrap-around position for adequate and comfortable back support. It is critical to offer plenty of support to your back so that you do not roll back on your right side when resting or sleeping.
The best tip for those for are looking to use a conventional pregnancy pillow would be to align it with your back. The key is your back since it stabilizes the body. If left in an unstable position, the whole body is going to hurt. For this reason, you want to align with your back and remain patient while doing so. It is the only way to go and is going to leave you content. If you notice that the pillow is moving while you are asleep, wedge it in more. The aim should be to always keep the back straight and in place.
back to menu ↑5. Rest where your body presses down
So, find where pressure is on the body or mattress. This is a great sleeping with pregnancy pillow tip. Ask yourself where do you feel the body pressing down? For some women, this area is near the abdomen, while for others it may be their knees. Avoid guessing as this might worsen the situation and leave you with serious aches the next morning. Most of all, this is a key solution for many women who are unsure how to use a pregnancy pillow.
back to menu ↑6. Read the instructions
Your pregnancy pillow will come with instructions on how to use it, make sure to thoroughly read the manual to avoid any issues and injuries. If you bought it from a physical store, you can request the salesman to demonstrate the right way of using the pillow. Keep those points in mind, but be ready to make adjustments if your body is clearly protesting to a certain tip or position.
back to menu ↑7. Keep practicing
It may take some time before you finally get the hang of using a pregnancy pillow. Ensure you do not use the pillow in an undesirable manner or aggravating issues onset. Continue working with the pillow to see which angles work best for you. Opposite, also work to find out what angles do not work well for you. If you find your body aching in a new position, change it immediately. If you continue to make that position work, it will get to a point where sleeping will become impossible for you.
back to menu ↑Popular pregnancy pillows
Buying a pregnancy pillow
Hopefully, you enjoyed our guide on how to use a pregnancy pillow. Next, take a look at our pregnancy pillow comparison chart to help determine what pregnancy pillow would work best for you. Most of all, we hope that our buying guide and how to use a pregnancy pillow guide will help you obtain peaceful sleep during your pregnancy.
