Best Pregnancy Pillows

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Now that you’re pregnant, sleep has never been more important to you. Your body is working overtime to grow another human being – no easy feat – while still accomplishing all the normal things you do during the day (and night). More than ever, you and your baby (and your partner, for that matter) need the restorative power of a good night’s sleep.

Unfortunately, all that work of growing a person inside your body takes its toll on your ability to catch sufficient ZZZs. Heartburn, “morning sickness,” restless leg syndrome, and difficulty breathing are just some of the sleep snatchers that keep pregnant women awake at night.

Even if you’re not experiencing difficulties now, chances are you will as your pregnancy progresses. (Hate to break it to you.) According to Doctors Sunil Sharma and Rose Franco of the Medical College of Wisconsin, 97% of pregnant women report experiencing pregnancy-related sleep disturbances by their third trimester. And in a National Sleep Foundation poll, 82% of pregnant women surveyed reported getting significantly better sleep before pregnancy. If you’re pregnant and having trouble sleeping, don’t worry – you’re not alone.

While you can take steps to prevent or alleviate some sleep disturbances caused by pregnancy, no mother-to-be can escape the nine months of an ever-expanding girth. Swollen breasts, a growing belly, and widening hips can make sleeping a challenge as you toss and turn to find a comfortable position.

How to get comfortable during pregnancy

When you’re sleeping, the areas that most need support are your belly, your back, and your hips. If you are early in your first trimester, you may not feel very different when you’re lying in bed. But as your pregnancy progresses and you switch to side sleeping, you will begin to feel the weight of your growing baby around your middle, your back will feel the pull, and your expanding hips will force your knees into an uncomfortable angle.

You could use a bunch of regular pillows to construct a complex structure to support your ever-changing body as you try to sleep as demonstrated in this video.

As you can see, you need a bed partner who is cooperative at 2:30 am after being awakened for the third time, lots of pillows, at least one engineering degree, and a fast-forward option to minimize the amount of sleep lost assembling your pillow cocoon. Oh, yeah, and did we mention you’ll be constructing and deconstructing that cocoon five or more times a night when you get up to pee?

That’s a lot of sleep interruptions, and if you (and your partner) have to readjust your pillow supports each time you rouse and get back into bed, neither of you is going to feel rested in the morning.

The solution? A pregnancy pillow. Shaped to contour your curvaceous body, a pregnancy pillow can give you the support you need to get comfortable no matter how far along you are. The single-pillow design makes it easy to adjust positions and get in and out of bed without disturbing your partner, who will then be better able (and more willing) to pamper you during the day.

Sleeping during pregnancy

Who are you and what have you done with my body?

For some women, the changes in their bodies during pregnancy are almost immediate. Others don’t notice much of a change until their second trimester. Eventually, every expecting mother will notice that her usual sleep positions don’t quite provide her with the comfort she needs to get a good night’s sleep.

• Back sleepers: Sleeping on your back will at some point (usually during your second trimester) become uncomfortable and even dangerous for you and your baby. As your uterus expands to accommodate your growing baby, its weight and girth will rest on a major artery located on the right side of your backbone that carries blood from your legs back to your heart. The result is breathlessness, cold sweats, and heart palpitations (supine hypotensive syndrome) when lying on your back.
• Stomach sleepers: Depending on how big and how fast your baby grows, sleeping on your stomach will eventually feel like you’re trying to balance on a basketball. Your fuller breasts will also not accommodate the compression of lying on your stomach.
• Side sleepers: Sleeping on your left side is the healthiest and most comfortable way to sleep, but it presents challenges as well. Your belly will feel stretched by its sagging onto the mattress, your hips will feel more pressure because the ligaments are softening, and your back will be strained by its attempts to keep everything in position. 

OTHER MECHANICAL SLEEP CHALLENGES INCLUDE: 

• Breathing difficulties and snoring caused by the increased size of abdomen and compression of the diaphragm by the uterus.
• Widening hips that create new pressure points.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome caused by a build-up of fluid in the wrist resulting in swelling, numbness, and tingling pain.

Many of these discomforts can be alleviated with the right pregnancy pillow.

Eventually, every expecting mother will notice that her usual sleep positions don’t quite provide her with the comfort she needs to get a good night’s sleep.

8 of the best pregnancy pillows

No matter what your preferred sleep position, no matter what size your bed, or how far along you are in your pregnancy, there’s a pregnancy pillow made for your exact needs. Here are eight of our favorites.

PROS

• Conforms to the shape of your body
• Slim design gives you and your partner plenty of room to sleep
• Machine washable cover
• 4/5-star rating

CONS

• Can be warm
• Provides only back or tummy support, not both at once
• A little pricey: $199

PROS

• Totally organic construction
• Durable wool filling
• Excellent temperature regulation
• 5/5-star rating

CONS

• Provides only back or tummy support, not both at once
• A little pricey: $208
• Only four customer ratings available

PROS

• Full body support that fits in a queen size bed with two sleepers
• Available in a variety of slipcover types, including 100% organic cotton and 100% cotton 300 thread count
• Affordable price: $59.99 (Amazon)
• 5/5-star rating 

CON

• Large size makes it difficult to move to another location or adjust positions.

PROS

• Lean design that can be customized for perfect individual support
• Washable cotton slipcover
• Compact portable design
• Affordable price: $54.99 (Amazon)

CON

• Only two customer ratings available (4.5/5)

PROS

• Compact, head-to-toe support
• Fully washable (slipcover and pillows)
• 100% cotton cover
• Versatile post-partum use while lounging and nursing
• Affordable price: $50
• 4/5-star rating

CON

• Does not provide simultaneous support for back and belly

PROS

• Compact design
• Fully machine washable
• Stretch panel allows pillows to spread as your baby bump grows
• Affordable price: $30
• 5/5-star rating

CON

• May be too confining for some women

PROS

• Full-body support
• Allows sleeping in all positions without adjustment
• Washable slipcover
• Flexible enough for a variety of uses while lounging and nursing
• Affordable price: $54.00
• 5/5-star rating

CONS

• Large size may restrict partner’s movements in bed
• Less portable than smaller pregnancy pillows

PROS

• Full-body support in any sleeping position
• Multi-functional during and after pregnancy
• 100% cotton cover for breathable comfort
• #1 Best Selling maternity pillow on Amazon
• Affordable price: $40.00
• 4/5-star rating 

CONS

• Large size may restrict partner’s movements in bed
• Less portable than smaller pregnancy pillows

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Can’t decide which type of maternity pillow is best for you? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to help you choose. Congratulations and good luck on your adventures in parenthood!