Message 2: I need more space
My baby and I have to come to a compromise on what position I should sleep.
Whenever I tried to sleep on my left side, I felt my baby begin to move, kick and stretch. When I moved to my right side, she didn’t like it either. When I lied on my back, she began to calm down.
She wants more space when I lie down! By moving, kicking and stretching, she communicates with me her discomforts at night.
But sleeping on my back is not good for me! According to Heidi Murkoff’s book: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the back position rests the entire weight of your pregnant uterus on your back, your intestines, and two major blood vessels: the aorta (the vein responsible for brining blood from the heart to the rest of body) and the inferior vena cava (the vein responsible fro returning blood from the lower body to the heart). This can aggravate backaches and hemrrhoids, make digestion less efficient, interfere with breathing and circulation, and possibly cause hypo-tension, or low blood pressure.
Almost all the books I read about pregnancy suggested to sleep on the left side. Because sleeping on the left side allows maximum flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta but also enhances efficient kidney function, which means better elimination of waste products and fluids and less swelling (edema) of ankles, feet and hands. (from What to Expect When You’re Expecting)
Sleeping on the left side, however, is easier to say than to do, especially to stay in this position through the night. And my baby doesn’t like it.
Therefore, my baby and me, have to compromise with each other on this issue.
I tried different positions and finally I found one that both of us feels ok. It is a half-lefts-side-and-half-back position. I lie on my back on the bed, but my lower back tilts little bit to the left, therefore my lower back is not completely flat on the bed. It sounds a little bit complicated, but after practice, I actually feel comfortable to adjust to it.
Of course, a lot of times, I wake up at night or in the early morning, I find myself returning to my back position, I just roll back to the comprising position and go back to sleep.
My little lovely sneaky baby, of course, doesn’t give me any hint when I return to my back position. To her, that is her favorite position. She gets most of her space.
Related posts:
Understanding fetal movements, part 1
Understanding fetal movements, part 3
Understanding fetal movements, part 4
Fetal Movements, From Lina, Mid-Pregnancy | Lina | 
February 26, 2008 8:52 am | 
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment