Carrying a baby is a full-body experience and whether it's your first pregnancy or your last, you can be surprised to find new areas of your body where you feel discomfort or pressure that can make a good nights sleep feel like a far off luxury
A balance of rest and comfort is crucial for pregnancy wellness but as your belly grows, your centre of gravity changes, causing you to move and carry your body differently. All of this creates strain, and often times, pain.
When it comes to both preventing and relieving pain, the chiropractors behind the bbhugme pregnancy pillow have identified five points on your body that need special attention as you adapt to living (and sleeping) so you might actually be able to get your precious 40 winks...
Five pregnancy points
Many sore points are unfortunately, expected during pregnancy, but it doesn’t mean you need to suffer. Some of the common points of pain include:
1. Your lower back. Your growing belly and loosening pelvic joints cause you to carry weight differently, which can then create strain on your back, especially in your lumbar (lower) spine. In addition to being bothersome while moving and sitting, suffering with back pain can make it especially difficult to fall and stay asleep.
2. Your growing belly. Especially in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, you will want to rest your tummy on something when lying on your side. Maternity care providers recommend that pregnant women sleep on their side, you may feel that the weight of your belly is putting a straining the rest of your body as you try to find a comfortable position. This can create pain in your hips, back, and pelvis.
3. Your hips and pelvis. During pregnancy, your pelvic joints and tissues start to loosen to prepare for delivery. This is very normal but it can cause a range of symptoms, from dull aches to a feeling of pressure toward your cervix, to sensations of lax bones and muscles. As one of the most common symptoms of later pregnancy, this pain is due to an increase in hormones and in some cases, poor biomechanics and weak stabiliser muscles.
4. Your knees. Changes in the way you walk, weight gain, exercising less frequently, and hormones that cause the ligaments to loosen can all contribute to knee pain. When settling into bed, it can be awkward to find a supported position for your knees while also accommodating your hips and growing tummy.
5. Your ankles. If you have been experiencing any of the pesky pregnancy symptoms, such as swelling in your feet and ankles or painful puffy spots on the bottom part of your body, then you're not alone. Your growing uterus and extra fluid in your body is behind this. This swelling can result in pain, and the best way to get relief is usually by putting your feet up, including at night. Lying on your side with your feet raised will help improve circulation, giving you some relief from painful, puffy ankles.
Pregnancy pain relief
The key to pain relief and better sleep during pregnancy is a good pillow. However, when you Google search "the best!" there are many different shapes and styles available that can leave any expectant mother overwhelmed with choices. So what really matters?
The longer length of pillow will ensure the pressure points throughout head-to-toe are supported as well evenly distributing weight without being too soft or hard (which may cause discomfort).
You should also look at adjustability since not all pillows can cater for every body type. While some pregnancy pillows only offer one firmness level, others allow users transform it in size, shape, and firmness so it can be adapted to meet you and body’s individual needs.
bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow
Luckily, there are ways to both prevent and relieve discomfort in all five points and sleep positioning... the bbhugme pregnancy pillow.
The bbhugme pregnancy pillow truly is the mother of all pregnancy pillows. It is so well loved in Norway that it is owned by 1 in 4 pregnant mums. The amazing bbhugme is designed to offer support in the most important areas during pregnancy– your belly, pelvis, lower back and legs. The full body pillow focuses on these areas to help you get better rest and sleep throughout pregnancy.
It is also designed to grow with you and your baby, being used as a full body pillow during pregnancy which can then be used for breast feeding and also a wonderful support and nest for your little one as they grow. With the help of the bbhugme pebbles you can adjust its shape and firmness, to help meet the needs of you and your little one as they grow.
Made from natural, soft and eco-friendly (BPA free) materials. The inside microbeads are ESP pebbles, a material specifically designed to be antibacterial and anti-fungal as well as its ability to keep you cool.
Designed by Chiropractors
You can rest assured that the bbhugme range guarantees quality support as this incredible brand was borne and still remains, advocated by chiropractors.
What started with three chiropractors Norway, bbhugme began to help many teary, sleep-deprived pregnant women suffering from pelvic and back pain before, during and after pregnancy.
Studies showed that during pregnancy 3 out of 4 women suffer from pelvic and low back pain, and 8 out of 10 pregnant women suffer from sleep deprivation.
As a result they decided it was time to use their skills and knowledge to help! bbhugme was created in Norway by Hilde, Ann Kristin and Elisabeth who specialised in chiropractic care of pregnant women, mums and babies. The three ladies realised that women needed long-lasting at home care and support that could help them beyond a professional clinic.
The three chiropractors teamed up with designers in their mission to make a unique pillow that mothers could count on for support. The team of professionals focused on the details that matter; the right shape, filled with a specific size and type of microbeads, give sturdy but flexible support for every body type. They also focused heavily on the final product being allergen free and eco-friendly.
Safe sleep in pregnancy
bbhugme know that getting enough sleep is more crucial to you and your baby’s overall health than how you position yourself during sleep. People often worry about the common idea that sleeping on your back can hurt your baby. Researchers believe that sleeping on the back during third trimester causes compression of the inferior vena cava (IVC) blood vessel, and that this may reduce the blood flow to the feotus.
However, these claims are not as black and white as they seem. The professional Dr Hilde at bbhugme, assures mums if you wake up on your back, don’t freak out, your baby is fine! In fact, if you break down the studies into sleeping on your back and the correlation it has to the risk of still birth, it appears back sleep contributes to only a fraction of this absolutely tragic, but thankfully rare event.
Dr Hilde assures that if you are in your first or second trimester and have a healthy pregnancy, feel free to sleep however you please. If you are in your third trimester and love sleeping on your back, simply put a pillow under your right side. This slight 10-15% incline of your upper body will help to prevent compression of the IVC.
Time to unwind
Thanks to our friends at bbhugme, we can share the expert advice that will hopefully help you sleep with a little less discomfort. Plus, you should sleep easier knowing you're doing everything right to relieve your pregnancy pain.