Pregnancy Pillows for a Better Night’s Sleep
Pregnancy pillows are important in getting pain relief, support and letting your body do its most important work during pregnancy. All pregnancy pillows were not created equal. You need pelvic alignment, support and comfort to reduce pelvic pain.
The pelvis is a bony ring consisting of the triangular shaped sacrum at the back and the two innominate bones that make up the sides and front. The sacrum is joined to the innominate bones at the sacroiliac joints or SIJ’s. These are located at the two dimples of your low back. The two innominate bones join anteriorly at the symphysis pubis.
How Pelvic Alignment & Support is Achieved with Pregnancy Pillows.
The pelvis plays a vital role within the skeletal system as the solid foundation for the spine. Like with a house’s foundations, if the pelvis is not level then the rest of the spine sitting on top is affected. The pelvis has many important roles to play in pregnancy. It needs to be stable and strong to support the growing weight of the baby, uterus and placenta to ensure good gait, posture and spinal alignment. At the same time, the pelvis needs to become soft and wide to enable delivery. It is in trying to serve both of these functions that there can be some conflict.
The term ‘alignment’ refers to one of the indicators Osteopaths use in determining how well the pelvis is functioning. With a patient lying, standing or sitting straight, we compare the symmetry of particular bony landmarks of the pelvis. The position of these landmarks, as well as the quality and quantity of movement in the joints and tone of the muscles gives us a picture of how well the pelvis is functioning. Somatic dysfunction is a term describing when the joints and surrounding tissues are not functioning at their optimal level.
The extra strain and conflicting functions of the pelvis in pregnancy can make somatic dysfunction and the associated ‘misalignment’ more likely to occur. If pre-existing somatic dysfunction is present, the often familiar symptoms are likely to be aggravated. Many women experience pain within the low back, sacroiliac or pubic symphysis joints in pregnancy as well as tightness and discomfort in the surrounding pelvic muscles. One of the possible causes for these symptoms is somatic dysfunction of the pelvis and the associated ‘misalignment’.
Achieving Pelvic alignment whilst sleeping can be achieved. Pregnancy pillows encourage you to sleep on your side for support and are recommended during pregnancy. In fact sleeping on your left side is recommended, here is why. There is a major vein called the inferior vena cava which lies on the right of your spine, and it is this vein that whilst lying on your back can become compressed during your pregnancy and causes all sorts of feelings including dizziness, fainting, or a feeling of not being able to breathe.
The Ultimate Sleep U pregnancy pillows are the only pregnancy pillows to provide you with overall total body support. They will ensure a correct sleeping posture. The U pregnancy pillow is adaptable to your sleeping position; in fact it creates a sleeping environment for you where you have total body support whilst sleeping on your side, which is of course recommended. By increasing both your spinal and pelvic alignment, the U pregnancy pillows reduce pressure off your pelvis, and hip muscles to increase your comfort and support for the optimal pregnancy side sleeping position.
Ensuring that you have a great night’s sleep is also important as it allows you to wake refreshed, and so that your muscles have adequate time to relax and recover from the day’s work. Specific pregnancy pillows, such as the total body support U, or the Pelvic support Pillow that allow your pelvis to have the appropriate alignment and to reduce the strain associated with your pelvic pain.
By stabilising the pelvis and ensuring correct pelvic alignment whilst you sleep, you are better able to get a more refreshing sleep, with full body support. The U pregnancy pillow was designed specifically for this purpose; it provides you with head and neck support, together with allowing for support to your pelvis and back region. There is nothing that compares, as the U pregnancy pillow allows you to adjust your position without moving the pillow, you have the necessary support on your left, right sides or even on your back, or whilst sitting. More information on the U Pregnancy Support Pillow can be found here. Furthermore, the Breastfeeding Pillow is designed to make feeding more comfortable, convenient and relaxing for you and your baby.
Further, for a pillow that will support your entire body, our Body Pillow will enable your muscles and joints to relax deeply during sleep.