Side sleeping in late pregnancy: a gentle bedtime routine

By the third trimester, getting into bed can feel like a small engineering project. Pillows here, a bump there, one more trip to the toilet, and then the search for a position that does not ache. You may also have heard that you should sleep on your side. Here is why it matters, and a simple routine to help you rest.

Why sleep on your side?

From around 28 weeks of pregnancy, health services advise going to sleep on your side rather than on your back, for night-time sleep and for daytime naps. When you lie on your back in late pregnancy, the weight of your womb and baby can press on major blood vessels, which may reduce blood flow to your baby. Research has found that going to sleep on your back in the third trimester is linked to a higher risk of stillbirth. Going to sleep on your side is a simple step that helps.

Either side is fine. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you.

If you wake up on your back

Please do not panic. It is very common to roll in your sleep. If you wake and find yourself on your back, simply turn onto your side and go back to sleep. What matters most is the position you go to sleep in, because that is the position you tend to stay in longest.

A step-by-step bedtime routine

1. Slow down an hour before bed. Dim the lights, put screens away if you can and do something calming: a warm shower, gentle stretches, quiet music or reading.
2. Eat and drink a little earlier. A large meal late at night can make heartburn worse. Drink well during the day and a little less in the last hour, to reduce night-time toilet trips.
3. Ease your back. A few gentle pelvic tilts or a cat-cow stretch on hands and knees can relieve tension.
4. Build your pillow nest. Lie on your side with your knees bent. Place a pillow between your knees, a small one under your bump and another behind your back to stop you rolling over. A long pregnancy pillow can do all three.
5. Raise your head a little if you suffer from heartburn.
6. Notice your baby. Many babies are active at bedtime. Take a moment to feel their movements before you settle.
7. Pray and release the day. Hand over the worries, the to-do list and the aches.

When sleep will not come

Waking in the night is very common in late pregnancy, because of toilet trips, an active baby, cramps, heartburn or a busy mind. Try not to clock-watch. If you cannot sleep after a while, get up, do something quiet in low light and return to bed when sleepy. Rest during the day where you can, on your side.

Talk to your midwife or doctor if:

• you are snoring heavily or someone notices pauses in your breathing
• you feel very low, anxious or unable to switch off most nights
• restless legs, cramps or pain are keeping you awake a lot
• you have itching, especially of your hands and feet, that is worse at night

And as always, call your maternity unit straight away if you notice your baby moving less, or if you have bleeding, a severe headache, vision changes or your waters break.

Lying down in peace

There is a short, simple verse that many people pray at bedtime:

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

David wrote it at a time of real danger, yet he could lie down in peace because his safety rested in God. You do a sensible thing when you go to sleep on your side, and then you can let go. You do not have to stay awake guarding your baby all night. Psalm 127:2 reminds us that God gives His beloved sleep. Rest is His gift, not something you must earn.

A bedtime prayer

Lord, as I lie down tonight, I give You my body, my baby and all my worries. Help me to find a comfortable position and true rest. Watch over us through the night, and let me wake with the strength I need for tomorrow. Amen.