A pregnancy pillow or martenity body pillow is one of those things that become an absolute necessity when you are pregnant. In as much as it might appear initially as just an accessory for expecting mothers or mothers on maternity, this pillow used in pregnancy is an important “tool” to preventing uncomfortable and possibly dangerous sleeping positions particularly during the final trimester of your pregnancy.
The purpose of a pregnancy body pillow as mentioned also known as maternity body pillow is therefore to afford you the correct sleeping position which apparently becomes very rare as your pregnancy progresses. When looking for a pillow, in my view, it’s much less about how much the pillow costs. In any case a pillow for maternity purposes is not that much of an expense. Prices range from about $30.00 to about $120.00. What rather is important is to ensure that you get the best pregnancy pillow available on the market.
Whichever brand of pillow you finally settle for be it snoogle, snoozer or leachco back n belly ensure that it resolves the following things that plague pregnant mothers. Your pillow investment must do the following;
1. Your Pillow Should Relieve Carpal Tunnel
Not all pregnant women suffer from the carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact it is estimated that only 20% of pregnant women do experience this syndrome at one point or another of their pregnancy. However when you do suffer from it you will need a comfortable sleeping or seating position to remove pressure from your wrists and hands. Pregnancy carpal tunnel is associated with hormonal changes as well as increased water retention.
This syndrome causes numbness of fingers, pain in your hands, and tingling sensations in your fingers. In certain cases the pain my also go as far as your shoulder and neck. What makes your pregnancy pillow handy in these circumstances is that pain associated with carpal tunnel syndrome often happens at night. This is why you must get the best pillow for pregnancy there is that also relieves you of carpal tunnel pain. It afford you a good sleeping position were your hands are well rested.
2. Your Pregnancy Pillow Should Prevent Sciatica
Secondly, I also would like to recommend that when shopping for your maternity body pillow ensure that it is helpful in preventing sciatica. As can be expected if you are a new mother to be in your first pregnancy these terms might sound so unfamiliar. That’s is fine and to be expected. To clarify, sciatica is literally pain in the butt. It normally occurs in the third trimester when your baby is shifting position getting ready for delivery. In this process the baby can put pressure on the sciatic nerve which is located in the lower part of your spine. This causes pain in the butt spreading down to the legs.
There are other methods to deal with sciatica. However, one of the most important methods is to get a pregnancy body pillow that enables your entire body to be at rest when sleeping or seating. This is why I recommend that when going for a pillow to use in pregnancy ensure that it also relieves you of sciatica as soon or later in your third trimester you will encounter the pain.
3. A Good Pillow Should Help Prevent Gastric Reflux
Gastric reflux occurs in as much as 80% of all pregnancies. This shows the massive prevalence of this natural problem in pregnancy. By way of background gastric reflux is known in full as gastroesophageal reflux. It is as a result of gastric juices refluxing into your esophagus in excessive amounts. Part of the symptoms include heart burn, nausea and vomiting. The role of a pregnancy pillow in preventing or relieving gastric reflux is simple.
Your sleeping position has a role to play in how much gastric reflux will affect you. Placing your head in an elevated position whilst sleeping is a sure way of finding immediate relief. Combined with lying on your left side you are likely to get great results. Your pillow then helps to properly position your stomach in a position lower than the esophagus.
4. Also Look For A Pillow That Relieves Nasal Congestion
It is absolutely normal for women on maternity to suffer blocked nose, runny nose and even sore throat in the early parts of pregnancy. There are also many different recommended methods of dealing with this admittedly annoying situation. This will include staying dehydrated and even using breath right strips. It might be surprising but yet again your maternity body pillow, the right one that is, can help significantly with relieving nasal congestion. It’s all about how you sleep at night that relieves or worsens your nasal issues.
Conclusion
There are so many benefits associated with a professionally designed and manufactured pillow for use in pregnancy. A great pregnancy pillow will deal with your constant struggle to find a comfortable position. It will also support your back and belly thereby doing a complete job. I would personally avoid a pregnancy pillow that only takes care of my back and not belly. A back and belly pillow plays an important role in achieving what doctors call an optimal birth position. This promotes a quicker and less painful labor.
Finally as you look to purchase a pillow, as you are parting with money ensure that your pillow will still be useful during your nursing period even after giving birth. A good pillow will serve you in pregnancy and after pregnancy during nursing, for example, when breast feeding. In my look around preparing this article the closest brand of such a pillow that I found was the Leachco Back N Belly Contoured Body Pillow