Going to sleep in the supine position (on the back) in late pregnancy is a recently identified and modifiable risk factor for late stillbirth. New research shows that women can halve their risk of stillbirth by going to sleep on their side from 28 weeks pregnancy compared with sleeping in the supine position.
Dr. Zanotti reassures expectant mothers not to stress if they accidentally find themselves on their backs for a brief spell. “We do know that short periods of time ― even if you were on your back for an hour or two ― probably do no harm to your child,” she says.
Compressing this can disrupt blood flow to your baby and leave you nauseated, dizzy and short of breath. Back sleeping can also constrict the aorta, blocking off the main blood supply to your body and placenta.
In the third trimester, when the woman is lying on her back, the combined weight of baby and uterus (womb) puts pressure on the main blood vessels that supply the uterus, and this can restrict blood flow/oxygen to the baby.
Back sleeping is no longer safe after 28 weeks gestation, but there are a few other comfortable positions for you to safely doze in.
For the average healthy, fit pregnant female you CAN lay on your back for short periods of time here and there. Try keeping it to no longer then 5-10 minutes at a time. Your body will tell you if it's time to get up. You may feel nauseous, dizzy, etc.
But by the third trimester, it can become hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. At this stage, high levels of estrogen can also cause some women to develop rhinitis (swelling of the nasal tissue), which can be associated with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea .
The supine sleep position in late pregnancy is a major risk factor for stillbirth, with a population attributable risk of 5.8% and one in four pregnant women reportedly sleeping in a supine position.
RESULTS. The risk of stillbirth at term increases with gestational age from 2.1 per 10,000 ongoing pregnancies at 37 weeks of gestation up to 10.8 per 10,000 ongoing pregnancies at 42 weeks of gestation.
A stillbirth is the death of a fetus in the uterus after week 20 of pregnancy. The reasons go unexplained for 1 in 3 cases. The rest may be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord, high blood pressure, infections, birth defects, or lifestyle choices.
In the SCRN study, placental problems were the leading cause of stillbirths that took place before birth, and these deaths tended to occur after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Birth defects. In more than 1 of every 10 stillbirths, the fetus had a genetic or structural birth defect that probably or possibly caused the death.
"A pregnant woman lying on her abdomen does not harm the baby in any way," says Peace Nwegbo-Banks, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN and creator of Unwind & Chat events.
Sleeping for more than nine hours per night, without disturbance, during pregnancy may be associated with late stillbirth, according to US researchers.
How Many Babies Are Stillborn? Stillbirth affects about 1 in 175 births, and each year about 21,000 babies are stillborn in the United States. That is about the same as the number of babies that die during the first year of life.
Most women wake up 3 to 5 times a night, usually because of such discomforts as back pain, needing to urinate, leg cramps, heartburn, and fetal movement. Strange dreams are also common in the last few weeks of pregnancy. The need to take daily naps returns as the due date approaches.
If you usually get 8 hours of shut-eye, you may need 10 when you're pregnant to feel rested. But if you're too busy to squeeze in 10 hours, aim for 8 hours of sleep at night and nap during the day.
Many physicians advise pregnant women to sleep on their left side. Previous studies have linked back and right-side sleeping with a higher risk of stillbirth, reduced fetal growth, low birth weight, and preeclampsia, a life-threatening high blood pressure disorder that affects the mother.
Generally, an active baby is a healthy baby. The movement is your baby exercising to promote healthy bone and joint development. All pregnancies and all babies are different, but it's unlikely that lots of activity means anything other than your baby is growing in size and strength.
At 37 weeks, the risk of stillbirth was roughly 1 for every 10,000 pregnancies, the study found. This risk steadily rose, reaching roughly 32 stillbirths for every 10,000 pregnancies by 42 weeks.
Most babies born unexpectedly without a heartbeat can be successfully resuscitated in the delivery room. Of those successfully resuscitated, 48% survive with normal outcome or mild-moderate disability.
There are also some medical conditions that are associated with fetal death in the second trimester which include: Fetal abnormalities (genetic or structural problems) Poorly controlled maternal cnoditions like thyroid disease, diabetes or hypertension. Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus)
If you notice the fetus not moving as much or not moving at all, you should not wait. You should seek medical attention at once. It is important to do this as quickly as possible, so your unborn baby can be seen by a health care provider who will ensure they are fine.