Stebby
Cathlete
I know that current wisdom recommends that after 13 weeks of pregnancy, you should no longer lie flat on your back. The reasoning, if I understand it correctly, is that your uterus may press on your inferior vena cava, cutting off circulation to both your baby and to your lower body.
I'm having a lot of difficulty with this. I have always been someone who listens to my body. Something about the theory just doesn't make sense to me, because my body has never given me any signals that I should not be in a supine position (I'm 26 weeks along). Also, every medical exam (ultrasounds, pelvics, regular prenatal checks) has me lying flat on my back -- as directed by medical people -- sometimes for an extended period of time.
I talked to some people who had their children before 10 years ago (apparently, this advice first came out with the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting"), and they had never heard of it. A lot of them slept flat on their backs and found that it was quite a comfortable position for them for much of their pregnancies (including my mother, who had 4 kids). My prenatal yoga teacher told me that some women experience dizziness when they lie on their backs, and if so, they should move into another position, but if they are not getting any signals from their body there is no problem. She also said something that I found very interesting. She asked me, "Do you ever wake up and find you are sleeping on your stomach?" I said no (although before I got pregnant, my natural sleeping position was on my stomach) -- so my body is obviously taking care of this for me. She then asked, "Do you ever wake up and find you are sleeping on your back?" I said yes -- all the time!
Are there any other skeptics out there, or is it just me? Is there other information that I should have that maybe I don't, that might make me change my mind? I don't want to endanger my baby!
P.S. I am still doing ab work on my back. There are some things I can't physically do (such as reverse crunches with my knees together, because my belly gets in the way), but I still feel I am getting the best strengthening by pressing my lower back into the floor and doing traditional crunches, crossovers, etc.
I'm having a lot of difficulty with this. I have always been someone who listens to my body. Something about the theory just doesn't make sense to me, because my body has never given me any signals that I should not be in a supine position (I'm 26 weeks along). Also, every medical exam (ultrasounds, pelvics, regular prenatal checks) has me lying flat on my back -- as directed by medical people -- sometimes for an extended period of time.
I talked to some people who had their children before 10 years ago (apparently, this advice first came out with the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting"), and they had never heard of it. A lot of them slept flat on their backs and found that it was quite a comfortable position for them for much of their pregnancies (including my mother, who had 4 kids). My prenatal yoga teacher told me that some women experience dizziness when they lie on their backs, and if so, they should move into another position, but if they are not getting any signals from their body there is no problem. She also said something that I found very interesting. She asked me, "Do you ever wake up and find you are sleeping on your stomach?" I said no (although before I got pregnant, my natural sleeping position was on my stomach) -- so my body is obviously taking care of this for me. She then asked, "Do you ever wake up and find you are sleeping on your back?" I said yes -- all the time!
Are there any other skeptics out there, or is it just me? Is there other information that I should have that maybe I don't, that might make me change my mind? I don't want to endanger my baby!
P.S. I am still doing ab work on my back. There are some things I can't physically do (such as reverse crunches with my knees together, because my belly gets in the way), but I still feel I am getting the best strengthening by pressing my lower back into the floor and doing traditional crunches, crossovers, etc.
