According to an article in the Lancet, expecting moms who sleep on their back have a 2.6 fold increase in the odds of having a late stillbirth compared to pregnant women who sleep on their side. That is a 260% increase in mortality rate for the unborn child. Though pregnancy education materials may suggest side sleeping over back sleeping, they downplay the risks of back sleeping by using verbiage like "back sleeping is not recommended" or "side sleeping promotes better blood flow". They rarely mention that back sleeping can lead to the death of their baby. Nevertheless, the Mabel Foundation is dedicated toward breaking down barriers and getting rid of the taboo that surrounds the topics that keep your baby safe, which is why we see back sleeping as a must.
Of course, getting in a good, comfortable sleeping position is easier said than done. For many pregnant moms, sleeping on their back is all they know and it's uncomfortable or awkward to try anything else. This is when a nice, properly positioned pregnancy pillow can do wonders. These pillows can relieve the pain of sleeping on your side and give you relief knowing that you are doing the best for your baby's health. Luckily, as far as pregnancy purchase go, these things are pretty affordable and can be bought for $40 from an online retailer or local brick and mortar store. However, we know times can be tough and if you have trouble purchasing one we recommend that you contact your local crisis pregnancy center, since these are good places to find people who have an interest in keeping your baby safe.
If you are reading this post and you are not pregnant, you can still play a big role in making sure that other expecting mothers have a successful pregnancy. Oftentimes, our posts and ads are shut down by social media companies so we need you to help us spread the word about stillbirth and miscarriage prevention. Buying a pregnancy pillow for an expecting mother or donating a few to a social services organizations are great ideas. Sometimes just the mention of keeping a baby safe through side sleeping can give an expecting mother the heads up that she needs to have a successful pregnancy.
