4 Must-Have Bedroom Essentials to Get a Solid Rest during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the periods when women tend to suffer from disruptive sleep, apart from menstruation and postpartum. The National Sleep Foundation reported that more than 80% of mothers-to-be are suffering from sleep disorders.

These sleeping conditions include insomnia, gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn, sleep apnea or temporary cessation in breathing, restless leg syndrome, and other typical pregnancy discomforts when sleeping. All of these sleep disturbances can make pregnant women overly-tired.

Worse is, fatigue can negatively affect your labor and delivery. You don’t want this to happen, do you? That’s why you would find ways to avoid this from happening. We’ve got you covered. Listed here are a few must-haves for you to ensure a restful night’s rest during your pregnancy.

Tennis Balls

Research shows that almost half of the pregnant women’s population suffers from lower back pain. This pain doesn’t solely cause women with physical issues but also other psychological problems, such as stress and sleeping disorders.

For this reason, most pregnant women badly need a prenatal massage either from their partners or a masseuse. Unfortunately, they can’t always be there for you 24/7. As a result, you’ll end up figuring out how to mitigate the pain yourself. Take this suggestion—use tennis balls for a self-massage.

It’s one of the do-it-yourself massagers that are economical, yet effective. You only have to apply pressure against your pained muscles using the said tennis balls. You can roll the balls or gently pat them on the tensed areas while lying on the bed. If you’re physically incapable of reaching a specific part of your body, you should ask for help from someone.

Another way to do it is to stand over on a tennis ball, allowing body weight to press against the balls naturally. However, this action is quite menacing for pregnant women. If you do this, always take the necessary safety measures, such as holding onto something for support and doing it with supervision.

Hot Water Bottle

In addition to massages, you can rely on a hot water bottle too. It’s another way to ease your aching back and sore feet that are caused by the extra weight of your baby. Many mommies consider this as an indispensable item during their second and third trimesters.

If you’re worrying whether it can affect your baby, don’t be. I bet you think this way because  you know you should avoid the heat, which can be detrimental for your baby. However, even the biggest over-the-counter hot water bottles aren’t large enough to increase your core temperature. Your baby wouldn’t notice the heat. Rest assured, hot water bottles are safe for pregnancy.

Having said that, you still have to wrap the bottle with a piece of cloth or towel so it wouldn’t hurt your skin. There are some models that are battery operated and can stimulate the liquid to flow in waves, resulting in a light massage effect.

Pregnancy Pillow

As mentioned earlier, pregnant women tend to have difficulties in sleeping generally due to joint pains, not to mention psychological aspects. The aches felt by pregnant women are caused by pregnancy-related factors like hormonal changes, postural alterations, weight gain, or a combination of all of them.

This is one of the reasons why pregnancy pillows are made. As the name implies, it’s a pillow primarily designed to provide comfort and relief from typical pregnancy pains, as well as aid pregnant women in sleeping.

Pregnancy pillows can be J or V-shaped that is large enough to serve as a total-body pillow, or cushy enough for pregnant women to snuggle up to ‘safely,’ that is to say, without harming the baby. It can also be useful even after your delivery. It allows you to place a baby in the right position, letting him/her latch properly.

Medium-Firm Mattress

According to the American Pregnancy Association, pregnant women are recommended to sleep on their side (SOS). This position decreases the pressure on your spine. It would be way  better if pregnant women lay with a pillow (preferably, pregnancy pillows) between their bent legs.

Since you don’t want to cause further pain in your lower back, always avoid sleeping on your back. It can worsen back aches so as sleeping in an uncomfortable bed. That being so, you have to choose a kind of mattress that can support your changing body, as well. A medium-firm mattress is the best option.

Something that is not too hard nor too soft is what gynecologists typically suggest to pregnant women. An example of this mattress type is amore beds. They are typically made of graphite latex. This foam can provide cooling effects when you’re sleeping, allowing you to have a good rest.

Author Bio

Analisse Weathers is a versatile blogger. Recently, womanhood has piqued her interest, and so she’s been into writing about it nowadays. She’s a wannabe interior designer, too. Hence, she enjoys writing about house renovation, improvement, or repairs and other home-related topics.