How to Use Maternity Pillow: Sleep Positions, Tips & Buying Guide
Sleep and pregnancy don’t always get along. Ask any expecting mom, and she’ll probably tell you that one of the things she misses most after sushi and bending down easily is a good night’s sleep.
Not just naps. The deep, body-resetting kind of sleep where you don’t wake up because your back feels like it’s been hit by a truck or because your hip went numb… again.
You are here because you are puzzled about how to use a mandatory pill, or perhaps you have already purchased one only to find it staring at you at the end of the bed in the form of a bizarrely shaped furry thing.
And you are not the only one. I think we all have done it, shooting that thing in the dark at 2 a.m. when we are half asleep and painfully thinking something like, is this how it is supposed to work?
This guide won’t just talk about the shapes and the science. It's here to walk you through how to use a maternity pillow without turning bedtime into a full-body jigsaw puzzle.
Before we go further, here's something else you might like Best Pillow for Hip Pain.
What Is a Maternity Pillow, and Why Do You Need One?
Let’s clear this up: a maternity pillow isn’t just a longer version of your regular pillow. And no, it’s not just some overhyped pregnancy trend Instagram made famous. It’s more like a low-key bodyguard for your back, hips, belly, and sanity.
When you find yourself squirming and contorting like nobody has ever taught you to do before—you find yourself with this odd and random pain in your hips, or your ribs are suddenly becoming tighter than you ever thought possible, or your lower back is shooting pains out at some random rate; your pile of ordinary pillows just no longer works anymore.
A maternity pillow holds the new form of your body and does not require you to prop up five cushions in some DIY mountains. In the second trimester, you have no option but to develop the habit of sleeping on your side to keep your blood flowing and your organs at ease.
Different Types of Maternity Pillows Explained
Browsing how to use a maternity pillow might seem to be browsing through the maze of forms and different types of maternity pillows. However, not all bodies are the same, and that is where trial and error comes about.
C-shaped
C-shaped pillows encircle your side and provide whole-body support to your head and to your toes. The lower half is scrunched between your legs, the middle is positioned across the curve, and the upper part goes under your head.
V-shaped
The V-shaped one is smaller and provides specification to the upper back, neck, and shoulders. It does not occupy much space and can be used when reclining or sitting up, and it comes in handy on nights when lying flat is the hardest thing to achieve.
L-shaped
The L-shaped one has a simpler design, and it is ideal for people who prefer to change sides frequently. It can be hugged, rested between your knees, or even placed behind your back to get additional back assistance.
How to Sleep On a Maternity Pillow: Positioning Tips by Shape
Adjusting to a maternity pillow doesn’t always happen overnight. I recall turning it over thrice and settling on the position, which did not allow my feeling I was trapped by a mushy labyrinth. The trick is to align yourself in the right position—allowing your head, spine, hips, and legs to rest in a position that does not increase tension but rather takes it away.
In the case of the C-shaped pillow, the ease actually was in letting the pillow work. I didn’t have to prop myself up or rearrange cushions constantly. Once I figured out the best curve placement under my knees and behind my back, the difference in how I woke up was night and day.
On restless nights, the L-shaped pillow became my favorite because it was easy to flip over, and it also vanquished my problem of how to sleep on a maternity pillow. There’s something nice about not having to wrestle a five-foot-long cushion every time you want to change sides.
Where to Buy the Best Maternity Pillow Online
Buying a maternity pillow online feels weirdly overwhelming at first. The product names all blur together, and let’s be honest, some of them look like furniture. It has been useful to seek materials that are hard yet soft. I found memory foam too firm, but a soft microfiber fill provided the appropriate balance of the support cushion.
It has to have covers that are breathable and washable. Between pregnancy sweats and random spills, I was tossing mine into the wash more often than I expected. Also, don’t skip the review section.
Final Thoughts: It's Not Just Sleep It's Sanity
It is something that pregnancy makes you learn over and over again: to adapt. You live inside your changing body, unfamiliar pains, and full-on fatigue. A maternity pillow will not solve all your problems; however, it will help to make your nights a little more comfortable.
I guess on some nights it used to relieve the pressure on my hips so I could sleep quicker. Other nights, I threw it on the floor and curled up like I always used to. There’s no perfection here, just whatever works.
What matters is finding some comfort amid the chaos. And if a pillow helps you sleep a little better while carrying life inside you, it’s absolutely worth it.
