Did I harm my unborn child?

Question

I'm 19 weeks pregnant and I still sleep in my stomach. Then my friend told me I could harm the baby by losing it's circulation inside the womb or it could lose its breathe. Is this true. I thought they are well protected with the aminiotic fluid inside. Please tell me, I did not hurt my baby. Does any of you still sleep on your tummy because it's comfortable?

Answer 1

Sweetie i am sure the baby is fine.And i am also sure that the Dr has checked the baby at your last visit, if something was off they would have said something to you.Just ask your Dr at your next visit to be sure, but i had this 1 friend that did it all the time and the baby was fine, good luck

Answer 2

Sleeping on your tummy will not make the baby lose its circulation or cause it lose it's breath- babies don't breath in the womb anyway.

At most it will make you uncomfortable, nauseous, or even pass out because the space baby takes up will put pressure on your internal organs, causing discomfort.

Babies are pretty protected inside the womb floating around in the amniotic fluid but that doesn't mean they are impervious to outside influences. What happens to your body also has an effect on your baby. So taking care of yourself also takes care of your baby.

My suggestion is to get a bunch of pillows and start sleeping on your side. Sleeping flat on your back isn't good either because baby can put undue pressure on your vessels limiting you and your baby's circulation. In this situation you will get lightheaded and possibly stress your baby out- not a good situation for either of you.

Answer 3

I was told by my doc that I can sleep anyway I want BUT the larger the baby gets, it will put pressure on your back *if you sleep on your back* and can cause YOU pain not the baby. Your friend believes old wives tales obvously. Talk yo your doc, because it really depends on your condition and how your preg is going so far. You can call the office and speak to a nurse also. I slept on my tummy sorta...I was face down but I brought my right leg up..kinda bending it and had a pillow under it. I think your friend maybe got them mixed up because baby will be fine no matter how you sleep it will just hurt you if you sleep on your back

Answer 4

I slept on my stomach until it became uncomfortable. When it does become uncomfortable, sleep on your side, left side is best but right is OK too. DO NOT sleep on your back!!!! That is what can cause the baby to loose oxygen. You may find it comfortable to put a pillow under your stomach when sleeping on your side. I used a body pillow when I was PG with my son but the make pregnancy pillows. You did not hurt your baby. It is OK. It won't be long and u won't be able to sleep on your belly b/c it will not be comfortable so suck it up now. LOL. Good Luck and congratulations.

Answer 5

First of all, take a deep breath and relax. :) You haven't harmed your baby... That being said, the best position is on your left side. I've had two children & tried as hard as I could to sleep on my left (it promotes better flow through the umbilical cord for nutrition & blood), but found myself on my back, tummy, or right side all the time. Toward the middle-end of your pregnancy, you probably won't find it too comfy to sleep on your stomach. For the time being, don't fret...but, if you can, try to make an effort to sleep on your left side. Good luck with the pregnancy.

Answer 6

You are fine. As pregnancy progresses, it will be too uncomfortable to sleep that way or any way! lol. Listen to your doctor. People will tell you every wives tale there is and it gets worse when your baby is born. Congratulations! Eat right, take your vitamins, and consult your physician with any concerns you may have. Always have someone to help you for a few weeks when the baby comes to ease the transition. Hugs! Hang in there.

Answer 7

You should not sleep on your stomach anymore. It isn't so much that it is harming the baby, but it is putting a lot of stress on your uterus and cervix. It is best to keep them as rested and unstressed as possible, since stressing those organs can increase your chance of miscarriage.

It is true that after 16 weeks you also should not sleep flat on your back, as the weight of your enlargened uterus can press on a few major blood vessels, decreasing blood flow to your baby

I am sure your baby is OK, but to keep it OK, please switch to your side while sleeping. If it is impossible, you may want to sleep in a recliner instead.

Answer 8

the only reason not to sleep how you want is because blood flows BETTER if you sleep on your left side. It wont "hurt" anything to sleep on your tummy while you can. Your body will not allow you to when it will hurt your baby. Hence the huge tummy thing. . I highly recomend starting to get used to the left side, by using a body pilow, and mabey a few extra pillows. This will make the transition easier when you can not sleep on your tummy anymore. good luck and congrats.

Answer 9

Your baby is fine. You should learn to sleep on your side though. Use a bunch of pillows to make it comfortable. Don't sleep on your back because it will but a lot of pressure on your spine and major arteries. I'm 26 weeks, and even though my belly is huge and its not comfortable when I'm awake, I still wake up sleeping on my stomach.

Answer 10

Of course you should be careful about what you do and what you consume. BUT do not get so stressed.
My Mum lived in London when it was being bombed, saw friends dead after the bombs; usually she slept on the floor under the kitchen table, less likely to be harmed by flying glass.
Rationing meant there was very little food. Because she was pregnant she got one piece of fruit a week. People ate what they could; if meat was off one just added herbs, as one only got a piece of meat 3 inches round per week.
Yet I am here O.K.
Women in wars still have babies alright.
For thousands of years there were no medicines, sanitation was non-existant; women had to work at terrible hard physical work. Yet babies were born. Admittedly only 1 in 20 children survived to adult-hood as most babies died usually around the ages of 2 or 3yrs.
In Africa the population is booming yet women work in the fields; stop to give birth in a hole scooped out of warm soil and probably get a few hours rest before they get back to work with the new-born strapped tightly to their back.
During pregnancy a majority of African women are subjugated to beatings, semi-starvation, and constant physical labour. Yet the babies survive; in fact there is over-population.
My father, a doctor who worked in Africa, trying to teach birth control, giving immunisations to babies and generally trying to control diease said he often thought the hard conditions helped birth. Definitely the women had MUCH less painful deliveries, much quicker deliveries ( average 2hours for a 1st birth and sometimes minutes for later births)
He said it was terrible but with civilization and preventative health, the birth process became harder. Of course he still went on with preventative health.
The MOST important thing a pregnant woman can do is to BE HAPPY.
When YOU are happy your body pours out GOOD chemicals which HELP the child. When you are stressed it is VERY, VERY BAD for the child.
So do what makes YOU HAPPY. Sleep on your head, tummy or what-ever makes YOU feel good. Rest a lot so you will be ready to look after your child.
Think HAPPY thoughts.
Remember what so MANY doctors have told me.
'The EXPERT on any baby is the MOTHER, that's YOU'