PROBLEM - I had extreme soreness in my right hip while laying down, sitting, and (you guessed it) standing. I'm normally a back and stomach sleeper and you aren't allowed to use either position while pregnant, just left (preferably) or right side. TORTURE! Absolute torture. Not only was my hip sore ALL. THE. TIME. but my hip joint was pinching some nerve that runs down my legs and caused me serious pain while doing pretty much anything. Add in the fact that my shoulders felt like they were being crunched and my neck was sore every morning and I had myself a real mess of a situation.
SOLUTION #1 - I tried using the extra pillows we had around the house to put between my knees and then another to have as back support (which also helped train me to stay on my side during the night). There were a few flaws with this setup, one is that the pillows are older and all went flat within minutes. Any relief I got was soon lost due to inferior stuffing. The second problem was that any time I moved I had to take the pillows with me. This made for a serious scene and woke me up to the point of no return and also woke my husband up which is no good either. Something needed to change.
RESEARCH - Typically before I buy anything, and I do mean anything, I research it to find the best one for the money and the best one all around. This time I decided to consult my other "mommy" and "mommy-to-be" friends on Facebook about what they used to help with this whole side sleeping problem. The responses I got included the following, massage and chiropractic alignment, one of those c-shaped snoogles, and two normal sized pillows joined at the long sides by fabric so that both your back and belly are supported. These are all valid options, but not what I was looking for. Them, one friend told me she had tried several pillows and finally broke down and bought the expensive one because the others just didn't cut it. That's when I realized that I could try cheaper options knowing I'd probably be disappointed, or I could just go for what I really wanted. So I did.
SOLUTION #2 - I bought a huge U-shaped body pillow that is as long as I am (I'm 5'6") and it is HEAVEN! After three nights my hip was no longer sore and even my shoulders were improving. That is the best $99 I have ever spent, seriously. I can't imagine the state I'd be in now if I had not addressed this problem early on. My husband calls it my "nest" which is not totally wrong. It is my own space that helped me reclaim my half of the bed and kept my skeleton from falling apart.
PHOTOS - Here's how the pillow arrived. So small!
And after. It looks like it takes over most of the bed, but once you are in it and have it tucked around you it really isn't a bed hog. Some people in the reviews for this pillow were complaining about how much room it takes up, but I don't find that it does. It's my sanctuary and I love it.
I've had this pillow for a few weeks now and I'm happy to report that the stuffing is holding up well. I am optimistic that it will last me past this pregnancy which is nice. You do have to fluff the pillow each day though, otherwise you will notice it all condensing. It's a small price to pay for something so useful. In case you are in the market, I got this one on Amazon and it's called the Comfort U MATERNITY Pillow. It is sold by a bunch of different companies on Amazon, so it's up to you to choose the one that's right for you.
There you have it, my two cents on maternity body pillows and a stellar recommendation. I hope this helps some of you make a decision about what you'd like to use. Sweet dreams!
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