Pregnancy triggers a number of physical as well as physiological changes in your body. As your pregnancy advances, it is common to experience sleep difficulties. And yet, you need to rest soundly during this crucial stage. The usual difficulties faced in sleeping during pregnancy include back ache, heart burn, shortness of breath and sleeplessness. Of course discomfort due to an increased abdomen size is the most dominant cause.

What sleep postures to avoid?

During the advanced stages of your pregnancy, you should avoid sleeping on your back or your stomach. With the growing size of your abdomen, you will obviously find it difficult to sleep on your stomach. Sleeping on your back during pregnancy may aggravate back pain and breathlessness. This position is also not good for your digestive system and may lead to low blood pressure. Less blood may also reach the baby.

Good sleeping positions during pregnancy

The best sleeping position during pregnancy is commonly known as “SOS” or Sleeping on Side. It is better still to sleep on your left side with a pillow between your legs. You will also find it comfortable to keep your legs and knees bent. The SOS position improves circulation to reach your baby. For back ache, short breaths and heartburn, try the SOS posture with pillows to prop up your upper portion.

You can also put a pillow under the abdomen for convenience. It is perfectly fine to rotate positions during the course of the night.

Rh sensitization occurs during the pregnancy when the expectant mother’s Rh-negative blood comes in contact with the baby’s Rh positive blood. There could be an antibody response to opposite the Rh types. The fetus is prone to Rh sensitization if the parent’s Rh factor is opposite to each other.

In the first pregnancy, there is less risk of any harm to the baby but in subsequent conceptions, your Rh antibodies can destroy the red blood cells of your fetus. The fetus is then at risk for hemolytic disease or even death in the womb.

The incompatibility of the Rh blood type is tested by a blood test during the initial stages of pregnancy by an Indirect Coombs’ test. This test is also done regularly throughout the pregnancy to check the antibody levels. Between 18 to 22 weeks amniotic fluid is tested to check the Rh factor level.

Injecting Rh immune globulin treats Rh Sensitization but if you are already sensitized to the Rh factor, the injection is incapable of preventing any damage to the fetus. If the injection is injected during 28 weeks of the pregnancy, your blood does not produce the harmful antibodies that pose damage to your baby’s red blood cells.

If your baby is at risk of being harmed by your Rh factor then its growth is monitored throughout the pregnancy. There might be then need of a quick caesarean section and a blood transfusion if the risk is moderate. However, if it is at severe risk, multiple blood transfusion and preterm cesarean section might be performed to prevent the damage to the baby.