News Beat
The best pregnancy pillows, tried and tested
Sleeping can be an uncomfortable experience as your bump grows bigger in the second and third trimesters, but the best pregnancy pillows can help you get a little more shut eye in the months leading up your baby’s arrival.
Longer in length than a normal pillow, pregnancy pillows are designed to support the changing shape of a pregnant woman’s body. There are hundreds available online, but together with the help of Rachel Fitz-Desorgher, a baby and parenting expert and speaker at The Baby Show Manchester, we’ve selected our top 11.
They range in price from £27 to £159 and we’ve covered brands from Cushy Puff and Bbhug me to Silentnight and Simba. Our full reviews of each are below, followed by an FAQ section on how to use them, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our five of our favourites:
What are the best pregnancy pillows? At a glance
What are the different types of pregnancy pillow?
When you start searching for the best pregnancy pillow you might feel overwhelmed at the amount of choice available. Fitz-Desorgher says the key types are U-shaped and C-shaped. It’s also worth looking for a pillow with cooling properties, to help with night sweats.
“A U-shaped pillow can be great for pelvic girdle pain,” Fitz-Desorgher says. “It gives that essential full-leg support as well as comfortably hugging the back. And, of course, there is no need to shift it when you turn over.”
C-shaped pillows can be more flexible. “Bend and shape it around you to support whichever bits of your body are crying out for a little help,” Fitz-Desorgher says. “Some pillows concentrate more on the bump and back whilst others cater more for hips and legs. Few do it all, so be prepared to supplement a little with a regular bed pillow where needed”.
Any pregnancy pillow is supposed to bring your limbs back into alignment and take the strain off the ligaments supporting the heavy tummy and breasts. Fitz-Desorgher explains: “How you place and wrap the pillow depends on where the aches are. An aching back needs a bit of oomph right in the lumbar region of the spine, while a woman struggling with pelvic girdle pain needs support between the full length of her legs, from thigh to ankle to keep them parallel and hip width apart all the way down”.
