How To Reduce The Risk Of Fetal Death

Many women sleep poorly during pregnancy. The growing stomach and the need to urinate often can make it difficult to sleep without interruptions. It is important to sleep properly so that there is no pressure on the stomach. For example, you can reduce the risk of fetal death by sleeping on your side.

It is not a good idea to sleep on your back during the last trimester of pregnancy. It can have consequences for the fetus.

In the UK, researchers have published an article in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which found that the risk of fetal death can double if one sleeps on one’s back during this period.

Conversely, they also found that mothers who slept on the side had a lower risk.

By collecting data from 1,000 women in their last trimester of their pregnancy, the authors of the MiNess study concluded that it was best and safest for the baby to sleep on the side.

The experts found that sleeping on the side after the 27th week of pregnancy succeeded in  reducing the risk of fetal death by 3.7%.

Mothers who slept on their backs had a 2.3-fold increased risk of fetal death after the 28th week of pregnancy.

This study is one of the most comprehensive in the field to date. Its results support other, smaller studies of the same type. These smaller studies were conducted in Australia and New Zealand, according to the BBC.

The researchers also found that one in 225 pregnancies ended in fetal death.

Why does it increase the risk when you sleep on your back?

Until now, no explanation has been found as to why it increases the risk of fetal death so drastically when the mother sleeps on her back.

But one wonders if the weight is pressing on the blood vessels. This can block blood circulation and reduce the amount of oxygen that is brought to the baby.

The researchers suggest as a preventative method that you  sleep on your side during the last trimester of pregnancy –  then you can reduce the risk of fetal death.

It does not matter if the woman is sleeping on her left or right side. She can also try putting a pillow against her back to avoid turning around while she sleeps. Reduces the risk of fetal death

Should I worry if I wake up on my back? Is it dangerous for my baby?

Experts believe that pregnant women should not worry if they are lying on their backs when they wake up. The most important thing is the position they are in when they fall asleep. This is the position you hold the longest.

Alexander Heazall, director of  Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Center  at  St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester, UK, has also been the director of one of the studies conducted in the same country.

This specialist also recommends that women in this stage of pregnancy sleep on their side every time they sleep – even if it’s just a nap in the middle of the day.

Alexander Heazall says:

I do not want women to wake up on their backs and think: Oh no, I have done something terrible to my baby. What we said was very specific in terms of us talking about the position a woman falls asleep in. This is important because we spend more time in this position than anyone else. In addition, you can not control what position you find yourself in when you wake up, but you can choose what position you are in when you fall asleep.

How to reduce the risk of fetal death – falling asleep on the side

The publication of this study and the researcher’s recommendations coincide with the start of a campaign to sleep on the side ( The  Sleep on Side Campaign in English), which collaborates with the above hospital.

• The intention is to inform pregnant women about the possible risks of sleeping on their backs during the last months of pregnancy, and that they can reduce the risk of fetal death by sleeping on their side.