Can I lay on my back in pregnancy?

I mean, we’ve all heard this, right?

DON’T LAY ON YOUR BACK IN PREGNANCY! IT’S NOT SAFE!

You know what? Don’t take my word for it.

Find out for yourself.

Ask your OBGYN (assuming they keep up with current research).

Ask your pelvic health PT (same disclaimer as above).

Read this medical article.

Here’s what happened.

Once upon a time a few months ago, I went for a prenatal massage.

Halfway through, when I was invited to switch over to lay on my back, the massage therapist told me, “I can’t let you lay on your back because it’s not safe in pregnancy.”

Listen, I’m all for being open-minded and diplomatic and let-me-not-try-to-ruffle-any-feathers but oh NO you will not tell me something that’s outright not true and expect me to believe it just because pregnancy is a vulnerable time where we tend to be a little more trusting and (dare I say?) naive than we’d otherwise be.

Again, read the article I linked above.

See for yourself that these claims are not evidence-based, and the few times someone actually has supine hypotensive syndrome (aka laying on their back in pregnancy is not a good idea), it’s extremely few and far between.

And on top of all of that, the body signals that it’s not an ideal position–think sweating, dizziness, nausea, headache.

So moral of the story?

Listen to your body.

Check your facts.

And above all, check other people’s facts (mine included–I’m not kidding when I say read the article.) It’s knowledge like this that we need to empower ourselves with as we journey through pregnancy and postpartum.

Speaking of empowering ourselves with knowledge, every month in Birth & Beyond we meet for a live call to go deeper into topics like these. Knowledge is power, so come and get it!