It's dangerous for the baby if the mother sleeps on her back during late pregnancy & bull; hello healthy

Finding a comfortable sleeping position when you are more than 7 months pregnant can be a challenge in itself. But be careful. Older pregnant women should avoid sleeping on their backs.

According to a New Zealand study published in the Journal of Physiology, sleeping on your back during the final trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirths. What is the chapter?

Sleeping on your back during late pregnancy blocks the supply of oxygen to the fetus

WHO estimates that there are about 2.6 million cases of stillbirths that occur each year around the world, especially in low and middle income countries. In Indonesia alone, 19 out of 1000 live births are stillborn (SDKI, 2012). Stillbirth is defined as the birth of a baby who has died in the mother's womb after 20 weeks of gestation. If the baby dies before the uterus reaches 20 weeks, this is known as a miscarriage.

A research team from the University of Auckland, in a paper published in the Journal of Physiology, has now found that pregnant women in the third trimester who sleep on their backs can put stress on the fetus. Sleeping on your back during late pregnancy can change the heart rate and activity, which blocks the supply of oxygen to the baby. Low activity and low heart rhythm in infants are known to cause stress to the fetus, which can increase the risk of stillbirths.

"Our hypothesis is that sleeping on your back compresses the main blood vessels that carry blood back to the mother's heart," said Peter Stone, professor of fetal and maternal medicine at the University of Auckland, quoted by Medical News Today. But then, Stone continued, the fresh blood flow that flows from the mother's heart to the uterus can be blocked and reduced.

This study is not the first to show that there is a link between a mother's sleeping position and the risk of stillbirth. Reporting from Live Science, the same group of researchers found that women who slept on their backs had an increased risk of stillbirth compared to those who slept on their left side. In the study, the researchers estimated that the risk of stillbirth for women who slept on their backs or on their right side was about 4 in 1,000, compared with about 2 in 1,000 for women who slept on their left side.

However, experts say that the results of this study are too early to conclude the recommendations based on the findings, and that pregnant women do not need to quickly change the way they lie because of the anxiety of the above studies.

The risk of stillbirth from sleeping on their back increases if the mother has these factors

Experts emphasize that stillbirth is not that easy because of one factor. Common causes of stillbirths include birth defects, problems with the umbilical cord or placenta, and maternal health problems. In addition, women who smoke or have high blood pressure, for example, are at greater risk than others for stillbirth. In fact, there is often no explanation for stillbirths.

However, experts argue that it is plausible that sleeping on your back could have a certain share of the risk of stillbirth, especially in mothers with health problems. Lying on your back can worsen sleep apnea, in which breathing becomes interrupted (repeatedly stops) throughout the night. And if the fetus in the womb is already at high risk, obstructed oxygen intake due to this respiratory disorder can increase the likelihood of stillbirth.

"But in the absence of objective evidence, such as measuring exactly how much blood flow changes accurately to the placenta and the baby, it is difficult to accept these findings without raising a little doubt," said dr. Halit Pinar, director of Perinatal and Pediatric Pathology at Women and Infants Hospital, quoted from the Consumer Report. Indeed, the researchers only studied the mother's sleeping position for 30 minutes, so they could not be sure how the supine sleeping position might affect the health of the fetus during overnight sleep. This is something they plan to dig deeper into in the future.

What sleeping position is good during late pregnancy?

The most recommended sleeping position during late pregnancy is lying on the left side. Lie on your left side, with your knees bent, and tuck two or more pillows between your knees. This releases pressure from the muscles around the hips and pelvis. Keeping a pillow under your stomach when you lie down can also help relieve pressure on your back.

If you wake up at night and find yourself lying on your back, try not to worry too much. It's natural to keep moving while we sleep. Simply return to the sideways position again before going back to sleep. You can try using a pillow tucked under your back to support yourself from lying on your side and stop you from rolling back on your back.

"Pregnant women should sleep in the position they think is most comfortable," said Hannah Knight, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the UK. If you have any questions and concerns about a particular sleeping position, experts recommend that you discuss it with your gynecologist.