Finding a comfortable position to lie in when sleeping can be tricky when you’re pregnant, but this specially designed pillow helps to ease discomfort when side sleeping
There’s a lot of think about – and buy – when you’re pregnant, and having one of the best pregnancy pillows is one of these, helping to make the later months in particular more comfortable.
As someone who’d currently pregnant for the first time, I’m discovering things like this every day. After luckily having no real issues during my first trimester, now, at five months in, I’m finding that sleeping is becoming more uncomfortable: my hips ache no matter what position I lie in, and every day I’m waking up in the early hours. So I put this Simba body pillow to the test to see if it would help…
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You probably know what I mean by pregnancy pillows: they’re long and sausage-shaped, designed to be hugged and placed between the legs when side sleeping to support the bump and your skeleton’s alignment. Some can even be bent around the body when sitting upright, either round the back or at the front to help when feeding.
Simba’s design is along these lines: it’s a little shorter than some, reaching from the shoulders to the knees rather than the full body length, and is gently curved to fit around a growing bump. Like Simba’s popular mattresses, it’s made with some smart filling: soft Simba Renew filling, which is designed to boost airflow through the pillow, plus it offer support and shape retention for pregnancy and side sleepers.
The Simba Body Pillow also features a ‘cool touch’ removable and washable cover that’s ideal if you often overheat in the night, plus it comes in a handy bag for easy storage when not in use.
New ones cost £109 from the Simba website, however you can also buy refurbished ones – which have been thoroughly cleaned, sanitised and repaired it needed – for significantly cheaper: £59.
I’ve used this for a few weeks now, and at first I admit that I didn’t really notice much difference and, even though we have a big super-king bed, it seemed to take up a lot of room in it (especially when our two cats also sleep on the bed).
However, as the weeks have gone on, I have really noticed the benefits of it. Having something that goes both between my knees and my arms is so comfy, and I do feel like it’s taking some of the pressure off my hips. I’m finding that I’m tossing and turning less, and therefore sleeping a little deeper. It also takes up less bed space that a lot of the longer ones.
I also think it will become even more beneficial in later months when you’re not supposed to sleep on your back; this will stop me from rolling over.
My one complaint is that, being pregnant during the winter months, I don’t need the cooling fabric – in fact, it’s quite a challenge to grab onto something cold when first getting into bed! However if you typically run warm when sleeping or will be heavily pregnant in summer, this must feel lovely.
Of all the things that you need to buy during pregnancy and as a new mum, I don’t feel like this is an absolute essential – especially if you have a small bed, or one regularly filled with lots of animals – but it has done a great job at easing discomfort for me so far.
Another option worth looking at is the pretty BellaMoon 3-in-1 Pillow, £99. This unique design can be used in three different ways: as a maternity pillow, a nursing pillow for feeding, and as a baby sitting support.
And if you’ve got the space, the Momcozy U-shaped Pregnancy Pillow, £59.99, offers back-and-front support with its unique design.