Pregnancy has its own share of joys and challenges with finding and keeping a good sleeping position that allows a soon-to-be-mom to have a full-cycle sleep as one of the major woes, which is certainly the reason why a lot of preggy women are Googling for the best pregnancy pillow.
As the baby in the womb grows and the uterus expands to accommodate the infant, sleeping on the back becomes a form of suffering. Most pregnant women who do so experience acid reflux and shortness of breath. Sleeping sideways isn’t fun round-the-clock as well. You certainly need the most comfortable pregnancy pillow to successfully wake up the next day with a smile.
You or probably some moms-to-be who you know can attest to the difficulty of keeping 3 or more pillows in position as belly, back, and leg supports. Regular pillows move along with you and you just wake up suddenly in the wee hours of night because of extreme discomfort.
Now, to help soon-to-be-moms like you get a good night sleep, here is a compilation of the best pregnancy pillows according to pregnancy pillow reviews by actual users:
Top 10 Best Pregnancy Pillows 2016 – Top Ten Reviews
This pregnancy pillow is so chic and comfortable at the same time. Chic because the taupe color goes along well with any other color so you definitely can place it on any soft furniture or in any room in the house. You can take it along with you as you watch television in the living room too, making you comfortably fall asleep when your eyes get tired watching.
Some of its notable features include:
- Sufficient support to growing belly and aching back
- An inner contour that accommodates the shape of your body, making sure that it doesn’t slip off you
- It allows elevation and alignment, providing neutral support from head to toe
- Its shape and firmness relieves joint and body strain
- It has reverse ends giving twice the head support
- A zip-off cover that is also machine-washable
- A product dimension of 31 x 21 x 16 inches
- It is made up of polyester fiber that does not rip off; firmness guaranteed
This is another excellent maternity pillow catering to every moms-to-be’s concern, which is scoring a restful sleep. Say goodbye to hard edges that cause discomfort to your shoulders because the Cozy Comfort has a curved shape giving shoulder support. It also gives lumbar support, carrying mommy’s growing weight as she sleeps.
Other features of this maternity pillow include:
- Prime belly support, allowing you to rest your tummy and make your baby feel comfortable too
- A square head rest area that resembles regular pillow for comfort
- A removable and machine washable zip cover
- It is made from 50% polyester and 50% cotton giving a balanced firmness and softness
- Cushions the mommy’s back and keeps the baby’s head supported when used during nursing
- It serves as a cradle for the entire body, keeping it in position
- A dimension of 56 x 9 x 32 inches
This is another loved product from Leachco brand, and is in fact labelled as the best selling body pillow in Amazon. This pillow is the equivalent of multiple pillows when it comes to providing entire body comfort. Another interesting fact is that its original design was done by a Registered Nurse and a mom who definitely understands what every pregnant woman is looking for in a pillow.
Consider the following features of this Snoogle Body Pillow:
- It is a full-body pillow that does the work of multiple pillows, and is perfect for every expectant and nursing mom
- It gives maximum back support keeping you away from lower back pain and sciatica
- It takes the shape of your body hence keeping your entire body in a comfortable sleeping position
- It can be tucked in between the knees, which surprisingly helps control body temperature and gives back support as well
- Its head support system prevents acid reflux and heartburn, which also aids proper breathing
- A machine-washable removable cover with a sham style
- A dimension of 60 x 24.8 x 7.2 inches
Getting a pregnancy pillow aims to sleep sound and wake up happy in the morning, and this pillow does just that and more. It is designed to follow and work with your body’s curve naturally no matter how much you move when you sleep. It is cleverly-designed eliminating the need for you to reposition the pillow over and over throughout the night.
For moms who are scouting for a good pillow, take note of these features:
- Twice the head support because of its reverse ends
- A custom fit that goes with your every movement side to side
- Supports your tummy and your back equally
- A removable and machine-washable pillowcase in Ivory color
- The ivory color goes well with other colors – elegant and clean-looking indeed
- Helps relieve joint strains as it elevates the hips while you sleep
- A perfect fit for moms-to-be and nursing moms of all shapes and sizes
- The design helps prevent acid reflux, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, congestion, and fibromyalgia
- A U-shaped pillow
- It is Phthalate-free, Latex-free, Lead-free, and BPA-free
- A dimension of 51 x 33.5 x 8.8 inches
You have to take note though that this maternity pillow is heavier compared to others of its kind as it weighs about 8 pounds.
How about a pillow that can take the place of 5 other pillows combined? Sounds interesting, right? This Leachco Snoogle Chic Total Body Pillow is also another pregnancy and nursing pillow loved by many.
Some of its features are:
- Easy zip-off cover that is machine-washable
- Made up from 40% polyester jersey-knit case and 60% cotton pillow
- It can be used during and post pregnancy
- It is C-shaped for multiple sleeping positions
- It gives entire body comfort from head to foot
- Your hips, back, and tummy are equally supported for better sleep
- It is Phthalate-free, Latex-free, Lead-free, and BPA-free
- A dimension of 7.8 x 25.5 x 58.8 inches
This pillow is quite heavier though compared to other maternity pillows as it weighs about 5.2 pounds.
To give you a wider selection, here is another pregnancy pillow that can certainly fit your needs.
The Oversized – Total Body Pregnancy Maternity Pillow is solely distributed by Blowout Bedding RN# 142035 with the following prominent features:
- An easy-sip machine-washable cover to accommodate the needs of moms-to-be and nursing moms who are after hygienic pillows
- Color choices of ivory, burgundy, chocolate, and gray
- An oversized measurement of 19 inches thick and 130 inches long that accommodates women of all shapes and sizes
- It provides maximum, full body support
- It is made up of 400 thread count feel for extreme comfort
- It consists of 100% extra soft microfiber polyester fill and shell
How about a gender-neutral full-body pillow for you and your hubby? Why not? Often, during your pregnancy, you hubby can’t get enough of you and your growing belly, or he simply might just be a restless sleeper that he always ends up leaning towards you causing further discomfort on your part. Now, to give yourself a great night sleep, you can purchase two Leachco Snoogle Mini Compact Side Sleepers for you and your hubby. Great idea, right?
Here are some noteworthy features of it that will definitely make you want to buy it right away:
- It is called mini not because it’s too small but because it gives just the right support that every expectant mom as well as every person’s needs
- The pillow caters the back, legs, and tummy
- It can also be used post pregnancy as a wrap around nursing pillow
- Its shape naturally follows the curves of your body
- It provides hips alignment to prevent joint strains
- It has a removable and machine-washable case
- It comes in white color, making it look more comfortable and cozy
- It is just around 2.7 pounds in weight
- A dimension of 27.8 x 21.8 x 7 inches
Get that elusive good night sleep with this pillow exclusively from Blowout Bedding RN# 142035. This pillow is another of its kind working naturally on the contours of your body to keep a sleeping position that is comfortable for both you and your baby.
Here are the features you may want to know:
- Two contoured legs so you can sleep either on your side or on your back
- It is U-shaped giving equal support to your tummy and back
- It helps alleviate the extra pressure from your growing belly
- It can be tucked between the knees for a more comfortable sleeping position
- It allows you to elevate your head thus preventing acid reflux and heartburn
- It aligns your hips thus relieving strains
- It comes with an easy-zip and machine-washable cover
- A dimension of 60 x 35 x 7 inches
Another maternity pillow making it to the top 10 pregnancy pillows is this Naomi Home Cozy Body Pillow Espresso. The name of it already sounds elegant enough, don’t you agree?
Well, you might agitate even more to get this pillow for yourself with its following features:
- It has a gussets neck and shoulder area for added comfort
- It also works as a perfect nursing pillow because it elevates the mom’s back while keeping the baby cushioned
- It has an inner curve to support both your back and tummy
- It serves as a full-body cradle keeping you in a good sleeping position all night no matter how much you move
- It provides sufficient levels of firmness and relaxation
- A large square rest head resembling that of regular pillows for ultra comfort
- Made up from a 300-thread count percale
- It consists of 100% cotton making it super soft and breathable keeping your body temperature cool throughout the night no matter how much you hug it
- A removable and machine-washable pillow case
- It has a wide array of color choices including purple, white, red, gray, copper, stone, and espresso
Now, the last, but definitely not the least is this Comfort U Total Body Pillow Support. What most expectant and nursing moms love about this pillow is that it reduces their movement – lessening the tosses and turns in a good way as it provides as relaxing sleeping position that you can maintain throughout the night.
Expect the following features from this pillow:
- It cradles the entire body from head to foot
- It relieves pressures caused by your growing belly
- It is made from fusion fiber knitted in small clusters resulting to a very comfortable sleeping surface indeed
- The fusion fiber make-up can withstand high washing and drying temperatures so yes you can wash the pillow itself
- It is only about 2.9 pounds in weight
- A dimension of 60 x 7 x 35 inches
- Fluff it daily
- Only wash it in a front-loading commercial Laundromat
- Its large size requires big space so it can move around when washed
- Adding a clean gym shoe or tennis ball when drying the pillow is recommended for even fluffing
If you intend to wash the pillow, kindly note the following care instructions provided by the manufacturer:
Best Pregnancy Pillow Buyer’s Guide
These 10 pregnancy pillows are already shortlisted considering the number of positive reviews each has garnered from its actual users. Now, it is understandable that you probably would want to try all these before you can pick up the one maternity pillow that suits you best.
So, to help you decide on which of these is a perfect fit for you and your baby, here are some of the considerations you can make:
A removable cover
Obviously, this is for hygiene purposes. Some maternity pillows are not recommended to be washed entirely as the composition may rip apart. So, opting for one with an easy-zip pillow case that you can wash regularly will keep the pillow from acquiring foul odor through time.
The filling
Yes, there are various types of pillow fillings that you must be familiar with. Several of these include (1) Styrofoam ball filling, which are cheaper but tends to make annoying noise with movement, (2) Polyester fiber filling, which provides firmness but are not that breathable, (3) micro-bead filling, which are lightweight, does not create noise, and more supportive compared to standard Styrofoam ball fillings, (4) memory foam filling, which takes the shape of your body and reverts back to its original shape when not in use, are quite firm, and allows air circulation, (5) natural and organic filling, which can be made up from spelt, wool, and kapok to keep your entire pregnancy as natural as possible, and (6) cotton filling, which is breathable and soft, but has the tendency to rip apart with prolonged use.
Hypoallergenic
You surely don’t want to trigger allergies, asthma, and all during your pregnancy, right? This is why you better make sure that the pillow is hypoallergenic. This lessens the occurrence of your baby catching diseases due to mom’s allergic reactions.
The size of the pillow
You also have to consider the size of your bed before buying an extra large maternity pillow. This will ensure that both you and your partner can still comfortably lie on your bed together or else he might end up snoozing on the couch until you give birth. You can also determine your own size preference – do you literally want to swim in your pregnancy pillow or do you want just the right size? You decide
Support
Aim for a pillow that will support your entire body – head, neck, belly, back, legs, and feet. Which parts of your body hurt the most when you sleep? You might want to consider a pillow that cushions these parts well.
Weight
Yes, you want your pillow to be just the right weight so you can carry it around the house.
Conclusion
Finding a good sleeping pillow is often hard to do. This is especially true when you realize the need for a sturdy and comfy pillow late in your pregnancy when you can no longer enjoy long strolls at the mall looking for one. This is why it is advisable that early on in your pregnancy, you must already spot for a pregnancy pillow that meets your needs and expectations. Great thing there are online stores now where you can easily spot for one. If this is what you prefer, you just have to rely on customers sharing their pregnancy pillow reviews. These reviews can help you identify which one will be a trustworthy ally along the course of your pregnancy.
Remember, getting a full-cycle sleep every night is a requirement for a healthy pregnancy. As a mom-to-be, you must prioritize yours and your baby’s needs. When you give yourself the physical comfort that your body needs, you are also sending a message of love to the baby in your womb, assuring him that you will always put his welfare first. When a preggy woman is comfortable enough to complete an 8-hour sleep or so, it also means that her unborn baby feels comfortable too. The absence of too much movement in your belly only says that the baby feels relaxed and secured with your sleeping position as well.
Always keep in mind that a happy mommy makes a happy baby! After all, getting the best pregnancy pillow for your self is a great reward for somebody who is blessed to carry the gift of life.