Sleep on Side from 28 Weeks of Pregnancy

Research shows that going to sleep on your side from 28 weeks of pregnancy halves your risk of stillbirth compared with going to sleep on your back. Lying on your back in the last three months of pregnancy presses on major blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow to the womb and oxygen supply to the baby.

Each year, in New Zealand, approximately 160 babies are stillborn in the last three months of pregnancy. It’s estimated that if all pregnant women go to sleep on their side from 28 weeks of pregnancy, there could be a 10 percent decrease in late stillbirth nationally.

Go to the NZ Sleep On Side website for information, videos, pamphlets and more.