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I don't really have an answer...but I love sleeping on my back and it's sooo hard for me not to. It just hurts my back so bad to sleep any other way. So I'm glad you posted this becuase I want some more info too. I hate freaking out every night and day.

ok... I found this and apparently it's us that would be hurt from this not the baby. I also read somewhere else that if this were the case your normal body reaction to it would/should wake you up. So I think for the most part you should be fine. But here's what it said. Although there's no real harm in sleeping on your right side, lying on your left side is actually good for you and your baby: It improves the flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta and it helps your kidneys efficiently eliminate waste products and fluids from your body. That, in turn, reduces swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands. If you train yourself to sleep on your left side early on, you'll have an easier time falling asleep when your belly is bulging later. During the second half of pregnancy, avoid sleeping on your back, a position that puts the full weight of your uterus on your spine, back muscles, intestines, and the inferior vena cava (the vein that transports blood from your lower body to the heart). Back-sleeping can also put you at risk for backaches and hemorrhoids, inefficient digestion, and impaired breathing and circulation. Lying on your back in the second and third trimester can also cause changes in blood pressure. For some women, it can cause a drop in blood pressure that can make them feel dizzy; for others, it can cause an unwanted increase in blood pressure.

who said you can't sleep on your back??? you can sleep any which way you want to so long as it's comfortable. they reason why you shouldn't sleep on your back is because it will hurt not because it will hurt the baby. it will just hurt for you. you can sleep on your right side, on your left side, on your back.....your body will naturally move when things get uncomfortable. another one of those pregnancy myths that you have to sleep on your left side. your body will move in so many directions at night and you can't help it, none of it is bad or damaging or hurtful to the baby. it's natural. if there was only one way to sleep then the human race would be extinct by now. so go ahead and sleep any which way, if you wake up on your back then big deal just roll over. so long as your comfortable.

OMG, this is funny because I woke up this morning in the same panic and got online at 6am to google "sleeping on back in pregnancy"...lol! I'm glad you posted about this. I was scared because i heard it can cause the uterus to lie on a main blood vessel (vena cava) that supplies blood to the baby and placenta. I did my doppler this morning and breathed a sigh of relief.... :)

dont worry about it, your body will move you before you have to worry about anything. I slept on my back almost the whole time with my daughter, and this time i am still sleeping on my back. Oh how horrible me right? maybe I should be arrested by the pregnancy police and locked up.

LOL! I figured it would be fine...I'm so sick of sleeping on my sides that I actually felt relief to roll onto my back. It is uncomfortable to lay completely flat on my back, but if I pull my knees up it feels great :)

The info Sterlinberlin05 provided is absolutely correct. My doc gave me a book thingy about weeks 16-23 and that's one of the first things the book said. I'm sure no babies died from the mother sleeping on her back but I just avoid it anyway. There is so many things in pregnancy that we can't control so I make sure I do my best at what I can control ya know? But like everyone else said, I'm sure you will be ok.

Ok so was just at the docs yesterday and asked the same exact question because I frequently wake up on my back, also my congestion is better if I am on my back. Also I am a nursing student so I have somewhat learned about this. Like sterlin said there is no harm to baby if you are laying on your back, the possible harm is to you. And it is really only when you are alot further along and the baby weighs more. Your blood supply to your heart from your inferior vena cavae can be cut off, which will wake you up because you will feel short of breathe. Sorry if I just repeated what everyone else just said, but the doc told me to just try to get sleep whichever way I can. They actually suggested sleeping in a recliner if I couldn't find a comfortable position. So don't freak out, your LO is fine with any position you feel comfortable with.

I just wanna say that if it is comfortable to sleep on your back now then enjoy it because pretty soon it wont be. Sorta like sleeping on your tummy was ok for a while but then one day it just wasnt comfy.

You're fine!!! I do it all the time and it's ok. You will wake up uncomfortable/sick before anything will happen to your baby. I also sleep on my right side most of the time because I'm not as comfortable on my left. As you get bigger, back sleeping might be more painful as it puts pressure on your spine but again, don't stress. :)

You all were talking about this in January and I've started to have this problem now. Thanks for all the information.