When the news of pregnancy is received, everyone in the family is bound to be happy. You will feel on top of world and everyone will begin to inquire about your health and offer their advice on the same. They will share their experiences and provide you lots of pregnancy information. But, the best guide during this period is an experienced doctor who will tell you everything about it. You shall not hesitate calling the doctor to seek advice even on seemingly small and obvious matters. Women, generally, do inquire about the food, clothing, medications, exercises and other things but often ignore to ask about the way they shall sleep. In fact, this is perhaps as important as any other thing to ask.

During pregnancy, you would not be very comfortable in the regular sleeping postures and one thing or the other might keep disturbing your peaceful sleep. The main reasons for this could be the increase in the size of abdomen, the occurrence of back pain and discomfort, shortness of breath, heart burn and inability to sleep. These could also be due to the medications that you may be taking and also due to hormonal and physiological changes that may be occurring during this phase.

The most usual position for most women to sleep is to lie on the back and that may not be very comfortable. The best sleeping position during all pregnancy stages is to sleep on the left side. This position enables greater amount of blood and nutrients to reach the placenta and the baby. This is helpful in the growth and development of the baby. While sleeping on the left it is advised to bend the knees and place a pillow between the legs. If you happen to be suffering from the back pain as well, then placing a pillow under the abdomen also helps. Another benefit of sleeping on side is that the shortness of breath does not occur in this position.

The two sleeping positions that shall be avoided are of sleeping on the back and sleeping on the stomach. The former is not good for back pain, breathing, digestive system, low blood pressure and decreases circulation to heart and baby. The latter position is not advised at all.

It shall be noted that you may not be able to sleep the whole night in any one position and it is perfectly okay to keeping changing the postures. However, sleeping on stomach is best avoided during pregnancy.

A number of studies conducted globally have found that the pregnant women who do not resist the resist the temptation of going along with the foot fashion and wear uncomfortable shoes, notably the high heel ones, are likely to face some kind of problem during this period.

Pregnancy results in hormonal changes and weight gain. The ovaries begin to release relaxin, a hormone which results in softening of muscles and ligaments. What happens when you wear high heels is that the body balance and posture alters and there is lot of strain on your back and knees. It results in pain in foot, legs and back and heightens the risk of falling down. And, falling down could be traumatic for mother and is definitely not good for baby in the womb. It can create pregnancy complications. So, the choice of right foot is of immense importance. There are very good chances of finding the right shoes which are quite trendy and fashionable and, at the same time, are comfortable and supportive of pregnancy.

Here are some of the tips on the selection of the best shoes in this time:

1. Say no to the flip flops and ballet bumps. Instead, wear well fitted, round toed and low heeled shoes. Heel shall not be any more than 3 centimeters. Similarly, the arch of the shoe shall support the feet arch.

2. Wear shoes which absorb the shock and prevent pain in the knees and the back. There shall, ideally, be proper cushioning in the shoe.

3. Do check the material from which the sole of shoe is made. It shall not be slippery at all. At the same time, it shall not be very heavy.

4. Some people would recommend ‘negative heel’ shoes in which the heel is a little lower than the other part of foot. But, it is better to judge on your own which shoe is able to balance the body weight better.

Pregnant women shall never ignore the importance of the right footwear. In the last six months or so of the pregnancy, the center of gravity of the body keeps on changing consequently increasing the chances of falling down. The right footwear is able to carry your weight, maintains body balance and absorbs the shock. It also helps to keep on massaging the feet to improve the blood circulation and prevent the occurrence of cramps. This is good pregnancy exercise. Some would even suggest that the stockings used shall be medicated so that foot hygiene is maintained in totality.