If you’re wondering which type of mattress is best for pregnancy, I can offer my personal opinion as I am currently pregnant, in the third trimester with our first baby!
I have heard from people and read online countless times about the struggles people have when pregnant to get comfortable in bed and to get a good nights sleep..
However, my whole pregnancy experience of getting comfortable in bed has been quite the contrary.
I genuinely put a lot of this down to the mattress we have.
– A couple of years back, we invested in a Tempur mattress, (a kind of memory foam mattress if you are not familiar with the brand).
When in bed, (lying on my side of course, as recommended for pregnant people), I feel fully supported by the mattress as it moulds to the shape of my body.
I imagine this would be the case for memory foam mattresses in general. Or even memory foam mattress toppers, (if you already have a good sprung mattress.)
I find there is just enough resistance underneath my body from the Tempur memory foam mattress – It supports and take away the feeling of weight from the bump and in my back. Without feeling like there is too much resistance pushing into the bump and making me twist to accommodate.
I am not saying that I don’t fidget at and fight with the pregnancy support cushion I bought at times! (Cushion for between my legs to separate knees.)
And I do of course wake up in the night, especially in the last couple of months, with baby pressing on bladder!
But I do honestly feel that the memory foam mattress has been a huge help in me getting to have a good nights sleep most nights throughout this pregnancy.
(Of course, I have not been pregnant before, with using a different type of mattress.)
But learning from family, friends and internet mums, it seems to be a very, very common occurrence that pregnant mums just can’t seem to settle and easily get into a comfortable position at night.
I am so grateful that this has not been the case for me!
Doctors recommend that side sleeping is the best position when pregnant. (Which we are constantly reminded of!)
If you image a fairly firm sprung mattress, lying on your side is going to kind of push the bump into you, as there is nowhere for it to go (instead of sinking into the mattress, your bump would have to float on top. This could put more strain on the skin and muscles as you lie on your side for long periods of time at night.)
The triangle pregnancy support pillows are a good solution to helping with support and pressure relief if you have or prefer a fairly firm mattress. (Towards the later stages of pregnancy especially, when your bump is more pronounced.)
The wedge literally wedges underneath you, on your side and helps to fill the gap between your body and the mattress.
A memory foam or latex mattress would surely be more ideal, even a combination of both can offer the ideal amount of stability and comfort.
By allowing your body to be absorbed somewhat into the surface of the mattress, you can lie in a more natural position and be more hugged and supported.
Certain mattress designs offer cool surface foam technology, perfect for keeping your temperature down when you are unbearably hot.
I haven’t found a problem with this either to be honest, on a personal level. The only time I have woken up too hot, is making the transition from summer duvet to very thick winter duvet (might be a bit too insulating!)
But all through the summer, I didn’t have a problem with staying cool on the memory foam mattress. Only on the occasional heatwave night when the temperature was crazy high!
You may consider purchasing a mattress that has motion isolation and weight distribution features, perfect for pregnancy and after childbirth, when you might be nursing your baby in bed.
To be honest, most mattresses are now designed to isolate movement and can be branded with a variety of different terminology – for example, some mattresses have ‘anti roll’ technology or some call it ‘motion isolation’ they all essentially mean the same thing.
That you and your partner will be less likely to roll into one another at night and the bed will support each of you without caving in the middle.
Orthopaedic mattresses can also offer some comfort from the unfortunate backache and leg pain that sometimes go hand in hand with pregnancy.
Sleep is more important than ever when you are pregnant, the changes that your body is going through can have big repercussions on your sleep cycle. Or perhaps it’s the heartburn, nausea or even your newly developed snoring habit that disturb you.
Whatever your symptoms I hope I can help alleviate a few with the advice below.
Memory foam mattress in pregnancy.
A memory foam mattress would be my first choice if I were expecting another baby. I would also personally recommend a memory foam mattress to anyone. The technology alleviates pressure points and conforms to your ever-changing body shape.
Due to the viscoelastic nature of memory foam, viscosity plus elasticity, the mattress was designed to resist stress, and here is the magic part, once the stress has been removed, it will return to its normal shape! Therefore, you need have no qualms about having to sleep in a pregnant bump size dip once your baby has been born!
It also means that your partner will sleep in their body recess and you will sleep in yours, his tossing and turning won’t affect you and your constant trips to the bathroom won’t have any effect on his side of the bed either! Motion transfer technology!
Though the posture support that the memory foam gives during pregnancy is perfect, if you’re a particularly hot sleeper, because a memory foam mattress is so dense, it can retains heat. As the mattress cradles you, it can be difficult to cool down.
Please be aware, this is not the same for every memory foam mattress, and certainly not the case for me with the Tempur mattress. But it has been known that people have struggled to stay cool on a memory foam mattress even when not pregnant.
Using a lower tog duvet and 100% cotton bed linen should help alleviate this problem, or if you really want a memory foam mattress then you could always consider buying a relatively inexpensive cooling pad too, if you find you are having problems.
The excellent support that the memory foam offers can have a remarkable effect on the awful back pain that is synonymous with pregnancy, as your baby grows your centre of gravity naturally shifts forward, you try to correct by arching backwards. Your muscles contort throughout the night to try to repair the damage of the day, and that contracting feeling is what keeps you awake.
Your mattress should help keep your spine perfectly aligned so that you wake up feeling refreshed.
Don’t most pregnant women seem to invariably have a hand in the small of their back?
Can I use a topper?
Are you on a tight budget? Instead of replacing the whole mattress, you could consider buying a memory foam topper. For a fraction of the price, you could achieve a very similar outcome.
Toppers come in a variety of thicknesses, of your bed is very hard and firm, invest in a thicker topper, maybe 4 inches, if your mattress just needs a little help then a 2 inch topper would be ideal.
You should still get the sensation of sleeping on a cloud!
A memory foam topper could mean the difference of less back ache, and less muscle ache around your middle.
Latex mattress
The first noticeable difference that the latex mattress has from the memory foam one is its ‘bouncability’. Latex doesn’t mould your body and hug you, it settles around your body shape and leaves a general impression.
The mattress offers superb support the spine and is perfect for side sleepers as it offers protection to hip and shoulder joints too.
As the latex mattress is made of a comfort layering system, it can be firm; this should make it easier to get in and out of, repeatedly! Once you return to bed, the quick response time means that the latex has returned to its natural shape, ready for you to get comfortable in a completely new position.
As you might expect, the more layers, the higher the price but with the expense comes longevity.
You will notice that the mattress has a series of ‘holes’ punched through it, this allows the free flow of air which in turns means a cooler night’s sleep.
If your biggest worry or problem at night is overheating, I would seriously consider choosing latex over memory foam. Once your baby is born, it is quite simple to put an extra blanket on the bed in the unlikely event that you feel cool.
Both memory foam and latex mattresses can be very expensive indeed, so I considered other options for those of us on a more restricted budget.
Pocket sprung and spring mattresses
The pocket sprung mattress is the bigger, better brother of the traditional standard spring mattress. The individual springs work independently of each other, which reduce the risk of pressure point build up and offer a well-supported, comfortable night’s sleep.
The numbers of springs inside each mattress don’t determine the firmness or comfort rating of the bed, instead it’s the quality of the springs.
Pocket sprung mattresses don’t conform to body shape like either the latex or memory foam, this might be advantageous to you; it will definitely be cooler but won’t give your spine and bump as much support.
To top it off
If committing to a new mattress seems too much at the moment, then a mattress topper is the perfect solution for you.
You can use them on any existing mattress; you can buy them with cooling technology, a soft one because your existing mattress is just too hard during pregnancy or just because you want to try the memory foam experience without the expense.
Their contoured profile allows the air to flow freely whilst snuggling you like a baby!
Just remember to consider your comfort for now, you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep and after the baby is born.
Consider it a long-term investment.