Pregnancy Pillows Reviewed: The Yay to the Nay

I’m currently six months pregnant and just beginning to experience those uncomfortable things like backaches when I sit at a desk too long, seizing calf cramps at night, and weird pains right above my pelvic area every time I stand up (all of which my doctor assures me is totally normal).

One of the things that gets more difficult the more pregnant you get (I’m expecting my second child), is sleeping. Thankfully, the powers that be are aware of this problem and provide a variety of pregnancy pillows in an effort to make you more comfortable while you try your hardest to get your last few months of shut eye.

I put three pregnancy pillows to the test. Before I continue with my review, I think it’s important to say that all women are different, all pregnancies are different and everyone carries their extra poundage (aka their unborn child and the related weight) a different way. So, I’m guessing that one pillow solution will not fit all. Which is probably why there are so many different ones available.

1. The Boppy Pregnancy Wedge Review

The Boppy Pregnancy Wedge ($24.99) is the smallest (but not the least expensive) option. It’s basically an angled foam in a half-moon shape that you shove under your belly while lying on your side to prop it up and avoid any feelings of lopsidedness. I tried sleeping with it for a night but it’s so flimsy that it rarely stayed in place. And if you flip over, you have to move the wedge to the other side and shove it in place again.

My belly didn’t really stay on the Boppy wedge and it just kind of hung out next to me, keeping me company while I was sleeping. Again, this might be different if I was farther along and my stomach was bigger. But in my case, when I woke up in the morning, I found it on the floor. And I can’t say I missed it. (There are other wedges available in the marketplace, by other manufacturers, so let us know in the comments if you’re a fan of a different brand).

Verdict on the Boppy Pregnancy Wedge: NAY

2. Newpoint Body Pillow Review

This pillow– Newpoint Body Pillow ($12.99)– isn’t specifically designed for pregnancy which is nice because it is easy to find a pillowcase for it that matches your bedding, plus you can hang onto it after you have the baby (and of the three, it was the least expensive one by a significant margin). Lying it horizontally at the base of your headboard is a nice way to prop up all your pillows. It’s hypo-allergenic (which is important to me) and accommodates a number of body positions. It’s basically just something supportive to snuggle with.

I found the body pillow incredibly comfortable and had a very good night’s sleep. It’s overstuffed and smushy so that it filled out the contours of my pregnant frame and I didn’t think about the awkward positioning of my belly at all. It did occur to me that the pillow would be even better if it were in an L-shape so I could have something extra to rest my head on— I actually used my regular pillow for additional head support. But even so, I held onto the body pillow all night long and woke up pretty much in the same position in which I went to sleep.

Verdict on the Newpoint Body Pillow: YAY

3. Snoogle Total Body Pillow Review

The Snoogle Total Body Pillow ($52.99) is the self-touted ‘mother of all pregnancy pillows’ and is shaped in somewhat of a letter ‘C’. It bills itself as ‘total body comfort from head to toe’.  It looks kind of ridiculous (like a huge snake), takes up your entire half of the bed and if it hadn’t been for this review, I never would have brought it into my home.

BUT. It was way more comfortable than I expected. First of all, you don’t need any other pillows besides the Snoogle— and this is coming from someone who normally sleeps with three. Your head, legs and belly are all completely supported. The other great thing is that you can sleep with the ‘C’ spooning you from the back or you can sleep facing the back of ‘C’ so you have something to snuggle with from the front. Both positions were very different but equally comfortable. I chose to sleep facing the front of the ‘C’, partially so I wasn’t creating a weird barrier between my husband and me.

Which brings me to my one negative about the Snoogle. It really sets up a separate sleep area from your spouse. Your husband is not going to make a move while you’re employing the Snoogle or as I’ll call it from now on— “The Sex Shield”. But if you’re looking to keep your husband at a distance, then awesome— this is the pillow for you. Or, if you are really uncomfortable at night, then I bet the Snoogle could be a good solution.

Verdict for the Snoogle Total Body Pillow: YAY for comfort, NAY for sex life

Now some of you may be asking, is a pregnancy pillow even necessary at all? I think that’s a personal decision. I didn’t use one my first pregnancy and was just fine— but I carried really small. You can put a pillow under your head, hug a king size and stick an additional pillow between your legs if necessary. For some sound sleepers this works great and for others, they couldn’t keep these pillows in place if they tried. Something like the Snoogle definitely helps keep you in a stationary position.

If you are really uncomfortable, I don’t think it hurts to try out a pregnancy pillow. If you don’t like the idea of buying something you are only going to use for a few months, get the Newpoint body pillow. It’s the least expensive of the three and as I mentioned, you can lie it horizontally at the base of your headboard to prop up your pillows when you are back to snuggling with your spouse.

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