Best U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow

Pregnancy can bring forth some discomfort. This can happen especially at night, where there is the risk of being improperly aligned or even rolling over your stomach.

Fortunately, special pillows have been constructed to prevent this and aid mothers in keeping an upright posture. There are regularly sized pillows, long pillows, and full-body pillows.

One of the best options for mothers, especially when they are entering their third trimester is a U-shaped pregnancy pillow. This pillow provides users with all-around support and comfort when the baby bump is at its largest.

Best U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow

What is a Pregnancy Pillow?

A pregnancy pillow is made to especially cradle your body in every period of your pregnancy. While some of these pillows are made only for your back or stomach, others are made to support every part of your body. These are the ones we will be discussing, most importantly the U-shaped full body pillow.

Why Should You Have a Pregnancy Pillow?

Pregnancy isn’t easy, and neither is the first stage of your infant’s life. If you ever needed plenty of continuous restful sleep, now is the time. It’s not easy catering for two people in one body, so you should be as comfortable and relaxed as you possibly can be. This is not only for your benefit but for the betterment of your child as well.

Now, not everyone needs a pregnancy pillow, but no one has yet complained about having a high-quality one on hand. It can help you sleep soundly, relieve pregnancy-related pains, and help you wake up more refreshed.

Benefits of a Pregnancy Pillow

— Comfort

The primary reason anyone invests in a pregnancy pillow is to make themselves more comfortable. The pillows offer mandatory support where your body has greater pressure applied or near where the baby is.

The more comfortable you feel with your pregnancy pillow, the better-quality sleep you’ll receive.

— Longer Sleep

Long, unbroken hours of sleep are important for everyone, but especially for women going through pregnancy. Your rest is your child’s rest as well, which is why you may find yourself sleeping for longer.

The right pillow will keep you in a relaxed position without any shifting during the night. The more stable and composed your sleep is, the better your child will develop, and your body will recover.

— Pain-Relieving

With the right pregnancy pillow, you can position your body properly to experience fewer pains and aches. Your spinal alignment can be improved, and you’ll wake up fresher than ever.

The best pain relief a pregnancy pillow can provide you is preventing you from rolling onto your stomach at night.

— Size

There are a wide variety of both sizes and shapes of pregnancy pillows which leaves plenty of room for personal choice.

The pillows we’re taking into consideration are U-Shaped pillows, which can range from 55 inches to 65 inches. These pillows are meant to support your back, head, shoulders, legs, knees, and everything else in between.

The biggest issue with a pillow this big is storage. More than often, a U-Shaped pillow will come with movable parts so you can sit up, lean back, and lie down on your pillow, so it’ll be used throughout the day.

For those that don’t, it’s a good idea to see if you have a closet room or if your partner is fine leaving the pillow on the bed.

— Shapes

There are four full-body shapes you can come across; U-shaped, C-shaped, J-shaped, and O-shaped. These pillows are made to cradle your entire body so that you’re properly aligned and comfortable throughout the night. It minimizes the amount of movement during the night and keeps sensitive areas stable.

There’s also a straight tube pillow, which is ideal for supporting the front half of your body, mainly your baby bump.

Finally, there are wedged and bean pillows. These pregnancy pillows offer targeted support to wherever you feel you need it most. If sitting upright, then place a bean pillow behind your back. If you’re lying down, then use a wedge pillow underneath your baby bump to keep you straight.

— Material

There are two parts of a pillow you have to watch out for; the inner material, and the outer material. The inner material will be the actual filling of the pillow while the outer material is the fabric that touches your skin.

— Fabric

There are some basic criteria you should always cover for yourself when looking at the exterior fabric.

• The material should be breathable and cooling, so you won’t wake up in a cold sweat from heat or moisture development.
• Look for removable covers and machine washable pillows, to make maintenance less of a chore.
• Avoid anything that uses chemicals or has a strong odor, as there may be ingredients you don’t want near your skin.
• Obviously, there is a color preference. Many U-Shaped pillows will come in standard colors that are easy to match with your room’s interior decoration and bedding.

The two fabrics you are most likely to come across are cotton and polyester.

Cotton is the softer, more breathable fabric between the two. It’s ideal for women who sleep hotter when they are pregnant. If you’re conscious about chemicals used inside of the fabric, there are even some completely organic cotton covers available.

Secondly, there is polyester. A synthetic take on the natural benefits of cotton, this tends to come at a cheaper price and is more machine wash friendly.

— Filling

The filling is the next consideration. What is inside of the pillow?

• Natural filling is mainly the use of cotton to keep your pillow flexible and supportive.
• Memory foam makes sure your pillow conforms to your exact liking and supports your entire body evenly.
• Wool keeps the pillow extra warm in the winters and makes for a much firmer pillow.
• Microbeads give your pillow a bean-bag effect, so you can squish and mold it however you like.

Memory foam will more commonly be found in smaller pillows since there is a precise need for confirmation in specific areas. Nevertheless, you can find full-body pillows with memory foam filling.

Maintenance and Care

In those nine months of pregnancy, your pillow is going to get used a lot.

Since U-shaped pillows are full-body pillows, it’s rarely possible for you to put the whole piece in the wash, unless your machine is large enough to accommodate it. In this case, you’ll want to look for removable covers that are not only machine washable, but easy to place back on.

Covers which are a perfect fit may not be very easy to replace on your pillow. Since pregnancy isn’t a situation in which you want to be doing grit work, either have someone willing to replace the cover or purchase a pillow that has a lighter, more flexible cover.

Conclusion

Sleep is important, no matter how old you are, no matter what your situation is. The right amount of sleep can do wonders for you. With a full-body, U-shaped pillow, expectant mothers are provided with the comfort and positioning they need not only for a good night’s rest but also to help promote the proper development of their child.