Best Sleeping Position During Pregnancy with Transverse Lie & Low Placenta

Question
Hi Helene,
I am Sophia, I am 28 weeks pregnant. Lately I got my ultrasound done and my baby is in transverse lie. My placenta is also low lying. I would like to know in what position should I sleep at night so that it doesn't harm my baby. Normally everyone advices to sleep on your left side which may benefit baby by improving blood flow. But is it same for a transverse lie baby too? I am worried about this a lot. Kindly suggest me what posture is best to sleep in specially when baby is not in other position.

Thanks

Answer
There is a lot of confusion/misinformation about maternal body position and blood flow, both during exercise and at rest.

Lying on the left side only very slightly increases blood flow in the body, as compared to lying on the back or right side, and this is true both at rest and during exercise. But this does NOT mean that the blood flow is compromised in the other positions.

About 7% of pregnant women experience Supine Hypotensive Disorder, a condition where maternal blood flow back to the heart is partially restricted due to compression of the largest vein, the Vena Cava, from the weight of the uterus. When this occurs, the women will feel suddenly dizzy. If you have experienced sudden dizziness when lying on your back, then avoid sleeping on your back.

At 28 weeks, your baby will do a lot of moving around before birth, so don't worry about the transverse position now. It's also possible that as you become closer to term, that your placenta will be in a more advantageous position for labor. I'm sure that your OBGYN will stay on top of this issue.

Sleep in the position that is most comfortable for you. Many women find that a long pillow, stuffed behind the back is very comfortable to lean back on in bed, especially in the last trimester.