Study: Pregnant Women's Sleep Positions Don't Matter During First 2 Trimesters

BOSTON (CBS) - Many doctors recommend that pregnant women sleep on their left side to optimize blood flow to the baby. But a new study from the University of Utah suggests sleep position probably doesn't matter.

Researchers looked at data on almost 9,000 pregnant women before 30 weeks gestation or about six months along.

They found that women who slept on their right side or back were no more likely to have serious complications like high blood pressure, stillbirth or a small baby than women who slept on their left side.

Researchers say these results should reassure women who might worry about harming their baby by sleeping on their back or changing positions during the night. Of note, they did not study women at later stages of pregnancy.