Sleeping With Sore Hips

This pillow is insane. Mike wouldn't fit on the bed if I had something like this.

 I have only been sleeping on my sides but will sometimes wake up and find myself on my back. It's impossible to sleep on my stomach with a big watermelon out front and they say that pregnant women shouldn't sleep on our backs because the weight of your uterus (especially in the 3rd trimester) sits on your spine, back muscles, intestines and major blood vessels. This can interfere with blood flow and nutrients to the placenta and ultimately your baby - so I try to avoid that position. In the last week I will wake up in the middle of the night and my hips will feel super sore. I think it's from sleeping on my sides and having my hips press into the bed (or the bed press into my hips.) What helps me is moving onto my back and lifting one leg with a bent knee and rotating it - it brings such sweet relief for a little bit. I repeat that on the opposite side and then I try to go back to sleep on my side again but if the soreness is still there I then fold my body pillow in half so that it's extra fat and put it in between my knees. What I think happens with this set up is that it keeps my hips from collapsing and helps them stay apart. With this position I'm usually able to fall asleep again.

This morning I looked up "sleeping positions for aching hips" and learned that this is common in pregnant women. Apparently our hips are stretching out and getting ready for baby so the joints are loosening and with me sleeping on my side it is pushing them out of joint a bit. The things I read to relieve the pain were to take Tylenol, use a body pillow, don't cross your ankles while sleeping, and to sleep sitting up. So it sounds like I'm on the right track. I think I'll be more conscious about the ankles crossing to see if that helps and perhaps try and sleep on my back but in a more upright position (that actually sounds marvelous to me...I wish we had a lazy boy recliner.) Wish me and my pelvic bones luck and a good nights sleep!