If high-quality, restful sleep has become a distant memory during pregnancy, you may want to consider a pregnancy pillow. It alleviates some of the common discomforts in pregnancy and improves sleep quality. The purpose of a pregnancy pillow is really to support the changing contours of your pregnant body so you can be more comfortable in bed, especially when sleeping on the side.
Unfortunately, not all pregnancy pillows are made equal. Some are supportive but get hot in the middle of the night, some are stiff, and some give up midway, forcing you to go back to regular pillows. For optimum support and comfort, we recommend a memory foam pregnancy pillow, known for its responsiveness and weight distribution.
What Is Memory Foam?
The main component of memory foam is polyurethane, a common and versatile plastic polymer. It is used in a wide range of materials from furniture to liquid paints, spray foams to car parts, and even insulation. The memory foam used to fill pillows and mattresses is formed by adding various compounds to polyurethane, making it viscous and elastic.
Viscous means it takes a while to change shape under pressure, while elastic means it can stretch or contour, but it always goes back to its original shape and firmness. The superpower of memory foam pregnancy pillows and mattresses is that they adjust to the person’s shape, giving the ultimate support.
Benefits of Pregnancy Pillow Made With Memory Foam?
A memory foam pillow slowly molds into your body in response to pressure and body heat.
- They are designed to be resilient and supportive, so the pressure you apply won’t make them shrivel up and sink.
- The pillow does get softer and more comfortable as your body warms it up and evenly distributes your weight to offer premium support.
- Memory foam also provides pressure relief to joints and muscles, alleviating the chances of pain and aches during pregnancy.
- The pillow provides the best support to the belly and back to prevent discomfort or poor sleeping posture.
- The firmness of memory foam pregnancy pillows prevents unintentional rolling to your back during sleep.
- The material is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and elastic, which means it will be as good as new every time you use it. Unlike other fillings, memory foam goes back to its original structure once you get up from it.
Which Memory Foam Pregnancy Pillows Are Best?
Again, not every memory foam pregnancy pillow will provide the best support and comfort. When looking for the best, we tested body coverage, cooling capabilities, outer cover, and shape. In our opinion, the best memory foam pregnancy pillow should be full-body, breathable, adjustable, and have a soft removable cover that you can wash weekly.
Ultimately, our choice came down to these two;
Frida Mom Adjustable Keep-Cool Pregnancy Pillow
This pillow ticks all the right boxes in our criteria. It’s adjustable, meaning you can twist or bend it into any shape to get the support you need throughout your changing phases of pregnancy. It’s also filled with 100% polystyrene foam beads, which allows heat to pass through, making the pillow cool and breathable.
The Frida Mom pregnancy pillow is a 2-in-1 design, with short and long inner pillows joined to make one. This makes it so easy to adjust the pillow as you wish. A full-body pillow is quite compact and doesn’t take up the entire bed or kick out your spouse. That means you can easily take it to the hospital during delivery because it’s quite portable.
We also loved the double side design with soft stretch fabric on one side and non-stretch on the other. The stretch jersey fabric contours to your ever-changing body while the non-stretch fabric ensures you stay in place. This design serves different stages of pregnancy, and you can use whichever you like. While you can’t wash the pillow itself, you can always wash the double-sided cover always to have a fresh pillow.
Milliard U-Shaped Total Body Support Pillow
This Milliard pillow has been an Amazon bestseller for so long, and it’s not hard to see why. First, it’s a u-shape pillow that offers long, ergonomic positioning and supports every part of your body from head to arms, back to tummy, and even your legs. The u-shape means you can turn to either side without moving the pillow and receive the same support and comfort. It really feels like a cool, relaxing hug that just makes you want to sleep.
Another thing we liked about this memory foam pillow is that you can adjust the filling. Add or remove the memory foam as you like to adjust the softness or firmness. And since it’s memory foam, you can expect superior support and comfort as you sleep on your side. It relieves pressure from your back, belly, and pelvic area, leaving you comfortable and pain-free throughout the pregnancy.
The exterior of this pregnancy pillow is an ultra-soft fabric that’s gentle on your skin and remains cool all night. If pregnancy heat has you worried, this pillow will be a good option, and you can do away with the covers and other pillows. In addition, you can remove the zippered pillow case as often as you like to wash it.
Final Words
As you plan to buy the best memory foam pregnancy pillow, consider the shape you want, the available space in your bed, and whether you like pillows firm or soft. The industry has designed pillows to meet every pregnant woman’s needs, and all you have to do is look.