While every expecting mother should have a maternity pillow, they also need to know how to use them so that they are getting all of the benefits of them.  These are not normal pillows but full body pillows that are meant to alleviate some of the stress that a mother’s back will see during the latter stages of the pregnancy.  If they are not used properly, they are just as useless as a standard pillow on the bed.

Positioning is the most important factor for maternity body pillows.  It should be positioned properly so that the mother gets the best usage from her new best friend.  There are several areas that will see some significant strain as the pregnancy continues and by using a maternity pillow the right way, most of these can be lessened or alleviated all together.

The first area of concern is going to be the upper back and neck and this is where the maternity body pillow will be of the greatest benefit.  Picture a backward S and then position the pillow in this fashion.  The mother to be will lay her head down at the top of the S and then the pillow will follow her body down the rest of the way through the letter.

The pillow will come under her neck and down the base of the spine until it curls under her and underneath the stomach.  This is going to be critical at the later stages of the pregnancy as mom is being asked to support as much as 40 extra pounds in her belly. The pillow will serve as resting ledge for her belly and take all the strain off of her back.

From there, the pillow should be curled back and between her legs to give more support to her hips.  Again, this will allow for a more comfortable night’s rest.  Now this is just a blueprint for how it should be positioned and each person may need to tweak it just a bit according to how she likes it. However, this is a great starting point to get the most out of your new maternity pillows.