• A good pregnancy pillow can help support a growing belly and take the strain off your back and joints so you can get a good night’s sleep.
  • The Queen Rose Pregnancy and Maternity Pillow is our top choice because it’s supportive, soft, and affordably priced.

Getting a good night’s rest can become almost impossible by the middle of the second trimester. Long, large maternity pillows can help take some of the pressure off of the body by supporting a growing belly, providing relief to both the back as well as the core and abdomen.

Maternity pillows also allow for better alignment of the knees and hips, which reduces pressure on the spine and upper body. In other words, they can help an expectant mom get comfortable enough to actually sleep for a few hours now and then.

Even after pregnancy, these pillows can be used for postpartum respite and some even work for nursing. It really is never too late in a pregnancy to get a great pregnancy pillow. We did the research to round up the best pillows for a variety of needs.

Here are the best pregnancy pillows you can buy:

Prices and links are current as of 8/13/20. Added additional buying options and links to related guides.

The best pillow overall

The Queen Rose Full-Body Pregnancy Pillow is both soft and supportive thanks to a generous volume of high-density polyethylene filling.

The Queen Rose Pregnancy Pillow can provide support from the early months of pregnancy well into nursing an infant. It’s flexible enough to loop around your back while you sit up to nurse yet supportive enough to keep your belly propped up even in the ninth month of pregnancy. It can be used on the couch, in bed, or anywhere else you need some support.

While many pregnancy pillows offer support through firmness of material, this one does so thanks to a generous amount of soft polyethylene fill. That means it's also a genuinely comfortable pillow for the head and neck. The cover of the Queen Rose pillow is made from non-allergenic cotton and is machine washable, so it's easy to keep it fresh and clean.

This pillow is available in three sizes (55, 60, and 65 inches) and seven colors.

Pros: Soft and supportive, washable cotton cover, good price point

Cons: Requires occasional fluffing and reshaping

The best budget pillow

Foto: Source: Amazon

The Bluestone Full-Body Pregnancy Pillow is a generously sized pillow that provides great support for taller people.

The Bluestone Full-Body Pregnancy Pillow is a half-foot longer and more than a half-foot wider than many popular pregnancy pillows. Its generous size offers comfort for people who are taller. You can comfortably balance your belly and align your knees and hips, thus taking the strain off the lower back, spine, and shoulders during sleep.

Wirecutter named this their top pick for the best pregnancy pillow and said, "The horseshoe-like profile hugs and supports the lower back better than other shapes, and it can also be flipped around so you can use your own head pillow, which many pregnancy pillows can't accommodate."

The drawback to its larger size is that the pillow takes up much more than half the width of a standard queen-size bed (usually 60-inches wide). The dimensions and 7.25-pound weight of this polyester-filled, cotton-covered pillow also make it impractical to bring with you during travels.

Some people reported the pillow is too thin to give adequate belly support during late-term pregnancy, though it can be fluffed fuller with a bit of effort. For the price, however, it is a solid option.

Pros: Low price point, good choice for taller people

Cons: Too large for some beds, flattens out with use

The best strain-reducing pillow

Foto: Source: Leachco/Business Insider

The Leachco Back 'N Belly Chic contoured body pillow helps properly align and support the ankles, knees, hips, spine, and belly.

This large, generously stuffed Leachco Back 'N Belly Chic Contoured Body Pillow is a favorite thanks to its adaptability. The open ends of the pillow can be set farther apart when more shallow support is needed and can be layered over one another to create thicker, more supportive padding later in pregnancy.

The soft polyester fiberfill allows your belly to settle in comfortably, while the blended machine-washable cotton/polyester cover helps to wick away moisture and moderate body heat during rest.

After birth, this pillow is great for relaxation and comfortable sleep during postpartum recovery, as it easily shifts into varied positions. The pillow is available in one size but a variety of colors and patterns.

Pros: Generous volume of filling, adjustable positioning, poly-cotton blend cover

Cons: Pricey

The best pillow for stomach sleepers

Foto: Source: Motherhood Maternity/Business Insider

The convenient cutout design of the inflatable Cozy Bump Maternity Pillow makes it a great choice for stomach sleepers.

If you're looking for temporary relief of lower back pain or just want to enjoy the feeling of resting face down for a little while, the unique Cozy Bump Maternity Pillow is a great option.

The body-length inflatable PVC pillow features a large cutout circle offset above the middle of its 72-inch length, and this hollow space provides belly support.

The Cozy Bump Maternity Pillow is great for use while watching TV, reading, getting a massage, or just relaxing. It's not a great choice for use in bed overnight because of the risk of rolling off and because, unlike other pregnancy body pillows, this one doesn't allow for any uses but the facedown prone position.

But the pillow has been evaluated and approved by OB-GYNs and is a great choice for daytime use. Note that you will need to purchase an air pump separately.

Pros: Allows for stomach down resting, helps relieve back pain, packs down small when deflated

Cons: Not suitable for all-night slumber, some units suffer from tears and punctures

The best maternity pillow wedge

Foto: Source: Hiccapop

Some people don't need a full-size pillow during pregnancy - they just need some belly bump support, which the Hiccapop Pregnancy Pillow Wedge provides.

During the later weeks of a pregnancy, many women report pain in their lower backs, their hips, their knees, and joints throughout the body. A body-sized maternity pillow can help align the legs, pelvis, back, and shoulders, and can prop up the belly to reduce strain on the spine and the muscles of the abdomen. Other people simply need some extra support underneath that growing baby. For them, the Hiccapop Pregnancy Pillow Wedge is the perfect solution.

This soft and supportive wedge-shaped pillow can tuck under the belly to help prop up side-sleeping recumbent woman, reducing the strain and pressure caused by the bump pulling against her center mass.

One side of the pillow features a soft memory foam that conforms to the belly for maximum comfort while the other side is made up of a firmer padding that provides even more support such as may be needed later on in the pregnancy. Both sides of the wedge pillow feature an outer layer of perforated foam that allows for airflow and helps to regulate body temperature.

While the Hiccapop Pregnancy Pillow Wedge was primarily designed to slide underneath the belly of a side-sleeper, it can also be tucked between the knees or ankles to align the legs or behind the lower back.

Pros: Provides targeted support, dual-sided design, affordable

Cons: Not as effective as larger pillows for back pain

Check out our other baby gear guides

Foto: Source: Hello World/Getty Images

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