During your pregnancy, it is important for you to get as much rest as possible and, to do so, be as comfortable as possible. The changes your body undergoes throughout your pregnancy will present all sorts of new discoveries and some of their own challenges, too, and one of the most frustrating of these can be the difficulty to get a good night's rest.
A maternity pillow - or pregnancy pillow - can help alleviate the stress of trying to get a good sleeping position by providing support to pressure points of your body, and keeping you secure at night. We have narrowed down the criteria for choosing the most suitable pregnancy pillow, and selected our top 10 available online in the UK, from retailers such as Amazon, eBay, Argos, John Lewis and Boots!
Quick List - Top Maternity Pillows
Bamibi
A Set to Keep You Comfortable Through Pregnancy and Baby Snug After Birth
A recommendation service that carefully researches each product and consults with experts across many disciplines. We are constantly creating new content to provide the best shopping experience from choosing ‘cosmetics’ to ‘food and drink’, ‘home appliances’ to ‘kids and baby’ products, reaching users all across the United Kingdom.
Table of Contents
If this is your first pregnancy, you might find it particularly difficult to narrow down the best kind of maternity pillow for you. But once you start looking, you will find that there are many different types of pillows available for every one of your needs.
Our Buying Guide will help you understand the different types of pillows, and each of their benefits, to help you find a pillow that will allow you to get the most comfortable rest.
Maternity pillows come in a range of shapes and sizes. Each type will provide its own unique benefits - such as targeted support to a certain part or parts of the body, or all-over comfort. The types of maternity pillow can generally be narrowed down to the following: wedge, full body, and U or C shaped pillows.
Not only do we recommend considering your body's needs, but we also advise choosing a pillow based on the space you have available.
The most compact of maternity pillows is the wedge. These can be used to support your bump when lying on your side in bed, or to provide some relief to your back or legs. They are ideal if you are limited on space, as they don't take up much more room than an ordinary pillow.
These tend to be the cheapest choice amongst maternity pillows, so are a great choice if you don't want to make a big spend. However, we would note that if you are particularly uncomfortable during your pregnancy, you may prefer to use a pillow with more all-round support.
The most popular type of pregnancy pillow is a full body pillow, which will be able to support your head, stomach, and often your knees as well. The full body pillow aims to support all of the parts of your body that will encounter additional stress during pregnancy.
They are either straight or will be available in a boomerang shape to enable you to rest your head on the top, and keep the bottom between your legs to alleviate pressure. Although they are larger, often they will be malleable enough to fold into a circular shape for storage.
If you find the full body pillow still a bit lacking, why not look for a C or U Type pillow? These are the largest of the three main types of maternity pillow, and will not only support your head, stomach, and legs, but will curve around to provide support to your back, too!
They are perfect if you are finding it hard not to roll around in your sleep, or are experiencing additional pressure in your lower back. We do note, however, that their considerable size can make them harder to store, and also a little awkward if you are sharing a smaller bed with a partner.
Just as with the regular pillows you have for your bed, different maternity pillows will have different types of fillings. Practically all fillings you find in regular pillows can be found in maternity pillows, although we will focus on the most common fillings to best guide you.
We do recommend a firmer filling in general, as these provide the most support, but ultimately, it will be a matter of preference to choose the filling and firmness that best suits you and your bump.
The most common maternity pillow filler you are likely to find is polyester. It has medium firmness, depending on how tightly it is packed, but is still lightweight. Further, it has a low to medium price point meaning that, despite your pillow size, it should help keep your pillow in budget.
It also retains heat, which is a bonus in the winter months, but you may want to consider carefully depending on climate. We would also note that it is not so durable once machine washed, so your polyester filled maternity pillow may not be able to keep up with you through multiple pregnancies.
An alternative to polyester is a pillow that is filled with thousands of small beads or micro pearls. These are great if you want something with a bit more weight, and that will keep cooler through long periods. We are also fans of this type of pillow filling for its firmness! However, the weight can also come with its disadvantages, making these types of pillows harder to lift, store, or wash.
Memory foam, also known as Bionic Polyethylene, is another alternative filling, great for its firmness. Some people can find it feels dense to the point of discomfort, because no matter how much you try and squish it down, it will always bounce back up. However, if you want to feel snuggly secured with your pillow, it is definitely a good option!
Another point to bare in mind is that its body contouring properties does mean that it will also trap heat, so if you're someone that runs hot while you sleep, then this filling may not be appropriate for you.
One thing we would absolutely advise is ensuring that your maternity pillow has a removable cover, for ease of washing it. As with a normal pillow, your maternity pillow is likely to accumulate sweat and oils from your body the more that it is used. To avoid needing to wash a large pillow on a regular basis, we recommend getting a maternity pillow with a removable cover, so that you can keep it clean with regular washes.
With regards to choosing a fabric of your maternity pillow cover, we say that keeping it simple is best. Opt for a pillowcase that is composed of 100% cotton to benefit from the fabric's breathability, softness, and ease of cleaning. Cotton will provide you with a familiar comfort when snuggling up to your maternity pillow!
Polyester is the synthetic material that you will encounter the most often. Although it has great properties for summer - wicking away moisture quickly, meaning that you are less likely to overheat during the hotter months - it can feel a little dry and uncomfortable for this very reason.
We would only recommend a polyester pillowcase if you will be using your maternity pillow in warmer weather, as it sacrifices some points in comfort.
Our favourite cotton alternative is bamboo; for its high level of comfort, anti fungal properties (to help keep it clean), and its breathability, which stops the pillow from heating up too much no matter how long you are using it. If you have hypersensitive skin, we recommend a bamboo pillow case, but bear in mind that it does have a slightly higher price point than its cotton cousin!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | bbhugme Pregnancy pillow | ![]() | An Ergonomic Design to Adapt to Your Sleeping Position | |
2 | Little Chick 4 in 1 Pregnancy Support & Baby Nursing Pillow | ![]() | An Affordable and Durable Wedge | |
3 | Bamibi Pregnancy Pillow and Nursing Pillow | ![]() | A Set to Keep You Comfortable Through Pregnancy and Baby Snug After Birth | |
4 | Dreamgenii Maternity and Nursing Pillow | ![]() | Get Full Body Comfort From This Unique Pillow | |
5 | Snuggle Kool-Flow Breathable Bamboo Body Pillow | ![]() | Sleep Tight With Full Orthopedic Support | |
6 | QUEEN ROSE Pregnancy Pillow | ![]() | Stay Snug in This U Shaped Pillow | |
7 | Niimo Pregnancy Pillow for Sleeping XXL Multifunctional Cushion | ![]() | Keep Both Mum and Baby Comfortable, From Bump to Baby | |
8 | THERALINE Maternity & Nursing Pillow | ![]() | Try Out Theraline Micro Pearls With This Full Body Pillow | |
9 | Widgey Multi-Use Pregnancy & Sleep Pillow | ![]() | A Crescent Shaped Full Body Pillow for Convenient Lounging | |
10 | Dengofng Pregnancy Pillow Wedge | ![]() | A Handy Wedge for Convenient Support |
One of our favourite selections that is filled with polystyrene beads, this pillow will mould to your shape no matter the size of your bump, while keeping you as comfortable and as snug as possible, although its materials (polystyrene beads and a cotton cover) will stop you from overheating!
Moreover, the design of the cotton cover enables you to tie it into a tight doughnut shape for storage when you aren't using it. Although it's a good size for a full body maternity pillow, it will store easily due to its compact shape!
We love this wedge pillow from Little Chick, its shape adapts perfectly to provide some targeted support to your bump while you sleep. Moreover, you will notice a slight curvature on its edge for optimal comfort.
It fits the criteria for a great wedge, being compact and lightweight. It is sold with a bamboo cover and you can easily store this wedge or take it on the go with you to provide comfort when you need it!
This model from Bamibi actually has two pillows in one - a traditional smaller size pillow that you can use to support your back or head, and a larger body pillow that you can keep under your bump and between your legs to sleep soundly.
The body pillow has a button at the bottom to clasp it shut into a snug doughnut shape, which can be used once the baby has arrived to keep them safe in a baby nest, just as with the model from Niimo.
Sort of between a full body and a C or U type pillow, this design from Dreamgenii is designed specifically with the idea of keeping a pregnant sleeper in a comfortable position in mind. Although it can be used for both sides, it is targeted to encourage you to sleep on your left side, in the recovery position.
Although it provides both front and back support, it is more compact than a two-sided C or U type pillow, making it ideal for those limited on space. We recommend looking at the measurements before making your purchase just to ensure that it will fit you and your bump because of its unique shape!
Although not strictly speaking a maternity pillow, this body pillow from Snuggle can definitely be used for comfort throughout your pregnancy due to its ample size and level of support.
It comes with a soft bamboo pillow cover and is filled with shredded memory foam meaning that it will adapt to your shape and movement. We would note, however, that it is dense to the point of being a little heavy to move around, which might be a negative for later stages of pregnancy.
This U shaped pillow will completely enclose you in its velvety embrace, with a shape that is designed to mould around your body and provide support where it is needed when you're lying back.
We are a fan of the pillow as a fully enveloping option, and it will certainly keep you warm during the colder months. However, if you are looking for a firm option, you may find that you want to purchase additional stuffing for this pillow, and we also note that the cover is a little tricky to maintain.
This design from Bamibi is designed to take you from the later stages of pregnancy up to the first few months of baby's arrival! A traditional body pillow, you can sleep with it supporting your bump and legs, and then when baby arrives you can use it for nursing or keeping baby stable!
The case comes with a clasp at the bottom to allow you to shape it into a snug doughnut, making a tightly fitting baby nest to stop the baby from rolling around. We love a product that is multi-functional and this pillow fits the bill!
For those looking for something a little more malleable than a traditional polyester filling, we recommend this full body pillow filled with theraline micro pearls, that will fall into place and adapt to your unique shape.
It has a jersey cotton cover with plenty of stretch. It may be best for people who are naturally side sleepers already, as it can be a little too soft for those who need more encouragement to remember to sleep in the recommended position.
This maternity pillow will provide support to your tummy and legs specifically with its crescent shape. It comes with a cute star patterned cover, that can be removed and machine washed.
It is slim, and so will not take up too much space on your bed. Some may find it to be slightly too soft, however, due to the density of the polyester packing. It may be therefore the most comfortable for the later stages of pregnancy.
This wedge is dense in terms of its filling as it is made of a core of rebound cotton (similar to memory foam) and more classical polyester. Its size makes it ideal for easy storage and it won't take up too much space in bed.
However, we would prefer for this pillow to come with a removable cover as washing it can become complicated. It is also not ideal in terms of its density - probably best for the early stages of pregnancy but might be more uncomfortable as your bump grows.
Being an expectant mother doesn't have be all frumpy and unflattering clothes! There are so many more choices of clothing for pregnant women nowadays so that you don't have to feel like you have to sacrifice you style for your little bump. Take a look at these articles for some pregnancy style inspiration.
Growing a human life is no easy feat, so getting regular relaxation is vital! As your body changes together with the positions that allow you to feel comfortable, a body pillow may be the key to providing relief and support whilst sleeping. We hope that with our guidance you can find the perfect pillow to get you rested and prepared for baby's arrival.
Author: Hannah Kato
No. 1: bbhugme|Pregnancy pillow
No. 2: Little Chick|4 in 1 Pregnancy Support & Baby Nursing Pillow
No. 3: Bamibi|Pregnancy Pillow and Nursing Pillow
No. 4: Dreamgenii|Maternity and Nursing Pillow
No. 5: Snuggle |Kool-Flow Breathable Bamboo Body Pillow
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
Automotive
Baby Products
Beauty
Books
Business, Industry & Science
Computers & Accessories
DIY, Garden & Tools
Electronics & Photo
Fashion
Grocery
Health & Personal Care
Home & Kitchen
Large Appliances
Musical Instruments & DJ
PC & Video Games
Pet Supplies
Sports & Outdoors
Stationery & Office Products
Toys & Games