I tested the best pregnancy pillows available in 2024 for 1 week each — here’s what I uncovered.
In-Depth Review And Process
Ensuring a restful night’s sleep and waking up free of pain depends on a few important factors: Support, Comfort, Temperature Control, and, of course, Value for your money.
Many individuals currently use cotton or polyester pillows, often due to their affordability or lack of awareness about better alternatives. We recently did a deep-dive into the top bedding companies, exploring how they are revolutionizing the sleep industry and offering pregnant mamas better alternatives.
Among 2024’s recent innovations, we have Adjustable Maternity Pillows. They have gained remarkable popularity and have a TON of benefits. Medical experts emphasize the significance of staying supported and comfortable during the night, ensuring the deepest and healthiest rest possible, and these pillows are designed to do just that.
Aside from support, it is very important to use high-quality materials for your and your baby’s health. Nothing is worse than a non-certified pillow that traps heat and moisture with unnatural materials, leaving you uncomfortably hot (cue night sweats).
Last but not least, hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial properties are crucial for pillows. Cotton, unfortunately, falls short in providing these features, as it tends to accumulate pollen, allergens, and bacteria until washed regularly. If not cleaned daily, you may unknowingly suffer from allergens while you sleep.
Navigating the plethora of pillow options available on the market can be challenging. I did the hard work of investing months of comprehensive research to bring you valuable insights into this emerging category. I’ll do my best to guide you on what to seek and avoid when selecting your perfect pillows, enabling a transformation in your sleep quality!
What Shape is Best? Here’s What the Science Says.
Based on our testing, we found that the U-shaped pregnancy pillows are by far the best for pregnancy. They provide the best full-body support and are incredibly comfortable as well.
The extended “legs” of the pillow are great because they allow you to wrap your leg completely around them — this is much harder to do with the C-Shaped pillow. Also, these pillows are easier to switch sides with — so if you ever roll over from side to side, this pillow is way better than the C-Shaped pillow, which requires you to flip the entire pillow over to switch the side you are sleeping on.
There are other variations of pillows available as well. The wedge-shaped pillows can be helpful as well, but the primary issue we have with them is that they do not provide full body support.
Check out the full review below!
The Araluna Adjustable Pregnancy Pillow is hands down the best pregnancy pillow on the market – the crème de la crème. We love that we can adjust the firmness (with the included additional memory foam). In addition, there is a detachable extension that can (1) alter the shape of the pillow to suit different sleep positions and (2) be used as its own pillow (so it’s really two pillows in one)!
Our favorite part of this pillow, though, has to be the luxurious bamboo cover infused with silver. It’s soft, cool, and antimicrobial, so it’s great for your skin. The silver-infused cover also requires less washing, so it’s less of a hassle to take care of.
This pillow can adapt to you and your baby, and has all of the features to ensure that you get the best experience, comfort, and support from your pregnancy pillow. We love this pillow so much that we’d probably use it often even after the baby is born! (for both men and women!).
After all my weeks of testing, I can recommend the Araluna as an incredible pillow that will support you and your baby during your pregnancy. It’s the best for moms who want the best for their sleep and their baby.
The Body Nest U-Shaped pregnancy pillow is another solid option. When we tested it, we did enjoy the full body support that it provides. It also allows for you to easily roll from side to side without having to flip the pillow over, which is a nice feature.
The pillow is adjustable as well, although we rarely think you’d remove fill from this pillow. Unfortunately, the polyester fill doesn’t provide the best support, and tends to go flat pretty easily.
The biggest selling point of this pillow is the reversible cover — but we have to say this wasn’t a huge plus for us. We didn’t notice a huge difference in the feeling of the two sides, and honestly both sides felt pretty warm to us. And it looks like others had a similar experience:
As a result, our overall impression is that this is a solid option, but definitely not the best.
This pillow is a luxurious option (but you definitely pay for it). It definitely provides full body support and we did really like the cover on it. It is soft and does not irritate sensitive skin. I loved sleeping and lounging with with this pillow throughout the day. The pillow does wrap around your body and (depending on the fill you get), provides adequate support and comfort throughout the nice. The cover is double sided and machine washable which is nice.
I didn’t really like that the pillow isn’t adjustable – you can’t really remove fill easily so if the fill doesn’t suit you or your body type, you are kind of stuck. Add to that the insane price tag ($200!) and it’s hard to stomach buying this pillow, especially when there are other options that offer all of the benefits (and more) without the same hefty price tag.
Side sleepers rejoice! If you’re looking for a minimally intrusive pillow that supports your bump and back at the same time, then this pillow is perfect for you. The two memory foam wedges will help you stay on your side while sleeping, providing the soft yet firm support for both of your baby bump and back.
I did like how I can adjust the width between the wedges, but you can’t adjust the firmness of the wedges. For some, it keeps you from rolling onto your back (but not all). For sleepers who like to roll from side to side, this pillow probably isn’t the best option because it prevents you from doing that.
However, the pillow doesn’t provide full body support. In fact, some customers report that the pillow doesn’t provide enough back (or belly) support.
I think this pillow is a decent option for those looking a very specific type of sleeper — someone who only sleeps on one side and doesn’t require full support around their back, full tummy, and legs. However, I do think other options get you all of these benefits and more (and can be used after pregnancy).
Things to watch out for:
- Some mothers report getting cut by the velcro
- Others complained that the pillow was a bit too small to support your back
Weight: 700g
Dimensions: 33 x 27.9 x 8.9 centimetres
This pregnancy pillow is another decent option — it is a popular C shaped option on Amazon. It’s a decent option, but the only real selling point in our opinion is the relatively low price (although for that price you also get some limitations).
The polyfill does not provide that much support, especially when you account for the fact that a lot of customers even complain that it isn’t stuffed enough.
We also found that after sleeping on it for long enough, the pillow tends to get a bit hot. Finally, the polyester cover is a bit rough/scratchy and can irritate sensitive skin.
If you’re looking for a budget option, this could be a good pick, but honestly if you want something that will provide the best support, feel great against your skin, and is overall is very comfortable, this pillow probably isn’t the best option.
This budget option provides the bare bones of what most pregnancy pillows do, however, there are definitely some gaps in the overall experience with this pregnancy pillow.
For the pros, this pillow is relatively inexpensive and is easy to get on Amazon. It’s a decent option that can provide some support for you when you sleep.
However, unfortunately, that’s about where the pros end. The microfiber fill isn’t that supportive (compared to other materials like memory foam). In addition, it is difficult to adjust (not that you would want to remove fill – if anything, I felt like I wanted to add more fill). In addition, the cover is kind of rough against sensitive skin and I felt irritated.
As a result, I can’t rank this pregnancy pillow very high. There are other options that provide a significantly better overall experience.
