Back sleep a danger

WOMEN who sleep on their back in the last three months of pregnancy are twice as likely to suffer a stillbirth.

A study of more than 1000 pregnant women in England found a 2.3-fold increase in the risk of late stillbirth among those who slept on their backs.

The study authors calculated there would be a 3.7 per cent decrease in stillbirths if women went to sleep on their sides in the final trimester.

Scientists are unsure exactly why back sleeping is dangerous, but believe it may block blood flow to the baby or affect the mother’s breathing.