Modifying maternal sleep position in the third trimester of pregnancy with positional therapy: a randomized pilot trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the percentage of time spent supine during sleep in the third trimester of pregnancy could be reduced using a positional therapy device (PrenaBelt) compared with a sham device. DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled, crossover pilot trial. SETTING: Conducted between March 2016 and January 2017, at a single, tertiary-level center in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three participants entered the study. Twenty participants completed the study. Participants were low-risk, singleton, third-trimester pregnant women aged 18 years and older with BMI <35 at the first antenatal appointment for the index pregnancy and without known fetal abnormalities, pregnancy complications, or medical conditions complicating sleep. INTERVENTIONS: A two-night, polysomnography study in a sleep laboratory. Participants were randomized by computer-generated, one-to-one, simple randomization to receive either a the PrenaBelt or a sham-PrenaBelt on the 1st night and wer...