Sleep position 'may increase risk of late stillbirth'

The position a woman sleeps in during her last night of pregnancy could affect her chances of having a stillborn baby, new research suggests.

Scientists at the University of Auckland found that women who do not sleep on their left side on their last night of pregnancy are twice as likely to have a late stillbirth as those who do sleep on their left side.

However, the researchers emphasised that the overall risk is still small, with a rate of 3.93 per 1,000 births for those who do not sleep on their left.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal and looked at 155 women who suffered a stillbirth after 28 weeks of pregnancy and 310 women who had a healthy pregnancy.

It also found that women who get a lot of daytime sleep during their final month of pregnancy may have an elevated risk of stillbirth.

Dr Tomasina Stacey and her co-authors wrote: 'If our findings are confirmed, promoting optimal sleep position in late pregnancy may have the potential to reduce the incidence of late stillbirth.'

Daghni Rajasingam, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said that a number of factors - including obesity, maternal age, ethnicity and congenital anomalies - are linked to stillbirth.

'This small-scale study looks at another possible factor; however, more research is needed into sleep patterns before any firm conclusions over sleeping positions can be made,' she noted.

'In the meantime, women should speak to their midwives if they are concerned.'