A maternity pillow or pregnancy pillow was intended to be shaped perfectly for a pregnant woman to place her head on, and between her knees at the same time. A pregnancy pillow is recommended by pregnant women, midwives and doctors across the United States and is specifically designed to help pregnant women to support their back, belly and knees at the same time without taking up all of the room in the bed. This is great for the husband if he has not already been kicked to the couch because she has not been able to get sleep. Therefore, a pregnancy pillow is one of the best gifts for those who are expecting. The only thing that is recommended prior to buying the pillow is to buy additional pregnancy pillow cases since the normal pillow case will not fit the pillow. The pregnancy pillow also can encourage the woman to lie on her left side which is the recommended position for mother and baby"(but is just as comfortable on your right) and gently prevents the future mother from rolling on her backside during while she is sleeping thus, helping prevent the restriction of blood flow to the baby if she is on her back. For optimum support, it is best to select a pillow that has the following characteristics of supporting human neck which curves slightly forward (to sustain the weight of the head when upright), and it's important to maintain this curve when in a resting position. If the height of the pillow is too high when sleeping sideways or on the back, the neck is bent abnormally forward or to the side, causing muscle strain on the back of the neck and shoulders. When you sleep the shoulders compress, the body rolls forward and the knees rub against each other, which may cause pain. However, when sleeping with the comfort body pillow, the body remains in healthy spinal alignment, the shoulders stay upright and the pillow provides a continuing support for the knees. The comfort body pillow also promotes healthier circulation, which relieves pain for arthritis sufferers and recovering surgery patients.

The expecting mother is typically faced with the challenge to find a good sleeping position throughout her pregnancy, especially if they are accustomed to sleeping on their stomachs. About halfway through pregnancy, sleeping on the back is not recommended, which limits pregnant women to sleeping on their side. Sleeping on one side can be difficult as the baby grows, because the belly can pull the body out of balance and contribute to a sore back.

 Some Maternity pillow problems hard edges which dug into the shoulder while the expecting mother slept leaving her uncomfortable and making sleep difficult. Pillows have been designed in several way to try to avoid the common complaints posed by pregnant women. Several pregnancy pillow manufactures have tried to incorporate lumbar support to support the pregnant mother’s additional weight while she sleeps. The admen support is one of largest requests or demands made by these consumers. It is now standard that maternity pillows feature a belly support which allows the belly to rest on the support and keep baby comfortable. In addition to belly support manufactures have made several different versions of head and neck support.