12 best pregnancy pillows that provide support and help ease back pain

The breathe pregnancy pillow features an ergonomic shape, designed to provide complete support and comfort for a more restful night’s sleep during pregnancy. The “3D spacer mesh” provides full breathability around your bump, and the pillow also has ultra-soft jersey cotton throughout.

We found that the pillow was extremely comfortable as a curved back support during the day, and it did not require much adjustment or shifting about to get comfortable. It was equally as good when used as a full-body pillow for sleep and would especially support women suffering from hip or pelvic-girdle pain. It’s big enough to support from neck to knees at night, but not so large that it takes up too much space in the bed or that it’s difficult to move when changing positions. The pillow can also be used as a breastfeeding support and for tummy time when your little one arrives.

Read the full Purflo breathe pregnancy pillow review

Designed to contour the shape of the body, the wedge maternity pillow gently supports the tummy and hips while side sleeping. The supersoft 100 per cent bamboo cover is naturally anti-microbial and moisture absorbent and the breathable design helps with airflow, improving temperature control.

During testing, we found this compact wedge design performed at its best when held between the knees at night to align hips and stop the top knee from relaxing onto the bottom, alleviating pressure. It is also easy and comfortable to push under a heavy bump when side sleeping, and is also a welcome and transportable back support during the day when working from a desk. A good price for a sturdy wedge pillow, it can also be used as a tummy time support for baby, as the cover can be easily removed and washed.

This full-length orthopaedic pillow from Kally Sleep has a soft to medium rating, so it promises not to be too firm. Covered in hypoallergenic and breathable jersey cotton, it was a cosy addition that offered impressive support.

Developed by chiropractors, the pillow is designed to be “cuddled” and can be moulded to your shape. We found it easy to plump up around the back and knees, where support was needed. We found it took the pressure off all the key points that often suffer during pregnancy, and offered a deeper, more comfortable sleep.

Read the full Kally sleep body pillow review

Award-winning and loved by influencers such as Chessie King, this pillow is quite the investment for such a short period of time. However, it was developed by three Norwegian female chiropractors specifically to help pregnant women sleep better by supporting the belly, pelvis, lower back and legs, and can be used beyond pregnancy as a nursing support. In our opinion, it’s so attractive it could even get further use around the home.

Coming in a range of colours, the “pebbles” on either end can be adjusted to increase or decrease the firmness of the microbeads inside, enabling it to be shaped around your body. We found the pillow moulded extremely well, and the spandex jersey fabric felt luxe against our skin. It allows for full ergonomic support, whether as a full-length pillow at night, or tied around the back for daily support. It’s not a must-have, but it’s a very worthy investment if your budget can stretch.

Read the full Bbhugme pregnancy pillow review

Another innovative pillow with a dedicated purpose, this one from Dreamgenii has a unique patented design to encourage you to sleep on your left side – which many believe is the optimal sleeping position during pregnancy. Designed to be used from 20 weeks onwards, the brand says this pillow offers optimised foetal positioning and encourages maximum blood flow between mum and baby.

If you’re prone to sleeping on your back, it might take a couple of nights to get used to this pillow, but we found it did indeed help encourage that left-hand tilt. It’s more comfortable than it sounds – promise. The longer section of the pillow can either be brought up between your legs for knee and hip support at night, or brought around your bump when sitting. When used like this, it can also be used as a feeding pillow, once baby arrives.

Read the full Dreamgenii pregnancy support and feeding pillow review

While not strictly a dedicated pregnancy pillow, this heavy-duty rectangular model from Silentnight is a good option if you’re struggling with back pain. Crafted from soft, quilted microfibre and filled with squishy hollowfibre, it also comes with a microfibre pillowcase.

We found it to be super-sized and more sturdy and heavy than some of the others on this list. We thought it was great in a V-shape for sitting up in bed to achieve the most comfortable position – extremely helpful for nursing. If you’re looking for great value, excellent supportive padding and versatility, this one’s for you.

Read the full Silentnight body support pillow review

This pregnancy pillow is a semi-circle-shaped support that can be used as a full-body pillow for sleeping, or can be pinned using the wooden hook-and-eye to fit around or behind your body for use as a back support, or, further down the line, to be used as a breastfeeding cushion. The pillow is also advertised as a baby nest, which is a nice touch, but it should be noted this is not its main purpose – babies should not be left to sleep or rest unattended in this product.

We liked the price point and found it to have a medium level of support. The cotton fabric ensured there was no overheating and it was easy to manoeuvre during the night. A supportive pillow at a good price with several different designs to choose from, we think this is an excellent choice for those wanting a few different things out of their chosen model.

This soft Mother&Baby set is crafted from organic cotton to be gentle on sensitive skin, and can support you in multiple ways. The V-shaped pillow fits around the body to encourage side-sleeping, while the separate wedge can be used between the knees to align hips or as a bump support.

We found this pillow to be best suited to someone who tends to roll onto their back at night, and were impressed by how cooling it felt, thanks to the cotton material. The wedge and pillow, like a few on this list, can double up as a breast, bottle-feeding and tummy-time support, ensuring you get your money’s worth.

This innovative design from Bellamoon is ideal for pregnancy sleep support, feeding, tummy time, and also for use as a baby lounger. You’ll not find another pregnancy pillow that looks like this one. We enjoyed that the two curved ends could be zipped off and used as standalone pillows for car journeys. When in use as a full-body pillow at night, the unique C-shape meant it could be manipulated easily to give support where it was needed most – either between the legs, or curved around the back.

We found this pillow was a little softer than some others on this list, so, it is best suited to those who want that cosy-but-cool feel. As a bonus, the designs are also beautiful – a welcome addition to the home.

Having tested for several months, this pillow has been a game-changer. It has stopped us from accidentally rolling onto our tummy, and it now makes us feel comfortable as we’re trying to fall asleep. It fits perfectly through our legs, providing support to regular night-time leg cramps. We also love that it doubles up as a nursing pillow for when baby arrives, and it helpfully buttons up around your waist for hands-free feeding.

There are 12 different designs to choose from, so you can easily find something that will complement your bedding or your baby’s nursery. Thanks to the material being machine washable and tumble dryer-friendly, it meant we didn’t have to spend a night without it – we’ve even used the button to attach it to our luggage for UK babymoons.

We were instantly delighted to find this two-in-one pillow had more like four-in-one benefits during testing. While the clever microbeads were a highlight for silently moulding to a comfortable curve shape to support our bump, thanks to memory foam-like fabric, our favourite use of the pillow was for elevating our legs (particularly on hot days, to reduce swelling) and also to wrap around our lower back for optimum comfort. Using the back support really did mean we could comfortably sit at our desk for longer on busy work days.

The pillow comes with a U- and C-shape cover to use for sleep during pregnancy and as a nursing or tummy-time support for when baby arrives. We were grateful for how easy the clever cushion could fit into both pillow cases, which can be machine washed at 30C.

We also loved the handy storage bag to keep the cushion clean when taking away with us on staycations.

If you’re pregnant throughout the winter season, look no further than this pregnancy pillow, which feels more like a cosy cuddle to comfort all of your body’s aches and pains.

For such a bargain price, we highly recommend this option for back, leg and bump support throughout the night, plus the luxury of the soft, velvet cover is such a bonus for colder months. Without the velvet pillowcase, the cushion feels more breathable for hot days but does feel a little too invasive during heatwaves.

There’s no faff of having to move the pillow if you switch sides during the night as you have double the support. What we can confirm is your lie-ins will definitely be longer than usual because the unrivalled comfort is hard to leave. There’s no doubt this will be a saviour post-birth, too.

It has the longest arms of all the pillows we’ve tested, which make for an excellent nursing pillow when baby arrives, too.