The 10 Best Pregnancy Pillows

The Momcozy is the most useful version of the shape most people end up wanting. It is a full U at 57 inches, which is the length that works for the majority of heights: the arch sits under the head, the arms run past the knees, and nothing important is left unsupported.

The advantage of a full U over a C is one specific thing, and it is the thing that decides whether a pillow gets used. When you turn over at three in the morning, both sides are already supported, so you roll rather than sitting up and dragging a pillow around the bed. Over a hundred nights that difference is enormous.

The removable cover is not a luxury either. This pillow is in contact with you every night for months, and a cover that comes off and goes in the machine is what keeps it in service. Check the zip runs most of the length, because refitting a 57 inch pillow through a short opening is a job people do once.

The two honest limits are space and fill. A full U leaves a partner a narrow strip on a queen bed, and the polyester fibre compresses over time, most noticeably where the belly and knees press. Fluffing it by hand every few weeks buys back some of that loft.

Bottom line: the shape and length that fit the most situations, and the sensible default in this category.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 57 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: removable and machine washable
• Supports: back, belly, hips, legs and head
• Intended use: side sleeping through pregnancy, nursing support afterwards

Buy this if you have a queen or larger bed, you turn over frequently in the night, and you want one pillow that handles back and belly at once. It suits most heights up to roughly five foot eight. Skip it if you share a full or double bed, where a C shape keeps the peace, and skip it if you only want targeted belly support, which a wedge does at a fraction of the footprint. This is bedding rather than a medical device, so persistent pain is a question for your midwife or doctor.

Take the cover off and machine wash it rather than trying to wash the inner, which will not fit a domestic drum and holds water heavily. Spot clean the pillow itself and air it outdoors rather than forcing it dry with heat, since fibre fill that dries in a clump never regains its loft. Reshape the belly and knee sections by hand every few weeks. Keep the pillow out of a crib and away from a sleeping baby: it is adult bedding and it is not designed for infant sleep.

The INSEN is the C shape done properly, and the C shape solves a problem the U cannot: fitting into a bed that someone else is also using. It hooks over the head, runs down the front to hold the bump and tucks between the knees, all in a footprint considerably narrower than a full U.

The jersey cotton cover is the right pairing for that shape. Jersey breathes like a t-shirt, which matters a great deal when you are sleeping wrapped around a large object in the later months, and it is the fabric to choose over velvet or minky if you already run warm.

Leaving the back open is a genuine feature rather than a compromise for some people. It lets you press against a partner or a wall, and it means the pillow does not sit between you and the edge of the bed. Others miss the back support, and the usual fix is an ordinary pillow behind you.

The trade is turning over. With a C you have to reposition the pillow when you change sides, which is a small operation but one you will do several times a night. If that sounds like the thing that would stop you using it, the U is the shape to buy.

Bottom line: the pick for a shared or smaller bed, and for anyone who sleeps hot.

• Shape: C
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: jersey cotton, removable
• Supports: head, belly and knees
• Footprint: narrower than a full U
• Intended use: side sleeping, nursing support afterwards

Choose the C over a U if the bed is a full or a double, if you share it, or if you want something you can carry to the sofa. Choose a U instead if turning over without repositioning matters more to you than bed space. If you like the C shape but want back support too, keep an ordinary pillow behind you rather than upgrading to a U, which is a cheaper fix than it sounds.

Hook the curved end over your head so it acts as your pillow rather than sitting alongside one, which is the mistake that makes a C feel too low. Run the long section down the front so it takes the weight of the bump rather than resting on it, and pull the tail up between the knees until the top hip sits level with the bottom one. When you change sides, turn the pillow with you rather than climbing over it.

MOON PINE offers the standard full U in a straightforward form, and its appeal is that it does the shape well without adding anything you have to think about. Two full-length arms, a joined arch at the head, a removable cover.

The fill runs consistently through the arms rather than concentrating at the head end, which is worth noting because that is where cheaper pillows cut corners. Even fill is what keeps the knee section high enough to hold the top hip level with the bottom one, which is most of the point of the shape.

The dark cover is a practical choice over months of nightly use. This is a pillow that will be handled every day, and a pale cover shows that in a way a dark one does not, which means fewer wash cycles and a pillow that stays presentable.

The limitations are the ones the shape carries. A full U dominates one side of a bed, and the polyester fill will soften where it takes the most load. Neither is a fault so much as the standing trade of buying a full U with fibre fill.

Bottom line: a clean, well-executed full U with no surprises in either direction.

• Shape: full U
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: removable and washable
• Supports: back, belly, hips and legs
• Colour shown: dark grey
• Intended use: side sleeping through pregnancy

Set the arch under your head rather than behind it so the pillow does the work your normal pillow would, and pull the front arm in until it takes the weight of the bump instead of resting on top of it. Bring the same arm up between the knees so the top hip stays level. Give the belly and knee sections a firm shake every few weeks to redistribute the fill, which is the simplest way to keep the loft where you need it.

Wash the cover on a normal cycle and leave the inner alone unless it genuinely needs it, since a large fibre-filled body will not fit a domestic drum. Spot clean and air dry rather than tumbling on heat, which mats the fill. Reshape by hand after each wash. Keep it out of a crib and away from a sleeping baby, as this is adult bedding rather than an infant product, and raise any pain that will not settle with your midwife or doctor.

QUEEN ROSE puts the emphasis on the cover, and in this category that is a more sensible focus than it first appears. Sleeping wrapped around a large fibre-filled pillow is warm work, and heat is the complaint that comes up more than any other in the last months.

The silky cover addresses that in two ways. It feels cool the moment you touch it, and it is slippery enough that you can shift position without the fabric gripping your skin, which matters when turning over is already an operation rather than a reflex.

At 55 inches this is at the shorter end of the full U range, which is a plus on a smaller bed and for shorter sleepers, where the arms still reach past the knees. It is the length to think twice about if you are tall, since the knee section will end up higher up the leg than intended.

One practical note about smooth covers: they can slide against equally smooth sheets. On a cotton sheet it stays put, on satin bedding it wanders, which is worth knowing before you pair the two.

Bottom line: the pick for warm sleepers of average height or below.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 55 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: cooling silky fabric, removable
• Supports: back, belly, hips and legs
• Colour shown: blue

Buy this if you sleep hot, which most people do more in the later months, and if you are around five foot five or below so the 55 inch length lines up properly. It also suits anyone who finds a plush cover clammy. Skip it if you are tall, where a 57 or 65 inch model puts the knee support in the right place, and skip it if your sheets are satin or silk, since two slippery surfaces together will not stay where you put them.

Choose this over the Momcozy if the cooling cover is the deciding factor and the shorter length suits your height. Choose the Meiz if you want a rayon from bamboo cover that moves moisture rather than only feeling cool at first touch. Choose the 65 inch QUEEN ROSE instead if you are tall, since the two are from the same range and length is the real difference between them.

The Meiz takes the same cooling brief as the silky-covered pillows and answers it with a different fabric. Rayon derived from bamboo is a cellulose fibre that moves moisture away rather than simply feeling cool for the first few seconds, which is the more durable version of the same benefit.

That distinction matters over a full night. A slick woven cover feels cold when you first touch it and then warms up with you, whereas a breathable cellulose cover keeps working as the hours pass. If your complaint is waking up hot rather than getting into a warm bed, this is the fabric to look for.

The shape and length are conventional: a full U at 55 inches, supporting back, belly, hips and knees at once, with a removable cover. It is the shorter end of the range, which suits smaller beds and shorter sleepers and leaves taller ones with the knee section too high.

Rayon does crease more visibly than a woven silky cover, so it will look more lived in. That is cosmetic, and against it you get a fabric that behaves better against the skin over six months of nightly use.

Bottom line: the better cooling cover of the two approaches, provided the 55 inch length suits your height.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 55 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: rayon derived from bamboo, removable
• Supports: back, belly, hips and legs
• Colour shown: sage green

Wash the rayon cover cool and tumble on low or line dry, since rayon weakens when wet and dislikes high heat. Do not bleach it. Leave the inner alone unless it needs spot cleaning, and air it outdoors rather than tumbling it dry, because matted fibre fill does not recover its loft. Keep the pillow out of a crib and away from a sleeping baby. Pain that keeps you awake or does not settle is worth raising with your midwife or doctor rather than treating with bedding.

Buy this if you wake up hot rather than merely getting into a warm bed, and if you are around five foot five or below so the length lines up. It suits anyone who found a plush or velvet cover stifling. Skip it if you are tall, where a longer model puts the knee support where it belongs, and skip it if a cover that creases visibly would bother you.

Chilling Home covers the core of what this category is for without charging for the extras. It is a full U at 58 inches with a removable cover, and that specification alone answers most of what people actually need.

The 58 inch length is a useful middle. It suits average and slightly taller sleepers, keeping the arch under the head and the arms past the knees, without going to the 65 inch size that realistically needs a king bed.

Being a full U, it does the thing that matters most: both sides are supported, so turning over does not mean sitting up and rearranging anything. That is what separates a pillow that is used every night from one that ends up folded in a corner.

What you give up is the cover. It is a conventional fabric rather than a cooling one, so if you sleep hot the QUEEN ROSE or Meiz covers will serve you better. And at 58 inches on a shared queen, the space question is real.

Bottom line: the value pick, and enough pillow if you do not need a cooling cover.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 58 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: removable and washable
• Supports: back, belly, hips and legs
• Intended use: side sleeping through pregnancy

Choose this if you want the full U shape and a washable cover and nothing else is a deciding factor. Choose a cooling cover model if heat is your main complaint, choose the 65 inch version if you are tall and have a king bed, and choose a C shape if the bed is shared and small. If you are not sure whether a full body pillow suits you at all, this is the sensible one to start with.

Position the arch under your head so it replaces your normal pillow rather than sitting next to it. Draw the front arm in so it carries the bump instead of pressing on it, and bring it up between the knees until the top hip is level. Put the pillow on the bed before you get in rather than trying to arrange 58 inches of it once you are lying down, which is far harder than it sounds in the later months.

The Hiccapop wedge is the small, targeted answer in a category dominated by large ones, and it is genuinely the right purchase for a lot of people. It is a triangular block that tucks under the bump, behind the lower back or between the knees, and does that one job without rearranging the bedroom.

Its best quality is that it costs no bed space. On a full or double bed shared with a partner, a full U is a source of friction and a wedge is not, and that difference decides whether support is available every night or only in theory.

It is also the sensible early purchase. In the second trimester, when a body pillow feels premature, a wedge under the bump plus the pillows you already own covers most of what you need, and it stays useful afterwards as a back or knee support.

The limitation is obvious and worth stating plainly. It supports one area at a time, and it has to be moved by hand when you change sides. If you turn over often and want everything held at once, a U shape is what you are actually looking for.

Bottom line: the pick for small beds, for travel, and for the earlier months.

• Shape: wedge
• Supports: bump, lower back or between the knees
• Footprint: minimal
• Use: alongside standard pillows
• Portability: packs easily for travel
• Intended use: targeted support rather than full body

Buy this if the bed is small or shared, if you travel, or if you are early enough that a full body pillow feels like too much. It also suits anyone who already sleeps well with their own pillows and only needs the bump held. Skip it if you turn over constantly and want support that follows you, and skip it if what you want is one product that replaces the pile of pillows currently on the bed.

Tuck the thin edge under the side of the bump so the wedge takes the weight rather than pushing it upward, and let the thick edge sit against the mattress. Used behind the back, place it low against the pelvis rather than up under the ribs. Between the knees, use it with the thin edge forward so the top hip stays level with the bottom one. Move it with you when you change sides rather than reaching over it.

MOON PARK sits in the same place as the Momcozy and MOON PINE: a plain, competent full U at 57 inches with a removable cover. Where several pillows share a specification, the sensible way to choose is on cover fabric, colour and what is actually available.

The 57 inch length is the most broadly useful size here. It fits the majority of heights properly, with the arch under the head and the arms running past the knees, and it stops short of the 65 inch size that really needs a king bed.

Full U geometry does the thing that keeps these pillows in use: you can roll from one side to the other without lifting anything. That is the difference between a pillow that lasts the pregnancy and one that gets pushed onto the floor in week twenty six.

What it does not offer is a cooling cover or adjustable fill, which are the two features worth paying extra for in this category if either applies to you. If neither does, this is a straightforward version of the standard product.

Bottom line: a solid, unremarkable full U, chosen on colour and availability rather than on features.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 57 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: removable and washable
• Supports: back, belly, hips and legs
• Colour shown: grey

Choose this if the 57 inch full U is what you want and the colour or availability makes the decision for you, since it matches the Momcozy and MOON PINE on specification. Choose a cooling cover model if you sleep hot, the ALLOPERA if adjustable fill appeals, and a C shape or wedge if bed space is the constraint. There is no wrong answer among the plain 57 inch U pillows, which is worth knowing before you overthink it.

Remove the cover and machine wash it rather than attempting the inner, which will not fit a normal drum. Spot clean the pillow itself and air it thoroughly, since a damp core in a body this size takes far longer to dry than it appears and matted fill does not recover. Shake and reshape the belly and knee sections regularly. Keep it out of a crib and away from a sleeping baby, and take persistent pain to your midwife or doctor rather than to a pillow.

The ALLOPERA is worth attention for one feature that most of this category leaves out: you can change the amount of fill. Firmness preference does not stay constant across six months, and a pillow that felt right early on can feel too soft under a bigger bump later.

Being able to add or remove fill turns that from a complaint into an adjustment. The belly and knee sections take the most load and flatten first, so being able to top them up is the fix for the single most common gripe about fibre-filled body pillows.

The shape and length are conventional and sensible: a full U at 57 inches, so you can turn over without repositioning, with the arms reaching past the knees for most heights.

The velvet cover is the thing to think hard about. It is soft and it looks the part, and it holds heat, which is the wrong direction for the later months when overheating is the usual problem. In a cold bedroom it is a genuine plus, and adjusting the fill is a messy job the first time you do it, so do it over a bed rather than a carpet.

Bottom line: the pick if adjustable firmness appeals and you do not sleep hot.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 57 inches
• Fill: adjustable, add or remove through an access point
• Cover: velvet, removable and washable
• Supports: back, belly, hip and leg
• Colour shown: velvet finish

Set the fill before you settle on a routine rather than after: lie on it, note whether the knee section holds the top hip level, and add fill there if it does not. Do the adjusting over a made bed or in a bath, since loose fibre fill goes everywhere and is difficult to gather off a carpet. Revisit the firmness every few weeks, because the belly section is the one that compresses fastest and it is a two minute job to top it up.

Buy this if you want to control the firmness, if you have already found other pillows too soft or too firm, or if your bedroom is cold enough that a plush cover is welcome. Skip it if you sleep hot, where velvet is the wrong fabric and a cooling cover model is the better buy, and skip it if the idea of handling loose fill sounds like something you will never actually do.

This is the size answer. At 65 inches it is the longest pillow here, and length is the specification that quietly ruins a body pillow for anyone tall: on a 55 inch U the arms stop around the shins, so the knee support sits in the wrong place and the whole geometry falls apart.

Ten extra inches fixes that, and it also gives you somewhere to put your feet, which is a small comfort that becomes a large one in the last weeks. Combined with the cooling cover from the same range, it addresses height and heat at the same time.

Being a full U, it keeps the main advantage of the shape: both sides supported, so you can turn over without sitting up and rearranging anything, which is the feature that decides whether a pillow is used or abandoned.

The costs are size and weight. A 65 inch U on a shared queen is not really viable, and this is a heavy object to move off the bed and back on again. Buy it if you are tall and the bed is a king; otherwise a 57 inch model is the more practical purchase.

Bottom line: the pick for taller sleepers with the bed space to justify it.

• Shape: full U
• Length: 65 inches
• Fill: polyester fibre
• Cover: cooling fabric, removable
• Supports: back, hips, legs and feet
• Best suited to: taller sleepers, king beds

Buy this if you are tall enough that shorter U pillows put the knee support around your shins, and if the bed is a king or you have it to yourself. It also suits anyone who wants a full body pillow that will still get used long after the pregnancy. Skip it if you share a queen or smaller bed, where it will be lifted off every night and eventually stay off, and skip it if you need something you can carry easily between rooms.

Wash the cover and leave the inner alone: at this size the pillow will not fit a domestic machine and holds water heavily if it gets soaked. Spot clean and air outdoors on a dry day. Because it is heavy, lift it with both arms rather than dragging it by one end, which strains the seams at the arch. Keep it out of a crib and away from a sleeping baby, and take pain that will not settle to your midwife or doctor rather than to bedding.