The Best Mattress for Pregnant Women (2020)
What are the best mattresses for pregnancy? If you’re pregnant and reading this, you’re probably too tired or reeling from heartburn, lower back pain, or leg cramps to actually research the best new mattress for you. There’s plenty to consider when you’re in the market for a mattress to accommodate both you and your growing baby. And when you’re pregnant, it’s more important than ever to choose one that suits your needs — according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, good sleep is one of the best ways to assure a healthy baby. The good news? We’ve done the hard work for you.
Our experts spent hundreds of hours researching mattresses and developed an unbiased, third-party review system to ensure that you get good sleep whether you are in the first trimester, third trimester, or any point in between.
Each mattress was tested in our lab and evaluated based on a 14-point system taking into account motion transfer, contouring, edge support, firmness levels, and even cooling technology, to help you find the best pregnancy mattresses.
For added convenience, we made sure each mattress featured can be purchased online and delivered right to your door.
Our top picks for the best mattress for pregnant women:
Nectar - Best Overall
Loom & Leaf - Most Eco-Friendly
Tuft & Needle - Best for Budget Shoppers
Bear - Best Cooling
Brooklyn Bedding Signature - Best Customizable Firmness
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1. Nectar - Best Overall
If you’re in the market for a pregnancy mattress — or even just a woman who needs to get more sleep — you can’t go wrong with Nectar. Nectar’s quilted gel foam mattress has overwhelmingly high customer reviews, and includes a year-long sleep trial period to ensure you love your new bed.
These mattresses also excel in their motion isolation and pressure relief that adapts to any sleeping position. The Nectar mattress is particularly beneficial for side sleepers, with five comfort layers including an adjustable base, an adaptive hi-core memory foam layer to support the body, a gel memory foam layer that helps distribute body weight, a quilted gel memory foam layer that provides air flow and contours the body, and a dust mite-resistant, cooling cover that promotes air circulation.
To top it off, Nectar is one of the best budget mattresses on the market. The makers also sweeten the deal by offering $125 off the price of your mattress and two free pillows if you refer a friend, and a $50 Amazon gift card if your friend completes a purchase.
- Mattress Type: Quilted gel memory foam
- Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10
- Customer Rating: 4.8/10
- Firmness: Medium-firm, 5.5-6/10
- Trial Period: 365 nights
2. Loom & Leaf - Most Eco-Friendly
You may pay a little extra for Saatva’s Loom & Leaf mattress (it’s comparable to iComfort and Temper-Pedic mattresses which ring in at $4,000-$5,000!), but what you get is one of the most environmentally conscious mattresses around. All foams in this bed are CertiPUR-US certified, meaning they meet some of the highest standards for emissions, content, performance, and durability. Loom & Leaf also uses natural thistle as a flame retardant rather than harmful chemicals, and wraps its mattresses in organic cotton.
Loom & Leaf’s high-quality mattress also has an adjustable base and four comfort layers, including a cooling gel layer, two firmness options, and organic cotton cover. For the higher price, Loom & Leaf also gives you free white glove delivery, a particular plus for pregnant women, as well as an impressive 15-year limited warranty.
- Mattress Type: Memory foam made with environmentally conscious materials
- Mattress Advisor Score: 8.2/10
- Customer Rating: 4.8/5
- Firmness: Relaxed firm: 6/10; Firm 8/10
- Trial Period: 120 days
Purchase here from Loom & Leaf.
3. Tuft & Needle - Best for Budget Shoppers
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find the right mattress. Tuft & Needle has an outstanding customer rating and offers comparable pressure relief, spine alignment, and edge support to its pricier competitors, but at a more comfortable price.
Tuft & Needle mattresses consist of two foam layers — a top layer designed to disperse body heat and a bottom foundation foam that provides support — as well as a light and airy fabric cover to keep you cool. So if you’re on a budget, but still want to avoid becoming a sleep-deprived mom, this is a great option for you.
- Mattress Type: Foam
- Mattress Advisor Score: 8.7/10
- Customer Rating: 4.9/5
- Firmness: Medium-firm: 6-6.5/10
- Trial Period: 100 days
Purchase here from Tuft & Needle.
4. Bear - Best Cooling
What’s cool about Bear’s memory foam mattress is that it is literally cool to the touch, with open cell response foam that increases cooling and conductivity up to seven times more than traditional foam mattresses. It also has five layers of foam including a celliant topper that absorbs body heat and reflects infrared light. This cooling technology helps to relieve pressure points regardless of your sleep position and promote blood circulation — which are highly beneficial qualities when looking for a pregnancy mattress.
Bear’s mattress also scored high on spinal alignment, responsiveness, and edge support. They’re also CertiPUR-US certified and have a 10-year warranty.
Check out our round-up to know more about the best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers.
- Mattress Type: Memory foam with graphite gel
- Mattress Advisor Score: 8.6/10
- Customer Rating: 4.7/5
- Firmness: Medium firm: 6/10
- Trial Period: 100 days
5. Brooklyn Bedding Signature - Best Customizable Firmness
The Brooklyn Signature hybrid mattress offers a perfect blend of comfort and support with varying levels of firmness, whether you’re looking for a soft mattress, medium-firm mattress, or a firm mattress.
The Brooklyn Signature mattress features a 1-inch base support layer, a 6-inch layer of pocketed coils, two TitanFlex layers — one for support and the other for comfort — plus a gel memory foam topper.
- Mattress Type: Hybrid
- Mattress Advisor Score: 9.1/10
- Customer Rating: 4.7/5
- Firmness: Soft: 2-5; Medium: 5.5-7; Firm: 7-9
- Trial Period: 120 nights
Purchase here from Brooklyn Bedding.
What Pregnant Women Should Look for in a Mattress
Finding the best mattress for pregnant women means finding a mattress that meets their special needs. According to the nonprofit the National Sleep Foundation, pregnant women can suffer from a variety of issues that interfere with their sleep, such as waking at night, snoring, leg cramps and restless leg syndrome. The right mattress can help reduce these symptoms. Let’s take a deeper dive into what elements can make a better night’s sleep for pregnant women:
Type
Innerspring: Innerspring mattresses are probably the most well known on the market, and provide plenty of bounce and spring. But they’re not the best choice for pregnant women because they don’t offer enough pressure relief for long-lasting support.
Memory foam: Memory foam mattresses are a great option for pregnant women because their many foam layers allow for maximum sinkage. The mattress literally hugs the body to relieve pressure. These mattresses also offer motion isolation so your late-night bathroom breaks don’t disrupt your partner. One downside is that memory foam can also absorb body heat, so it’s a good idea to choose one ranked on our best cooling mattresses list.
Latex: Latex mattresses, whether they are natural or synthetic, are also great for pressure relief and are naturally cooling. Plus natural options are among the most eco-friendly, hypoallergenic, and bed bug-resistant around. But these plusses often come at a steeper price.
Hybrid: Hybrid mattresses combine innersprings, memory foam and/or latex, and aim to give consumers — including pregnant ones — the best of all worlds with the support of coil springs, the motion isolation of memory foam, and the cooling technology of latex
Temperature
Pregnant women tend to sleep hot, so a cooling mattress can be a lifesaver or, more precisely, a sleep saver — and science shows people who sleep more are more fun. Memory foam is preferred over innerspring mattresses, but these mattresses tend to retain body heat. Latex and special cooling hybrid mattresses are the best bet but may be more expensive.
Support and Pressure Relief
When it comes to optimal support and pressure relief for pregnant women, memory foam and latex are the best options. That’s because mattresses for expectant mothers must support the extra weight of her growing belly. These mattresses can reduce pressure on your shoulders and hips, and keep your spine aligned. A straight spine from neck to lower back will also decrease the risk of back pain.
Motion Isolation
As you progress through pregnancy, more pressure is put on your bladder, forcing you out of bed during the night for bathroom breaks. A mattress that offers motion isolation will become the gift that keeps on giving for your bed partner. Memory foam offers the optimal motion isolation. Innerspring mattresses offer the worst.
Cost
Ideally, your mattress will last you through at least one pregnancy and many years beyond — so you should consider it an investment in your health. Don’t fret about spending a little extra for a high quality mattress. Once baby comes, sleep will become an even greater luxury.
Transportation
Pregnant women have no business lugging a mattress into their bedrooms or setting it up. Thankfully many bed-in-a-box brands not only deliver your mattress to your door, they also offer white glove delivery. This means delivery people will actually bring the bed to your home, set it up, and show off its features. In most cases, they will even dispose of your old mattress. Some brands offer this service for free while others charge a small fee.
Mattress Accessories for Pregnant Women
Some accessories are designed to help you sleep better, like weighted blankets and white noise machines. Better still are ones like these, specifically designed for pregnancy:
Pregnancy Pillow: These large, cushy pillows come in different shapes and sizes and are intended to support the entire body including the neck, shoulders, back, and hips. They can even help relieve joint pain and sciatic pain.
Mattress Topper: These layers of foam, latex, or wool can provide extra cushioning for sensitive pressure points. One luxury option is bedding that contains Tencel brand Lyocell fibers, produced by micro technology designed to absorb moisture more efficiently to help your body feel cool and dry.
Adjustable Base: Beds and mattresses with adjustable bases can shift you into a more comfortable angle with the push of a button. Raising the head of the bed can also help relieve heartburn, which tends to plague pregnant women.
How Pregnancy Affects Sleep
Sleep is vital to a pregnant woman’s health, but when you’re sleeping for two, many challenges can arise that interfere with a good night’s sleep. These issues should be kept in mind when looking for the right mattress, to avoid disruptions or insomnia during pregnancy:
Frequent Urination: During pregnancy, pressure is put on the bladder, waking you at night and forcing you out of bed. A mattress with motion isolation will cause less disruption to your bed partner.
Leg Cramps: Many pregnant women are plagued with leg cramps beginning in their second trimester and becoming more severe in their third trimester. Sometimes this pain can disrupt your sleep.
Restless Leg Syndrome: Women with anemia and low iron levels may also develop restless leg syndrome in the evening hours, a condition in which the legs feel jumpy, like bugs are crawling up and down their legs. Getting up and walking around can ease these symptoms.
Back pain: Pregnancy hormones, a growing belly, and weight gain can cause lower-back pain and can also put pressure on your sciatic nerve, the nerve that runs down your lower back, hip, and down the back of the leg. Mattresses that evenly distribute body weight and keep the spine aligned can help reduce these pains.
Heartburn: As the uterus grows bigger to accommodate your growing baby, it can press on the stomach and cause heartburn, which causes a burning sensation in the chest. Elevating the head of the bed or propping your head up on pillows may ease some of the acid backwash and relieve the burn.
Snoring: Snoring usually rears its head during the third trimester. Nasal strips can help open nasal passages and may improve nighttime breathing.
FAQ About the Best Mattresses for Pregnant Women
Q: What should a woman look for in a pregnancy mattress?
Sleep becomes a growing problem for pregnant women as their bodies adjust. Issues often arise such as painful pressure points, leg cramps, heartburn, and frequent urination. The key to better sleep is to find a firmer mattress that meets your special needs.
Memory foam with medium firmness is ideal for pregnant women. It conforms to the body, relieves pressure points, and keeps the spine aligned to reduce back pain. It also provides motion isolation to keep your bed partner from waking every time you get up.
Q: What are the best pregnancy mattresses for hot sleepers?
Pregnant women in particular tend to be hot sleepers. While body conforming, memory foam can absorb heat and be uncomfortable to mothers-to-be. Some of the best cooling mattresses for hot sleepers include those made of latex or memory foam with cooling gel.
Latex mattresses contain dozens of tiny holes that facilitate air flow. This breathability makes latex mattresses much cooler, but this technology often comes at a price. Memory foam mattresses infused with cooling gel are another option. These cooling gels contain beads that don’t transfer body heat back to the surface of the mattress, and in many cases can make the mattress feel cool to the touch. Gel-infused mattresses work better when combined with graphite or copper.
Q: What are the benefits of buying a pregnancy mattress online?
Buying a mattress online can be both cost effective, efficient, and convenient. It cuts out the middleman markups such as showroom fees, sales representative fees, and delivery fees. Some online retailers offer free delivery or delivery at a minimal cost. This is especially beneficial for pregnant women who don’t need to risk their health or their baby’s by doing any heavy lifting.
In some cases, white glove delivery is available. This means delivery people bring the bed directly into your bedroom, set it up, and show its features. They will even dispose of your old mattress, if you wish.
Conclusion
Pregnant women need plenty of rest throughout their pregnancy. But they also have specific needs and challenges when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. The right mattress can be a godsend not only during those uncomfortable months of pregnancy, but also during the sleep-deprived months that follow.
Here’s a recap of our top picks for the best mattresses for pregnant women:
Nectar - Best Overall
Loom & Leaf - Most Eco-Friendly
Tuft & Needle - Best for Budget Shoppers
Bear - Best Cooling
Brooklyn Bedding Signature - Best Customizable Firmness
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