Is a Pregnancy Pillow Worth It This Late in Pregnancy?

Relvay makes a pregnancy pillow. We also tell you below when you should not buy one.

The short answer

It can be, if it arrives in time and you will use it for more than a couple of weeks. Count the nights you have left, subtract delivery time, and compare the cost per night with borrowing.

• Skip it if regular pillows mostly hold up.
• Buy it if most nights are broken.
• What matters: arrival date and the return window.

35 weeks, cart open at 1:15 a.m.

Late in pregnancy, most people hesitate to buy a pillow because it feels like spending money on something with a few weeks of life left. This is what that hesitation sounds like at night.

1:15 a.m.

I was 35 weeks and I had made it the whole pregnancy without a pregnancy pillow. I was a little proud of that. Five weeks left, I kept telling myself. I can tough out five weeks.

That night I had been up three times to pee, and each time I came back I had to rebuild my nest of couch cushions and Luis's old pillows. Around one I gave up, sat on the edge of the bed and opened my phone. I had a pillow in my cart. I had had it in my cart for two weeks.

I did the math in my head, badly. Eighty dollars for a month. Less, if the baby came early. More, if I counted the nights I was already losing. I put the phone down, lay back down, and was still awake at two.

• If you have had a pregnancy pillow in your cart for weeks and keep closing the tab...
• If you tell yourself it is only a few more weeks, every single night...
• If getting up to pee means rebuilding your whole setup in the dark...
• If buying something this late feels a bit silly...

It is not silly to want sleep in the last weeks. It just deserves real math instead of 1 a.m. math.

"Help I can't sleep, tried all the tricks not working, I'm due December."YouTube comment on a pregnancy sleep video

"Getting out of bed over 10x at night has been a struggle."YouTube comment on a pregnancy sleep video

"Got into the right position, with all the pillows in place.... and now I gotta pee."YouTube comment on a pregnancy sleep video

What most of us try instead

Late in pregnancy, most people try to tough it out, move to the couch or stack more pillows. Each one gets you through a night and costs you sleep the next.

1. Toughing it out."Only five more weeks" turned into four, then three, and every week the nights got shorter. I was saving eighty dollars and spending it in naps I could not take.Free, but paid for in sleep.
2. The recliner.Two nights I slept sitting up on the living room recliner. My back was fine, but I woke up stiff, alone, and Luis found me there at six.Gets you through a night, not through a month.
3. Every pillow in the house.Couch cushions under the bump, Luis's pillows behind my back, a throw pillow between my knees. It worked until the first trip to the bathroom. "Then you have to try to escape the legion of pillows and quilts you've assembled around yourself every time you have to wake up to pee." (YouTube comment) · Right idea, nothing holding it together.
4. Waiting for a friend's hand-me-down.A friend offered hers, then forgot, then her sister needed it. Two weeks went by on a maybe.A borrow you cannot count on is not a plan.

Why does buying late feel like a waste?

Because late in pregnancy the real question is not whether you need support. It is how many nights of support you will actually get, and what each of those nights costs.

Nights leftYour due date is an estimate, so think in a range of weeks, not a single date.

Days to arriveProcessing plus shipping comes out of those nights. A slow order can eat a third of them.

Nights afterSome people keep using an adult pillow for their own comfort after birth. Others pack it away. Only count those nights if you are sure.

Buying late is not too late. It is just a shorter trial, and short trials need numbers.

Below is the simple worksheet Harper used at 35 weeks, the free options to try first, and the kind of support she finally ordered. It took her ten minutes.

How many nights will you actually use it?

Work out the nights you will use it, then divide the price by those nights. That one number makes the decision much calmer than guessing.

Line	How to work it out	Harper, 35 weeks
1. Nights until your due date	Weeks left x 7. Use a range, because babies keep their own schedule.	About 5 weeks = 35 nights
2. Minus days to arrive	Seller's processing time + shipping time, from the shipping page.	About 10 days
3. Nights before birth	Line 1 minus line 2.	About 25 nights
4. Nights after birth (optional)	Only if you plan to keep using it for your own comfort.	Not counted
5. Cost per night	Price, with shipping, divided by lines 3 + 4.	About $3.20 a night
6. Return window	Days you have to send it back if it does not help.	Covers all 25 nights

Then ask yourself one honest question: what is a full night of sleep worth to you right now? For some people, a few dollars a night is an easy yes. For others, borrowing makes more sense. Both answers are fine.

Can you get through the last weeks without buying one?

Yes, there are good options that cost little or nothing. Try them first if you have under two weeks left or your budget is tight.

Option	Cost	Watch out for
Regular pillow setup	Free	Pillows drift apart when you turn or get up.
Borrow a friend's pregnancy pillow	Free	Ask for a clean or washable cover, and a firm date it will arrive.
Rolled towel or blanket under the bump	Free	Fine for small support, flattens over the night.
Buy with a long return window	Price, maybe return shipping	Read who pays return shipping before you order.

For the full free setup with regular pillows, see our guide Do you need a pregnancy pillow?. If you sleep well after a few nights, keep your money for the baby.

When is a pregnancy pillow worth it near your due date?

A pregnancy pillow is worth buying near your due date when it will arrive with at least a few weeks to spare and your nights are bad most of the week. Tick what fits:

• It will arrive with three weeks or more before my due date.
• I wake up most nights to fix my pillows.
• Getting up to pee means rebuilding everything.
• I have tried the free setup for a few nights and it did not hold.
• The return window covers the nights I will use it.
• I might keep using it for my own comfort after birth.

Three or more? Buying late is likely worth it. One or none? Borrow or use regular pillows, and that is a perfectly good answer.

Sudden swelling, sharp pain, or pain that keeps you awake is something to call your midwife or OB-GYN about, not something to fix with a pillow.

Will it arrive in time?

Add the seller's processing time to the shipping time and count from today. If that date lands inside the last two weeks before your due date, the math gets thin.

Three things often add hidden days:

1. Processing time. Many stores take one or more business days before the pillow even ships.
2. Weekends. Business days skip them, so an order on Friday may not move until Monday.
3. Unpacking. Vacuum-packed pillows can need hours or a day to puff back up.

Order on a weekday morning, check the shipping page instead of the product page, and write the expected date in your calendar. Our buying checklist covers returns and costs in more detail.

Which type makes sense for the last few weeks?

For a short stretch, choose the type that is quick to set up and easy to store or keep using afterward. Here is how the main options compare for the last few weeks.

	U or C full-body	Long body pillow	Single wedge	Two wedges strapped together
Bump and back at once	Yes	One side	One or the other	Both
Getting up at night	Climb out of it	Push it aside	Easy	Easy, it stays in place
Storing it after birth	Bulky	Long	Small	Small
Use for adult comfort after birth	Possible	Possible	Possible	Possible

Whatever you choose, it stays an adult pillow. It does not go in the baby's sleep space.

What changed when she did the math?

When she ran the numbers instead of guessing, Harper ordered that morning and stopped arguing with herself every night.

Harper filled in the worksheet at the kitchen table with a coffee. About 25 nights, a few dollars each, and a return window that covered all of them. She ordered a small two-wedge set before nine.

It came on a Thursday. That night she got up twice to pee and came back to a setup that was still there, waiting. On Sunday Luis found her asleep at eight in the morning, which had not happened in a month. "Should have done that at thirty weeks," he said. She threw a pillow at him.

Frequently asked questions

Is it too late to buy a pregnancy pillow at 35 weeks?

Not necessarily. If it arrives within about a week and you still have several weeks of broken nights ahead, it can be worth it. Work out the cost per night and check the return window first.

Is a pregnancy pillow worth it in the third trimester?

For many people the third trimester is when sleep is hardest and side sleeping is the advice, so support matters most then. If regular pillows still hold up for you, you may not need one.

Can I borrow a pregnancy pillow instead of buying one?

Yes. Ask for a cover you can wash, and agree a date it will reach you. A borrow is a good plan only if it actually arrives in time.

Can I use a pregnancy pillow after the baby is born?

Many people keep using it for their own comfort, for example behind the back when sitting up in bed. It is an adult pillow and does not belong in the baby's sleep space.

How long does a pregnancy pillow take to arrive?

It depends on the seller. Add the processing time to the shipping time on the shipping page, not the product page, and count business days.

Where the Relvay 3-Piece pillow fits in

The Relvay 3-Piece is a two-wedge set like the one Harper ordered. If you are deciding late, here is what matters: our store currently lists 1 to 2 business days to process and about 7 to 10 days for delivery, so check the shipping page on the day you order.

1. The bump wedgeA crescent-shaped wedge that tucks under your bump, thin edge toward your belly button, so the weight is not pulling on your back.

2. The back wedgeThe same shape, snug against your lower back so it has something to rest against.

3. The strap and small cushionA flat strap runs under you and joins the two wedges, so they stay together instead of drifting apart. A small oval cushion sits on the strap between them. You can set the distance as the bump grows.

Each wedge is about 17 by 13 inches and about 4 inches thick at its outer edge, tapering thinner toward your body (supplier measurement). Opened out, the set is roughly as wide as your torso, so it stays on your half of the bed and you keep your normal head pillow. Soft ribbed pink fabric on top, white sides. It is small enough to pack for a trip.

What it does not do: it does not go between your knees. Keep a regular pillow there, the way the NHS suggests. That combination covers all three points without a giant pillow.

See the 3-Piece set

Probably not for you if

• It would arrive in the last week or two before your due date.
• Regular pillows or a borrowed one already work.
• You want free return shipping. With us you pay it unless the item arrives faulty.

Made for you if

• You ticked three or more boxes above.
• You get up at night and want support still in place when you come back.
• You want 90 days to decide, which covers the weeks you have left.

Try it for 90 nights

Sleep on it through the weeks that matter. If it is not right for you, email us within 90 days of delivery and send it back for a refund. Return shipping is on you unless it arrived faulty.

$79.99

90-day money-back guarantee · Free US shipping over $70 · 3 pieces, one set

Check price and availability

Harper's story is a composite based on real reviews and public posts from pregnant side sleepers. Names and details are changed.