Relvay makes a pregnancy pillow. We also tell you below when you should not buy one.
The short answer
Pay extra for cooling only when the listing names the cover fabric and says how the claim was checked. Many cooling claims describe the first few minutes of touch, not how warm you are at 3 a.m.
- Skip it if a cooler room and light bedding work.
- Worth it if a named breathable cover replaces plush.
- What matters most: how much pillow wraps around you.
2:05 a.m., peeling off the pillow
Most pregnant hot sleepers buy a pillow to sleep better, then lie awake because it is wrapped around them like a blanket. This is what that feels like.
2:05 a.m.
It was August and I was 29 weeks. I had paid extra for a big U pillow with the word “cooling” in the title, and for the first five minutes it really did feel cool. I remember thinking, finally.
By two in the morning my shirt was stuck to my back where the pillow touched it. I kicked off the sheet, then the top half of the pillow, then lay there with my bump on a damp patch and my hip aching because nothing was holding it anymore.
Sam had the fan pointed at me and a hoodie on. “Is it the pillow or is it you?” he asked. I honestly did not know.
- If your pillow feels cool when you lie down and hot an hour later...
- If you wake up with a damp patch wherever the pillow touched you...
- If your partner is in a hoodie because you turned the air down again...
- If you keep pushing the pillow away and then waking up sore...
You are not imagining it, and you are not just “running hot.” A lot of pillow is touching you, and the label promised more than fabric can do.
“the fabric is not breathable. It kept me too toasty while super pregnant in the summer.”Amazon review of a pregnancy pillow
“pls design some better cooling material pillow case for summer use. This one still hot in summer.”Amazon review of a pregnancy pillow
What most hot sleepers try first
Most hot sleepers try a cooler pillowcase, a colder room, or a pillow with “cooling” in the name. Each one helps a little and costs something else.
- A cooling pillowcase on the old pillow.Lovely on her cheek. But the case only covered the head pillow, and the heat was coming from the long pillow along her back and bump.Cool face, same hot body.
- The air turned down every night.She slept a bit better. Sam slept in a hoodie and socks and started waking up cold at four.One person cooler, the other one awake.
- The “cooling” U pillow.Cool for the first few minutes. Then it was a lot of fabric and filling wrapped around her front and back at once, and it warmed up to her skin.The cool feeling did not last the night.
- No pillow at all.Finally cool. But her top knee dropped, her bump pulled, and she woke at five with her hip and lower back aching.Cool, but she lost the support she needed.
Why do some pregnancy pillows feel so hot?
Because warmth builds up wherever fabric and filling touch your skin and air cannot move. Three things decide how hot a pillow sleeps, and the word “cooling” only speaks to one of them.
ContactHow much of you the pillow touches. A full-body pillow covers your front, back and legs at once.
CoverWhether air and moisture can get through the fabric. Plush and velvety covers feel soft but hold warmth.
FillHow much warmth the inside holds. Dense foam and thick fiber keep heat close to you.
A cooling cover can help the second one. It cannot change the first. If a pillow is wrapped around most of your body, even a good fabric is still a lot of fabric.
The coolest pillow is often not the one with the best label. It is the one that touches the least of you while still holding what hurts.
That is what finally let Brianna keep her support and stop sweating through it. First, how to read the labels and the free fixes. Then what worked.
Why do you feel so hot when you are pregnant?
Feeling warmer than usual is common in pregnancy. Tommy's, the UK pregnancy charity, says most people feel warmer than usual because of hormone changes and increased blood supply to the skin.
So the same bed and the same bedding can feel very different now. If you feel feverish, unwell or the heat comes with other symptoms, tell your midwife or OB-GYN, because that is not a pillow question.
Can you stay cool without a cooling pregnancy pillow?
Often, yes. Try the room and the bedding before you pay for a new pillow:
- Cool the room. The Sleep Foundation suggests about 65°F as a good bedroom temperature, with most guidance between 65 and 68°F.
- Split the bedding. A light sheet for you, a warmer blanket for your partner, so neither of you fights the thermostat.
- Wear loose, light sleepwear that you would be comfortable in on a warm day.
- Point a fan low across the bed, toward your side rather than your partner's face.
- Use less pillow, not more. Keep support where it hurts and take away pieces that only add warmth.
Already own a pillow that runs hot? Our guide your pregnancy pillow feels too hot walks through changing one thing at a time before you replace it.
How do you check a cooling claim before you buy?
Ask what the claim names, and whether the listing backs it with a fabric, a fill or a test. Here is what the common claims usually mean and what to look for.
| Claim on the listing | What it usually describes | Proof to look for | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cool to the touch | How the fabric feels in the first moments | The exact cover fabric named | No fabric named at all |
| Breathable | Air moving through the cover | Cover fabric and knit or weave named | “Breathable” on a plush or velvety cover |
| Cooling gel or gel-infused | Gel inside foam, or a gel layer | Where the gel is and how much of the pillow has it | Gel only in a small panel you do not lie on |
| Bamboo cover | Usually a viscose or rayon fabric made from bamboo | Fabric listed as bamboo viscose or rayon, with care label | “Bamboo” with no fabric percentage |
| Temperature-regulating | A special finish or material meant to absorb and release heat | The named material and who tested it | No material, no test, only the phrase |
| Moisture-wicking | Fabric that moves sweat away from skin | Fabric named, cover removable and washable | Cover that cannot come off to wash |
Then read the reviews for one thing only: what hot sleepers say after a few weeks in warm weather, not on the first night. Cooling claims are seller claims unless a test is named.
When is a cooling pregnancy pillow worth paying more for?
When heat, not support, is what wakes you, and the free fixes have not been enough. Tick the ones that sound like your nights:
- I wake up damp where the pillow touches me.
- I push my pillow away at night, then wake up sore.
- A cooler room helped, but the pillow still runs hot.
- My current pillow has a plush or velvety cover.
- My partner and I disagree about the thermostat every night.
- My pillow wraps around my front and back at the same time.
Two or more? Your pillow is adding heat. Either a named breathable cover or a smaller pillow that touches less of you is likely worth it, and the second one often does more.
Which type of pregnancy pillow sleeps coolest?
Usually the type that touches the least of you while still holding your bump and back. Here is how the main types compare for a hot sleeper, whatever the cover.
| U pillow | C pillow | Long straight pillow | Single wedge | Two wedges strapped together | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much of you it touches | Front, back and legs | One side, head to knees | Front and legs | One small spot | Two small spots |
| Air around your body | Little | On the open side | Behind you | Most of you | Most of you |
| Bump and back support | Yes | One or the other | Front only | One or the other | Both |
| Cover choice matters | A lot | A lot | Some | A little | A little |
A cooling cover on a small pillow helps a little. A cooling cover on a huge pillow is still a huge pillow.
What changed when the pillow touched less of her?
When the support shrank to the two spots that hurt, the rest of her body had air around it again.
Brianna put the U in the closet and tried two small wedges joined by a strap: one under her bump, one behind her lower back, a regular cotton pillow between her knees. She kept the fan low and moved to a light sheet. Sam got his blanket back.
It still was not a cold pillow. It just was not wrapped around her. A week later she noticed she had stopped waking up damp. On Sunday morning Sam took off his hoodie and said it was the first time all summer he had not slept in it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best pregnancy pillow for hot sleepers?
Usually one that touches less of your body and has a named breathable cover. A smaller pillow that supports only your bump and back leaves more of you in open air than a full-body pillow, whatever its label says.
Do cooling pregnancy pillows really work?
Some covers feel cooler, especially at first touch. Whether they stay cool depends on the fabric, the fill and how much of you the pillow covers. Look for the named fabric and any test the seller describes, not only the word cooling.
Is a bamboo pregnancy pillow cover cooler?
Bamboo covers are usually viscose or rayon made from bamboo, which many people find smooth and cool. Check the listing names the fabric and that the cover comes off to wash.
Why does my pregnancy pillow make me so hot?
Warmth builds where fabric and filling touch your skin and air cannot move. Large pillows, plush covers and dense fill all add to it. If you already own one, change one thing at a time before replacing it.
What temperature should my bedroom be when pregnant?
The Sleep Foundation suggests about 65°F for sleep in general, with most guidance between 65 and 68°F. Many pregnant people feel warmer than usual, so a little cooler can help.
Where the Relvay 3-Piece pillow fits in
To be clear first: the Relvay 3-Piece is not a cooling pillow and makes no cooling claim. It is the two-wedge set Brianna switched to, and it fits hot sleepers for one reason only: it supports two spots instead of wrapping your whole body.
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.
Probably not for you if
- You want a cool-touch or cooling fabric. Ours is a soft ribbed fabric, which can feel warm.
- You want one pillow that also wraps your head and knees.
- A cooler room and lighter bedding already solved it.
Made for you if
- You ticked two or more boxes above.
- A big pillow wrapped around you is what makes you hot.
- You still need bump and back support at night.
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 availabilityBrianna's story is a composite based on real reviews and public posts from pregnant side sleepers. Names and details are changed.
