is my yoga lady correct in this?

i went back to yoga for the first time since being pregnant (she told me to come back after 12 weeks) and we did a whole heap of stuff lying on our backs. i didnt feel dizzy or anything so i am assuming the baby will be ok. at the end when we did relaxation she told me to lay on my left and everyone else on their right. at the end of the class she said that if you lay on your right then thats when that artery can be compressed. i said to her 'yep i have heard of that its when you lay on your back isnt it?' she said well no more when you lay on your right hand side. now i am confused......

I've always thought it was on your back hun - as far as positioning goes, some do say the left hand side is ideal, but either side really should be fine. I think there are organs on the right that can be a bit squished on the right but having said that I've slept on my right for most of this and my last pregnancy and it was fine, whereas the minute I lie on my back I feel ill!
The Vena Cava is the vein that can be cut off by bubs weight and cause nausea and dizziness - particularly as you get bigger and occurs if you lie on your back. HtH!

well thats what i always thought too. hmm... i dont think the yoga lady really knew what she was talking about.

I think the left hand side is better but AFAIK if there is a problem with the position you are lying in you will feel discomfort and move.

It's kinda right. My OB told me not to lie on my back at all after 20 weeks and also to try to avoid the right side as well as it can cause the same issue in some women.

I understood that the the artery that supplies your uterus (and as a result your placenta) with blood goes down your right side sort of at the back. So if you lie on it you can restrict the flow - but only in some people and if you were restricting flow you would feel uncomfortable and move.

I think that if there is the option of doing it on your right or left and it doesn't affect the exercise then I would lie on my left.

My midwife said i can still lay on my back but i'll know when it's a problem cause i'll start to feel dizzy and sick. Sometimes i do sometimes i don't. She didn't mention anything about not laying on right side.

thanks everyone. i guess she was sorta right after all then. its just that she said its fine on back but not good on right. i guess i will just favour the left if i can.

The arterty which supplies the oxygetated blood to your uterus has to work harder if you are laying on your right side. It ca be compressed if laying on your back. My yoga teacher has us all after 20 weeks laying on our left but before then on our backs for yoga nidra.
If you ever feel light headed or uncomfortable on your back or side, just change position.
I favour my right side when sleeping and have had no problems so far, if i am ever laying on my back i just wedge a pillow under one side so i am on a tilt.
Anyway - to answer your question - your yoga teacher is correct in saying that laying on your back and right side are similar

My ob told me that it doesn't matter which side you lie on. But definitely not your back for longer than a couple of minutes. Even then, I was on my back during an ob visit for her to use the Doppler and the artery compressed. I suddenly felt sick and dizzy and my ob laid me straight over on my side. There's no harm done if you roll straight over, I think the main worry is if it happens when you are asleep and you don't know about it, so it can be compressed for a few minutes or more.