Find the best surgeon near you with our new surgery professional search.

Join our Breast Implants Discussion Forum to begin talking to real breast implant patients now!

See pictures of real people before and after a breast implantation.

Find all kinds of information about Breast Implantation  to make your decision easier.

Kathy B's Pillow Fort: Sleeping After Breast Augmentation

Sleeping after breast augmentation surgery can be a bit difficult. You have to sleep on your back and keep your head and upper body (from the waist up) elevated.

One of the members of our Message Board found a great way to sleep comfortably. Kathy B built herself a Pillow Fort and said that she slept like a baby. She was nice enough to post the pictures of her creation so that you can copy it if you want give it a shot for sleeping after breast augmentation. 

Kathy B used a total of nine pillows to create her sleep nest. She used four pillows for under her upper body, creating a slope to give herself back support. She used one pillow under each arm and two pillows under her legs at the knees. She then had one pillow for under her head

There are other options to help you get comfortable while sleeping after breast augmentation and keep your upper body elevated. These include:

• A recliner chair (one brand is La-Z-Boy)
• An adjustable bed
• A hospital bed (this can be rented)
• Foam pillow wedges. Two should do but these come in few different thicknesses, and one plus pillows might be enough.
• A husband pillow, the big stuffed pillows with an arm on either side. Some come with an additional moldable, feather pillow for the lower back so you can recline.

More Hints

Keeping a pillow under your knees usually helps keep you from rolling over on your side or stomach during the night when you’re sleeping after breast implants.

You can also arrange three pillows on your bed to help you keep your head and shoulders elevated. Use regular bed pillows, the bigger the better. Put the first pillow down at a 45-degree angle to the headboard. Put the second at right angles to the first pillow, so that half of it overlaps and is on top of the first pillow. These first two pillows will look like an arrowhead pointing at your headboard. Put the third pillow down on top of the first two and along the headboard, in a “normal” position for a pillow. The portions of the lower two pillows sticking out from below the top pillow form a support for your back, while your head and shoulders are supported by all three pillows. You can add a fourth pillow on top, if you want.

Keep a bottle of water on your nightstand. When you sleep on your back, your mouth is more likely to fall open and you might wake up with a very dry mouth.