Best Seat Cushion for Pregnancy

You’re pregnant and you want to be comfortable, but your office chair is not very comfy. It can make a huge difference in how the day goes if your pregnancy seat cushion makes it better or worse! Lucky for us though there are some great inventors out there that have developed prenatal cushions so we don’t need to suffer too much with our workdays.

As a general rule, the best seat cushion for pregnancy is a natural latex cushion that supports your back and shoulders back is best. Your seat cushion should have enough space to support your tailbone or coccyx and your hips should be above your knees.

After treating expecting mothers with back issues for decades, researching and designing pregnancy-specific seat cushions, I will be able to recommend the most comfortable cushion for pregnant women. 

As a result of my experience with countless patients, I know a few points to take into account for your comfort.  I’ll explain each of them here so that you can make the right choice the first time around.

Choosing the Right Seat Cushion for Pregnancy

Best Design for Seat Cushion 

In terms of design, this seating cushion is rather basic and seen on just about every seat cushion website; the only thing that changes is its wrapper and fancy marketing language.

Therefore, let’s dig a little deeper because some seat cushions are better for your back than others. For a comfortable seat cushion design, keep the following factors in mind:

• When you sit, the cushion contacts the first part of your body that contains all those bony prominences-your buttocks. All successful cushions, including those that reduce pressure points, redistribute pressure away from sharp areas in the pelvis, so we feel less low back pain while sitting! 
• When you sit on a seat cushion, it will change shape. For instance, foam that is softer is more likely to compress and sink.

• Choosing multi-density foams for your seat cushion will provide pressure distribution and support. The base layer should surround a comfort layer that is softer on top.

• Sitting on a cushion that conforms to the shape of the body is very comfortable. Ideally, the hips should slope towards the knees so the trunk-to-thigh ratio can be increased and the supports for the bony prominences are adequate.

• It is important that your seat cushion supports your spine while engaging your core. Even though it may seem counterintuitive, you’ll be significantly more comfortable if the weight is dispersed into your core. We have received very positive feedback from our patients after making these adjustments to their seat cushions.

The Best Foam for Pregnancy Pillows

While selecting a seat cushion, keep these factors in mind:

• Comfort
• Support 
• Non-toxicity!

Latex Seat Cushions (5/5) ★★★★★

Do you know that experts consider natural latex to be one of the safest foam options? These products are made entirely from non-toxic materials that do not release any harmful chemicals. As opposed to most other seat cushions made of memory foam, polyesters, or polymers, natural latex mattresses do not off-gas like other petrochemical foams.

In addition to being non-toxic, eco-friendly, and completely natural, a natural latex cushion is an excellent choice for pregnancy:

• Better for Spinal Alignment.  
• Allows your muscles and ligaments to relax and recover while improving your blood circulation due to their pressure distribution.  
• Excellent Air Circulation
• Pressure points are relieved
• They prevent your body from sinking into them beyond a certain point and bounce back as you apply your weight.

Memory Foam Seat Cushions (2/5) ☆☆☆★★ . 

I tested memory foam quite a bit and found it to perform poorly. My experience with memory foam cushion seat cushion revealed the following issues:

• Memory foam has a relatively slow response time.  A foam’s responsiveness is determined by its response to pressure or motion. A responsive cushion will move and shift naturally, keeping you from feeling back pain. 
• They feel uncomfortable due to the tendency to retain heat.
• Cheap foam made of polyurethane or memory foam is prone to collapsing.
• A closed-cell foam, memory foam does not allow for airflow.  
• Often, memory foam is filled with substances such as polyurethane, formaldehyde, antimony trioxide, fire retardants, and petrochemicals.

Cooling Gel Foam Seat Cushions (3/5) ☆☆★★★

If you are looking for cooling seat cushions, the term gel foam may be confusing. There are several types of cooling gel foams. ‘Unique and cooling’ is how these cushions are marketed. Its packaging is its only distinguishing feature. 

Due to the following reasons, our patients did not find these cushions to be cooling, comfortable, or supportive:

Gel Honeycomb Cushions (3/5) ☆☆★★★

• To make these cushions, silicone-based foam is used. 
• On the plus side (unlike memory foam), this type of cushion allows free-flowing air to keep you cooler. Additionally, silica only retains its shape if you’re extraordinarily light.
• Comfort, support, and satisfaction were poor with this type of cushion. 
• Most complaints involved cushions with honeycomb shapes that bottomed out quickly.

Gel Cushion and Memory Foam Cushion Combinations (1/5) ☆☆☆☆★

Its base is constructed of memory foam, while its infusion is silicone gel. Seating cushions that offer to cradle but not too much support can be found everywhere online.  

Takeaway

Finding a great pregnancy seat cushion is important to your comfort, but it’s also important that you find one that will not be too hard on the back. We’ve shared some of our favourite recommendations with you here and we hope this has helped! 

If you want more ergonomic guidance for yourself or others in your company, visit our blog for the most useful information available about best practices when sitting at work.