Is it unsafe to sleep on my back while pregnant?

Is it unsafe to sleep on my back while pregnant?

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After 20 weeks we recommend that women sleep on their sides. The reason for this is that the aorta and the vena cava, which are the major blood vessels in the body, course on the right side of the body. After 20 weeks, the weight of the uterus is so great that lying on someone's back for a long period of time can actually decrease blood flow to the woman's heart and therefore to the placenta. What happens inevitably is that women will wake up on their backs and worry and say, "Oh my gosh, I've been on my back." We tell them not to worry, and to just turn on their left side. We just want to avoid being flat on the back for eight hours straight.