I’m in My First Trimester of Pregnancy, and This Natural Rubber Mattress Has Helped Alleviate My Lower Back and Hip Pain

As a quintessential Taurus, sleep is normally paramount to my wellbeing. But after recently learning I’m pregnant with my first child, my need for sleep has hit me especially hard. I can confidently say I’ve spent more time in my bed than most people these past few months.

As someone who has spent the majority of my decade-long career working for ethical and eco-friendly businesses, I’ve slowly made the switch over to brands and products that align with those values when possible. When it was time to retire my traditional spring mattress, I knew an eco-friendly model was next up on the list of sustainable swaps. My first choice? Earthfoam, a comfy, springy mattress that’s so green, it grows on trees.

No, Earthfoam doesn’t actually have an orchard of mattress-sprouting trees (although that would be cool). Rather, Earthfoam mattresses are made from the sap of Sri Lankan rubber trees, aka, natural latex, to give them their signature bounce. In a saturated, often misunderstood category,  the eco-friendly sleep brand holds its products to serious sustainable standards, ensuring sleepers like me get a healthy, restorative snooze night after night.

And it has. After two months of sleeping on Earthfoam’s mattress, I can honestly say it’s been a serious upgrade from my old mattress on just about every front, keeping me comfortable and supported as I navigate my first trimester. Keep reading for my full review, below.

Earthfoam, Mattress (Full) — $899.00

Available sizes: Twin-California King in either Medium or Firm.

Prices vary on mattress size. 

The Earthfoam mattress: My full review

How it ships

While DTC mattress brands have been around for some time, this was my first foray into this category of online shopping. My first thought was, “How in the world is this going to get to me?” And once it arrived a mere few days later, my second question was, “How do I open this thing?”

After not finding anything online, I reached out to Earthfoam’s customer service team who promptly answered my question, instructing me to use the help of a second person to move the box into the bedroom, open the box, then cut away the compression wrapper (which is paper, btw) that was keeping the large, queen-sized mattress in a tight roll. I enlisted the help of my co-tester, my husband, and once getting over the fear that it might pop open like a can of crescent rolls (it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as we anticipated), it promptly unrolled and sprung to full thickness. As the customer service team had ensured, we were able to sleep on the mattress immediately after. I will note that there was a slight scent upon opening it up that we were told could happen due to the natural rubber. But it quickly dissipated and was not bothersome, even for my pregnancy-sensitive nose.

While I’ve only been testing it for about two months, I appreciate that Earthfoam offers a 100-night sleep trial for mattresses and toppers and a 10-year warranty for mattresses, in addition to free shipping to the contiguous United States and no-questions-asked free returns. (Note: The brand does ship to Hawaii, Alaska and outside the U.S., but the customer is responsible for all shipping costs including duties and taxes as applicable.)

How it feels

Earthfoam has two options of firmness to choose from: Medium and Firm. My husband and I opted for the “Medium” and find it to be firmer than our “medium” firm bed we had previously. If you are someone who definitely likes your mattress to feel like you are sleeping on a cloud, this mattress may not be your pick (although your doctor may suggest otherwise.)

Overall, my husband and I both feel that despite it being firmer than we were used to, it is super supportive, especially our lower backs, spines, and hips (which has become more important as we’ve aged over the years and as I navigate pregnancy).

How it sleeps

When first learning about the Earthfoam mattress, my husband was skeptical since he had heard that foam mattresses run hot, and he was concerned that it would not be cool enough for him. But, similar to clothing made of natural fibers versus synthetics, the mattress does a great job at adjusting to our body temperatures and variant Southern California weather.

Each mattress features five plush layers, two of which (the base and first layer) are made from natural latex. The third is a layer of organic wool batting to ensure thermoregulation, while also serving as natural fire retardant. On top of that is organic cotton batting that holds everything together and protects it from wear-and-tear. And on top of that, is an organic cotton face that’s cool to the touch and keeps my husbands night sweats at bay.

Sustainability

From a sustainability perspective, Earthfoam ticks off most boxes. The materials alone are impressive, as is the supply-chain, which includes Fair-Trade sourcing from Sri Lanka, ethical sourcing from New Zealand, and a fair labor at a family-run factory in Illinois. Each of these claims is backed with six different third-party certifications, including the Fair For Life fair trade certification, and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification. As mentioned, mattresses and toppers are compression wrapped in paper, while the pillows are shipped in biodegradable bags. And the products last long, a key part of the sustainability equation. According to the brand, natural foam rubber is famous for its durability and the mattresses are tested to last up to 3x longer than most mattresses, ensuring your investing in a product that’s built to last and stay out of landfills.

Cost

If you’ve gotten this far, you are likely thinking, “Okay, but how much does this cost?” If you’ve bought a mattress before, you may have been sticker-shocked like myself the first time I was required to make this adult purchase. Add on the words “organic” and “fair-trade” and the suspense may be building.

That said, when comparing across other popular direct-to-consumer mattress brands, I find Earthfoam’s prices to be comparable. The mattresses come in the sizes Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and California King and range from $699 – $1,499 depending on the size you buy. If you’re not ready to buy a full mattress but are curious, the brand also offers a mattress topper ($299-$399) in various sizes and a pillow ($99), which put much less of a dent in your bank account.

Tl;Dr

I’ll sum up my review best in the words of my husband. On the morning after our first night with our Earthfoam Organic mattress, I woke up to him saying groggily, “This mattress is comfortable.” Well folks, there you have it. The skeptical, partner who sleeps hot and the pregnant, sustainability-loving, heavy-sleeper partner both agree that this mattress is a definite win for our bedroom. Here’s hoping our soon-to-be infant can give us the courtesy of a goodnight’s rest like our Earthfoam mattress has.