The following article was contributed by Natalie Michelle of Maternity At Home.
If you are experiencing back pain during your pregnancy, don't worry; this is a very regular occurrence that affects many pregnant women. In fact, research shows that the percentage of women experiencing back pain ranges from 50% to 70%.
Back Pain is one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. You may experience back pain during any stage of your pregnancy. However, this pain is most often experienced in the later stages of pregnancy as your little one grows in your womb.
Back pain can be super uncomfortable, and can often disrupt your daily routine. Sometimes it will also affect your sleeping patterns by disrupting a good night’s rest. Thankfully, this pain does not spell gloom and doom to your life as a pregnant woman. There are many remedies you can try to stop the pain.
Causes of Back Pain
Multiple factors can be causing you to experience back pain during pregnancy. It is essential to know why you have back pain to understand the best way to relieve the pain.
Some pregnant women will start experiencing back pain at the onset of their pregnancies. Others may experience back pain as their little bump grows bigger each day. Here are some of the probable causes of back pain during pregnancy you may be experiencing.
Poor Body Positions
Poor body positions come from standing for long periods of time combined with the repeated motions of bending over. As your due date approaches, watch for changes in your posture that may trigger or worsen your back pain.
Change of Body Posture
As your uterus expands and baby grows, your center of gravity will slowly move forward causing you to have a change in body posture, and as a result, your back begins to hurt.
Increase in Hormones
As your body prepares for the birth of your baby, you have an increase of hormones in your body. The rise in hormones causes the pelvic ligaments to soften and joints to loosen. These changes may cause you to experience back pain because the softened joints and the loosened ligaments affect the support your back usually gets.
Weight Gain
Your growing baby bump and your little one will naturally cause you to add weight. The additional weight puts more pressure on your back, and consequently, it may become too much. As a result, it can lead to more back pain.
Women that are overweight or have dealt with back pain before being pregnant are at a higher risk of suffering increased pain as well.
How to Stop Back Pain
Practice Great Body Position and Posture
As your bump grows, your changing center of gravity may cause you to lean forward. To avoid leaning forward, most pregnant women will shift their weight to their back, but this move could worsen the pain.
Great body position and posture are characterized by avoiding the locking of your knees, making sure that you’re posture is straight with a wide stance, keeping your chest held high and your shoulders back and relaxed.
Update Your Closet with Maternity-Friendly Attire
To prevent back pain during pregnancy, you could consider buying yourself low-heeled shoes with excellent arch support.
Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes and ballerina flats because these kinds of shoes will only shift your body's balance more forward and possibly worsen your back pain.
Be Careful when Lifting Objects
Avoid lifting objects with your back while your back is bent. Instead, squat and lift the small object with your legs. You should also consider asking for help when lifting heavy objects.
Consider Your Sleeping Positions
Avoid sleeping on your back. Instead, sleep on your left side, ensuring that both knees are bent. For additional support, you can also place a support pillow either between your knees, right behind your back or under your abdomen. These pillows are designed specifically to help you sleep during pregnancy. Pregnancy pillow reviews online tell you exactly which sleeping positions work best.
You can also check out hiccapop’s Pregnancy Wedge Pillow that does a great job of alleviating the pain while lying on your side.
Apply a heating or iced pad on your back or massage
There is not much evidence to support the effectiveness of these pads or massage but, it can offer you some temporary pain relief. Do this with a proper sleeping position, and you will feel relaxed at the very least.
Practice regular physical activity
Regular physical activity while pregnant will enable you to make your back stronger which in turn helps relieve some back pain. If your doctor gives you the go-ahead, try regular physical activities, such as walking, and swimming. Also, you should consider talking to a physical therapist who will teach you more about stretches and exercises that will help alleviate the back pain.
Use a Maternity Belt
To ensure that you do not strain your lower back and pelvic area, it is advisable to invest in a maternity belt. The belt helps to support the abdominal core muscles and prevents your spine from having an abnormal curvature. A maternity belt can be used to complement other back pain remedies.
As always consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise program or if your back pain persists or worsens.
About Natalie Michelle
Hello, my name is Natalie and I am the owner of MaternityatHome. In the day I am a General Physician and at night I am a devout mother of two. I am always busy but I do love sharing all my knowledge and experience with other mothers or mothers-to-be out there!
References
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/back-pain-during-pregnancy/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy/art-20046080
