Pregnancy can be an exciting time for both expectant mothers and their families as they prepare to bring a new life into the world. However, pregnancy often brings unexpected complications that can cause quite a bit of discomfort for the mother to be. One of the biggest complaints is back pain and spasms.
Back Pain Causes
There are a few different reasons why women experience back pain during pregnancy. The common reason is actually quite simple – weight gain. During pregnancy, women can potentially experience dramatic weight gain.
In reality, it’s hard not to gain weight. You are growing a new human, after all. This new weight gain is centered around the abdominal region shifting your center of gravity and causing an adjustment in your normal posture. This will put greater pressure on your back often resulting in pain.
Sometimes, however, the back pain might be more serious. Pain in the back could be the result of uterine contractions and could be a sign of early labor. Like a heart attack, which shows itself through pain down the left arm, early labor symptoms can cause referred pain in the back. If your pain comes and goes, it could be a sign of early labor and you should see a physician as soon as possible.
If you are like many women who are pregnant, you have had to deal with back pain as part of the pregnancy process. There are many different ways you can relieve your back pain that is safe for both you and your baby. Here are 5 ways to relieve normal back pain during pregnancy. As some back pain can be a sign of a serious condition for both you and your baby, please ensure that you inform your healthcare provider about your back pain before implementing these methods.
1. Exercise
One of the best ways you can stop back pain is through exercise. Strengthening your muscles in your back and improving your overall physical fitness can help you carry the extra weight of that baby much more easily and comfortably, helping you avoid back pain altogether.
Some of the best exercises for pregnant women are walking, swimming and riding a stationary bike. Talk with your doctor or physical therapist about what exercises are safest for you and your baby before you begin any exercise routine or program.
2. Massage Therapy
There is nothing like a good massage to relax your muscles and relieve the tension in your body. A good massage can help you relax tensed muscles that are beginning to get sore and can even help you relieve stress so at the end of the day you feel less stress. Once your tensed muscles are relaxed and you are less stressed, you will begin to feel less pain in your back.
3. Hot and Cold
Placing hot and cold compresses are an easy way to provide a little relief to your aching back. Assuming your health care provider approves, begin by placing a cold compress on the painful area of your back for 20 minutes each day for two to three days.
After that, switch to a hot compress to the same area and continue to alternate. When applying heat, be sure to avoid applying it to your abdomen while you are pregnant.
4. Improve Your Posture
When you are pregnant, you face extra pressure on your spine and are forced to carry around extra weight. In many instances, this causes slouching putting even more pressure on your spine. While you are working or sitting, try placing a towel in the small of your back and make a conscious effort to sit up straight at all times. This will help you maintain good posture and relieve the added pressure on your spine resulting in less pain after a long day.
5. See Your Doctor
If all else fails, or if your pain is severe, you should consider paying a visit to your doctor. Your doctor will be able to look at both your health and the health of your baby to determine if something more serious is happening and will then be able to prescribe a better treatment that can help you with your pain while also ensuring your unborn child remains safe.
More Tips to Help Prevent Back Pain
In addition to steps above, you should also actively try to prevent your back pain from happening. With just a few changes in your lifestyle, you can stop many of the causes of back pain before they happen.
If you need to pick up something from the ground, do not bend over. Instead, bend your legs into the squat position to grab whatever you dropped. While you may like the way high heels look on your feet, while you are pregnant consider switching to flats instead to relieve the pressure that high heels place on your back.
When you go to bed, avoid sleeping on your back. Many doctors advise against sleeping on your back anyway due to some dangers it places on both you and your child, so instead try sleeping on your side to relieve the pressure on your back.
Pregnancy is truly a beautiful miracle of life and should be embraced. However, back pain from pregnancy can put a damper on how you feel and prevent you from enjoying what is supposed to be a truly special time in your life.
If you are dealing with back pain while you are pregnant, try using these solutions to help relieve the pain so you can enjoy this magical time and embrace it the way it was meant to be. If your pain continues, talk with your doctor and see how they can help you relieve the pain so you can get back to preparing to be a mother.
