Know the Reasons and How to Get Pregnancy Back Pain Relief

Back pain in pregnancy is one of the most common problems and can cause a lot of discomfort. Before looking for pregnancy back pain relief, all pregnant women must understand the causes.

After trying for more than 18 months, when in October 2015 I realized I was pregnant, I was ecstatic. The first few weeks was all about being perpetually tired and sleeping, and then started the back pain. I had expected to get morning sickness but this came as a surprise to me.

In the last few months, I had only concentrated on getting pregnant and thus, when I finally conceived I was clueless about the pregnancy and what it comes with. I was in fact very hyper about this pain and I remember going to my gynecologist to complain and get pregnancy back pain relief.

She told me it is normal and one of the most common things to happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy. Though relieved, the pain made me very uncomfortable and in fact, was my only concern in the 34 weeks of pregnancy. 

The Reasons for Back Pain In Pregnancy

For many, pregnancies come with a lot of discomfort. One of the only ones I had was a terrible back pain. Statistics show that almost every pregnant woman has lower back pain especially in the first trimester. Back pain can happen in any stage of the pregnancy and the reason is different.

The body undergoes a lot of changes in the 9 months. There are various reasons behind the back pain. Let us talk about a few:

Hormonal changes

When a woman gets pregnant, there are several hormonal changes that happen in the body and obviously, there are consequences because of the release of different types of hormones. (Creating a baby is no easy task).

There is a special type of hormone Relaxin, which increases flexibility of the pelvic area in order to prepare it for the baby and the delivery. The higher the Relaxin level in a woman’s body, the more painful the back pain is. According to research, there exists a strong correlation between the Relaxin level and back pain.

Weight Gain

Doctor suggests the pregnant mother to put on weight and putting on weight is an indicator of great health of the baby. However, it brings strain on the muscles, nerves, spines causing back pain. Pain due to weight gain happens more towards the last trimester as this is by when both mother and child gain weight putting pressure on the back.

Wrong postures

As the baby grows and stomach expands, the muscles expand and put a strain on the entire body affecting the posture of the pregnant mothers. Wrong postures and weight gain result in back pain in the latter part of the pregnancy.

Increase in stress

Pregnancy is all about changing emotions. Due to change in hormones, the stress level varies causing many body aches and back pain. It is advisable therefore to remain stress free during the pregnancy. This is the reason why it is advised to keep an expecting mother happy.

Labor pains and contractions

Practice contractions or Braxton hicks are common during pregnancy. These happen spontaneously without any notices. Usually, these practice contractions are painless. However, at times it is very painful causing severe back pain.

Lack of body movements

As the baby grows in a mother and the stomach expands, the body would not want to move more. This lack of movement will lead to abdominal and body pain. In the latter part of the pregnancy, though it gets tough to move, simple exercises are always advisable.

If you are scared or confused about exercising during pregnancy, my post, Know Everything About Pregnancy During Pregnancy is a must read for you.

How to Get Pregnancy Back Pain Relief

As you already know the reasons now, let us focus on the treatment or solution to get pregnancy back pain relief. Pregnant women have practiced all of the tips below in the past and doctors and medical professionals agree to most of the solutions. However, if you have any concern, please consult your gynecologist.

Get Moving

If you notice that, you have been sitting at one place for a while and have not moved, change your position, move a little bit and do a little stretching to avoid back pain. This will also give relief from all kinds of strain on your muscles. Having said that do not stress and strain your body too much. It is recommended to have low to moderate level exercises such as swimming, walking, cycling during pregnancy.

Exercising is good in pregnancy, but there are some which must be avoided. Head to my post, 12 Dangerous Exercises to Avoid During Pregnancy.

Use heat pads and cold compresses

Heating pads can help relax your muscles and stiff joints and cold compresses help relieving sharp pains. Use the temperature pads in balance.

When the back pain in pregnancy starts, the suggested thing to is start with a cold compress for up to 20 minutes. After 2-3 days of doing the cold compress, use a hot water bottle or a heating pad on the back. Extreme care must be taken to not apply heat on the abdomen area. Hot and cold compress are usually helpful in providing pregnancy back pain relief.

Get your postures right

The growing belly during pregnancy can bring a lot of trouble. Practice to stand straight and do not sleep on your back. With the support of the pillow between your knees, lean towards left side while sleeping.

While siting, ensure the chair you are using provides good support to your back. Keeping the pillow between the legs and sleeping on the left side really helped me in the first few weeks.

There are many pregnancy pillows available today and these are great to provide relief, especially when sleeping. Read my Guide to Pregnancy to Pregnancy Pillows to get all details you needed.

Manage your weight

It is natural to have cravings during pregnancy. Craving leads to eating more, and more eating adds more weight to a mother’s body. In fact, in many parts of the world, the mother to be is told to eat for two. This is a myth and mother needs to get healthy.

Cravings and eating more is normal in oreganncy. However, you can manage your weight by balancing between food and exercises and not putting on a lot of extra weight, which can cause severe back pain.

Get away from stress

Find a way to deal with the unnecessary stresses. Take a deep breath, walk a little, and meditate regularly to keep a healthy mind and health. These kinds of activities will relieve stress and ultimately the back pain. You can listen to soothing music as this helps the baby too.

Physically active

Physical activities always work in favor including the situation when a woman is pregnant. It is mandatory to have physical and mental wellness during your child birth. Along with good food, good exercises will keep you healthy mentally and in the entire period, you will have little back pain.

Staying busy and active at work or even in the house is very helpful. One must take precaution to not over strain and listen to the body. Rest when you get tired; but stay active to get pregnancy back pain relief.

Proper medication

Back pain is very common during pregnancy and can be avoided without medication. However, if the pain is severe, it is advisable to consult your doctor for further medication on the back pain.

Massages

Getting a pre-natal massage from a certified therapist can help a lot during pregnancy. These therapists are trained to handle the problems of pregnancy. They not only relieve pains and aches, but help in relaxing too.

These massages helped me a lot especially when it came to my back pain. Read my post, Pre Natal Massages: The Best Part of My Pregnancy to know my experience.

Wear Proper Footwear

Wearing proper footwear during pregnancy is a must to avoid any strain on the back. You will need to ditch those high heels as these put a lot of pressure on the back and also make you less stable. Pregnancy changes your center of gravity and the weight of the pregnancy is on the back, making high heels a big NO.

Flat shoes also come with their own problems because they do not provide support. Did you know your feet tend to spread during pregnancy?

Low heeled shoes with an arch support are the best choice. This is because these distribute the weight and pressure on the leg increasing stability.   

Change Habits

The above treatments will provide pregnancy back pain relief, but there are some habits which you should try and change to prevent back pain. The following are some of the ways to avoid back pain in pregnancy.

• Do not bend but squat to pick up something from the floor
• If possible, avoid sleeping on your back
• Do not lift heavy objects
• Avoid holding something heavy in one hand and try to distribute the weight
• Try and keep the back straight while sitting and at work. Using a pillow can help
• In the last trimester specially, try and get enough rest

Get Pregnancy Back Pain Relief

Use the tips above, you should practice simple things at home to get relief. If the pain persists, always consult your doctor as they might need to check. In addition, it is recommended not to take any kinds of pain relief medicine during your pregnancy as they might have other side effects.

Each pregnancy comes with its own set of problems and back pain is one of them. Trust me, when you see that little one, you will not forget one bit of this pain, because that moment makes it totally worth it.

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