Know Your Own Female Body

When you are pregnant, your body goes through many changes. While most of them, like your protruding belly, full breasts, and thicker hair may feel like blessings, other changes, including back pain, can make you wish that your pregnancy were over. Back pain is unfortunately a common side effect of pregnancy in most women and can happen at any time during pregnancy. Sometimes it is accompanied by sciatic nerve pain as nerves get pinched from excess stomach weight and pelvic shifting, while other times the lower back and upper shoulders are mainly affected. However you experience this uncomfortable part of pregnancy, you want to find as much relief as possible. Here are 3 ways to help reduce or eliminate your pregnancy-related aches.

Exercise

It's recommended that you get 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day while pregnant to help keep your body in shape and prepare you for delivery. Exercise helps manage your weight and blood pressure, and it can also assist with easing your back-related aches. When you exercise, you give your muscles and joints ample movement, which can help your body transition through pregnancy much easier and relieve your pain. If you can, try walking or riding a stationary bike every day. Any exercise that you did prior to pregnancy is safe to continue while pregnant as long as you avoid contact sports, such as kickboxing or touch football, to keep your unborn baby safe.

Medication

You can take acetaminophen while pregnant with your doctor's permission to reduce swelling and stiffness in your back. If your pain continues, your doctor may prescribe you a mild muscle relaxer mixed with caffeine to safely manage your symptoms without harming you or your unborn baby. You will want to stay away from aspirin, naproxen, or ibuprofen pain relievers unless your doctor gives you permission to use them.

Therapy

In some cases, your back pain can become so severe that only therapy will help. Physical therapy is one of the best methods for easing back issues while pregnant, and it can be prescribed to you by your doctor. Your physical therapist may show you and your partner ways you can stretch your legs and pelvis to bring relief to your back in addition to assisting you in proper techniques for applying heat and ice to the affected areas. If using heat pads or hot baths to relieve your aches, talk to your doctor about the appropriate length of time to do so to avoid raising your body temperature too high for your unborn baby.

You want to feel comfortable throughout your entire pregnancy, and keeping your back limber and pain-free is one way to do this. Talk to your doctor about therapy, exercise, and medication to ease your pregnancy woes so you can feel better even as your belly grows.