Pregnancy and Lower Back Pain
Normal weight gain in pregnancy is about
35 pounds, but lots of women I have met over my twenty-year midwifery career
gained 35 pounds to 70 pounds during pregnancy. The stress of sudden weight
gain during the short cycle of pregnancy can cause back pain and pregnancy
misery.
Pregnancy posture change:
Pregnancy and lower back pain happens
because of pregnancy weight gain and the automatic adjustments your body
makes in posture to accommodate the growing womb. This change in posture is
called pregnancy lordosis. Upper and lower back pain and pregnancy lordosis
go hand in hand because your spine becomes super curved, elongated, and your
breast and buttocks stick out which create a huge pull and stretch on your
muscles.
Pregnancy hormones:
On top of this, back
pain and pregnancy go hand in hand because of the higher levels of
pregnancy hormones you produce. Pregnancy hormones have a relaxing effect on
many of the muscles in your body to accommodate the muscle stretching that
is required during pregnancy. Relaxed muscles are not as supportive to the
spine and abdominal muscles. Therefore many women complain of back pain and
pregnancy shoulder stress.
Pregnancy pelvic changes:
The female pelvis is made up of many
different bones. When you get towards the end of your pregnancy, a baby
cannot fit to a normal-sized woman's pelvis without the pelvis opening and
expanding. The pelvis has two major joints; one towards the right and one
towards the left of your lower back along with a hinge joint at the very
tail end of your spine.
Back pain and pregnancy ligament pulling
and stretching is a direct result of your pelvis opening which will allow
your baby's head to engage or enter into the cavity of your pelvis.
Pregnancy and lower back pain is also caused by the excess pressure felt
deep within your pelvis as your baby sits and waits for labor to commence.
All of these factors taken together, it is
not unusual for pregnant women to get backaches. So if you get a backache
straight away start doing things to prevent your backache from getting worse
or getting out of control.
How to help minimize symptoms associated
with pregnancy and lower back pain:
-
I definitely recommend having nice
warm bath soaks, putting nice warm compresses on your back, or even
better still having back massages to help with your pregnancy and lower
back pain.
-
I would absolutely recommend that
every pregnant woman go to see a chiropractor during pregnancy. A lot of
traditional obstetrician, gynecologist and midwives are a little afraid
of sending the women to a chiropractor because they are just not
informed as to what chiropractors actually do. A chiropractor can help
your spine accommodate easier to all the posture changes that happens
during your pregnancy and relieve pain associated to pulled and stressed
muscles associated to pregnancy and lower back pain
-
Apart from that, let us look at what
things can you do to your own body to help minimize back pain and
pregnancy. Wearing a good supporting bra during your pregnancy will
support the increased breast weight and uplift your breasts so they do
not feel so heavy. This will alleviate a lot of the upper back stress
associated with pregnancy and lower back pain.
-
There are also a lot of pregnancy
stomach binders that have been created to help support the weight of
your growing womb which can help relieve back pain and pregnancy
ligament discomfort.
Many women are focused on fashionable
shoes and wear ridiculous footwear during pregnancies that do not support
their posture and feet. I cannot believe how many pregnant women out there
are wearing ridiculously high shoes or low shoes. Remember, as you become
more and more pregnant all the bones and muscles within your feet are
stressed.
Take a good look at the shoes you
are wearing during your pregnancy and ask yourself these questions to
evaluate the importance of your feet:
-
Do your shoes have a good supportive
arch in them?
-
Are your shoes nice and wide to
accommodate the increasing growth and widening of my foot associated to
extra blood volume and swelling that occurs during pregnancy?
-
Can your foot easily slip out of your
shoe? If so you could trip and fall and injure yourself or your baby?
The more informed you are about pregnancy,
than the better choices you will make. Better choices mean a happier
healthier mom and baby. Pregnancy can be an extraordinary experience for a
woman. It is far more than growing a baby and understanding
pregnancy and lower back pain.
Pregnancy has a huge emotional, mental,
spiritual, and energetic side to it. The more you understand these aspects,
the easier and less symptomatic your pregnancy will be. Learning how to
connect with the emotions of your unborn child
will allow you to
enhance your pregnancy experience and surrender
to its normal physiological process of pregnancy and lower back pain.
