Pregnancy was, is and will always be a thing of joy, this does not hide the fact that it comes with a number of challenges.
The fact that you as a woman is carrying another human being inside of you that is feeding from you calls for concern not to mention that he/she is positioned in a way that it affects your centre of gravity. It is fast becoming a common thing to see pregnant women with their hands placed on their lower backs to help support or distribute theirs. This is notvery effective as either your hands or back or even both start to ache.
Some pregnant women even experience laboured breathing or Laboured respiration because of walking or even trying to stand up after sitting down for a long time. If it will become worse, you may have to go for oxygen concentrator to support your lungs. It is important to understand the manner in which gravity of your body works before and during pregnancy as it will help you overcome the challenge of back pain that comes with pregnancy.
Below are 10 effective remedies for pregnancy back pain:
1.Exercise Regularly
A lot of women tend to run away from strain even if it is good for them. Exercise, in this case, isn’t the one that involves a lot of energy, it is the type of exercise that helps you relax your muscles without necessarily straining you. Exercises like swimming and jogging are essential during the first trimester. When swimming, the water removes the effect of gravity and this will also help to reduce the pressure at that point in time. In addition, swimming also helps you with effective breathe control which is important for both you and your baby.
2.Proper Stretching
It is important to start and end your exercises with some stretching as it also helps in relaxing your muscles. Exercise without stretches will result in more aches, considering that it is aimed at relieving of back pain than having aches should not be on the menu. By stretching, you are relaxing the muscles and reducing the strain on them, which may have been caused by exercising. You can consult a physiotherapist to help you with proper ways to go about stretching.
3.Breathe Deeply
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Before the incident of pregnancy, your internal organs were the main constituents of your body. The growing fetus in virtually all cases tends to either push or squish your organs to enable you are your body to accommodate it. In most cases also, your diaphragms aren’t spared. This also contributes to back pain, not to mention that it causes labored breathing. Deep, slow breathing will help you get air into your ribcage, middle and lower back, andit will help release the tightness in those muscles.
4.Work on your Posture
This is where the main challenge is, your posture affects your muscles, bones, tendons and all. To learn the act of obtaining the proper posture, it is important to pay attention to where you feel your weight the most. When you want to pick up something, bend your knees and hinge at the hips instead of your back. Avoid bending forwards or over instead squat or crouch if you need to get low. Avoid sitting down for too long and if you must seat, sit on the edge of the seat, as this will do your pelvis good. When walking, try leaning backward as this will help reduce the strain caused by your protruding stomach. Also, when standing, stand your legs apart as keeping your legs closed will irritate your back.
5.Sleep Properly
Sleep is a very scarce commodity to come by during pregnancy yet it is very important. It is not just about sleeping during pregnancy; it also is about sleeping properly. By sleeping properly, I mean sleeping regularly and try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees to reduce the strain on your pelvis and lower back. Sleeping flat on your back is not good for you or the baby; it is also very uncomfortable. Experts advice sleeping on a firm mattress or placing a wooden board under your mattress if you have a soft bed. Learn smart sleep habits such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and relaxing bedtime routine, avoiding bright screens such as phones and computers just before bed, keeping your sleeping space cool and dark, and not eating for at least 2 to 3 hrs before bedtime.
6.Use Maternity Belts
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Maternity belts are very useful as they will help hold up your protruding and pelvic girdle to ensure that your lower back is not overly strained. These belts serve as substitutes to your abdominal core muscles and help spread the weight evenly across your midsection. These belts are very good complements to the other methods of relieving back pains.
7.Avoid High Heels and Tight Fitting clothing
The developing fetus in your womb does not give a hitch whether or not you are a “fashionista”, all it knows is that it has to develop. It is only sensible that you stick to not just maternity clothes but comfortable maternity clothes. Avoid wearing high heels, because they will propel your weight forward and cause you to have back pains. It is also necessary to avoid tight-fitting clothing as they will cause you discomfort.
8.Avoid Stressful Situations
There is a reason why it is called “maternity leave”, this because experts know that a high level of stress surrounds the workplace. When under stress, the body tends to lack direction this is because “stress is a non-directional reaction to stimuli”. When a pregnant woman is stressed, she tends to lack coordination and control over her body. Lack of control or coordination over her body will result in the opposite of proper posture, sleeping and so on. This will only aggravate the back pain instead of relieving it.
9.Learn to Meditate
Sometimes to relieve the back pain caused by pregnancy, all you need to do is close your eyes and shut the whole world out. The thought process has a significant effect on the body i.e. negative thoughts causes’ negative reaction and positive thoughts causes’ positive reaction. As such, it is very important for pregnant women to inculcate the habit of meditating as it is a good source of relief from both mental and physical pressure.
10.Treat Yourself to a Good Massage
There’s an African saying that goes thus “body no be firewood”, meaning “the human body is not a piece of wood”. This is very true as the body will most likely breakdown if it isn’t well taken care of. The importance of a massage to a pregnant woman is massive. The atmosphere that a nice spa alone gives is very relaxing and the massage itself will also help take away the strain from those muscles of yours as well as the pain it comes with.
