By Rita Singha,
Pregnancy brings with it a mix and match of emotions, discomfort, pain and sheer happiness that is brought from the mere knowledge of an adorable little bundle that you would hold in your arms in a few months time! Talking about discomfort, almost all pregnant women complain about back ache at some stage or the other in pregnancy. Back aches are a common occurrence and can definitely be curtailed before they turn into something more permanent and long term.
Before we get into the details of how to have a back ache free pregnancy, let’s understand the causes of backache during pregnancy.
There are two main reasons for this:
Weight Gain: The ideal weight gain for pregnant women should be 12 to 24 KG. Many a times it is seen that we gain more weight than recommended. This weight gets piled up around the tummy and this in turn changes the center of gravity (moves forward). To balance this, we arch our lower back and round our upper backs. Often this is the reason for backaches.
Pregnancy Hormone: The pregnancy hormone relaxing caused the ligaments throughout the body to relax. This hormone plays an important role in the later stages of pregnancy to help expand the pelvis to make room for the baby. But the downside is that the ligaments of the spine are relaxed too causing backache because back muscles need to work harder.
Well, that was about the causes. Now let’s see whether it’s possible to have a backache free pregnancy and how. There is no magic to relieve you of backache during pregnancy, but there are definitely some ways in which you can ease the discomfort and have a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Here are a few tips:
Gentle Exercise Will Help:
Suffering from back pain during pregnancy is normal, but you can reduce the intensity and ease yourself with gentle exercises daily. If you are in doubt as to what is the right kind of exercise, you can always approach your doctor or take expert advice by joining a prenatal and antenatal fitness program.
Right Posture
Make sure your posture is right. Stand straight – always. You can even do a pelvic tilting exercise. Even when you are sitting, make sure that your lower back touches the back of the chair and your knees are at 90 degrees. Ensure that your back is always supported when you sit down.
Massage Your Lower Back Gently
Massage is good during pregnancy to relax the muscles. Massaging your lower back muscles and the ones that run either side of the spine can relax your back.
Avoid Lifting Things
Totally avoid lifting things – especially heavy ones. But even if you are lifting light things, ensure that you don’t bend your back. Bend your knees instead to pick it up.
Wear Sensible Clothes And Shoes
This goes without saying – wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Don’t rule out heels completely, but make sure that you are comfortable walking. Although you might find flats comfortable, a bit of heel would be good for your back.
A Warm Water Bath Will Help You Relax
Warm water bath is one good remedy for aching muscles. It not only relaxes your muscles, but is also good for relaxing your mind.
Support Belts Can Help
Use these only with expert advice. Support belts are those that take away some of the baby weight off your tummy and back.
Well, these are some pointers to ease back pain during pregnancy. Although you cannot completely avoid it, you can ease the pain for yourself.
Author Bio:
Rita Singha is the founder of Rita’s Pregnancy 101 – Pregnancy & Childbirth Classes in Ahmadabad, Surat & Chandigarh, Childbirth Educator and a hypnobirthing consultant. She has dedicated her life to educate people, especially women about the importance and greatness of pregnancy and motherhood. She loves to share tips and pointers to ease the process of pregnancy and help women with a happy and healthy pregnancy. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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