Daniela Knaan
UX/UI Designer at - AdobeA lot of things change in pregnancy, and while I always encourage “embracing the changes” our body goes through, back pain is really one of the things that you don`t want to embrace. Pain can affect your daily life. It is just something nobody wants to experience, and of course not on a daily basis.
And while the best prevention of back pain in pregnancy is strengthening your back before you get pregnant, luckily there are still things you can do to moderate and relieve pain during your pregnancy! In order to understand this, let`s take a deeper look into what causes back pain, and how we can affect it…
Where does back pain come from?
Back pain occurs when nerves in our spine are compressed. This can have a couple of reasons…
Your belly is growing
And that is good! Your baby is growing and developing and they need space! But as a result of the weight of your belly, you might unconsciously shift your posture…And together with the additional weight your spine has to support already, the result is compressed nerves in your spine that cause back pain.
The pregnancy hormones
Your body releases a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy, which causes your ligaments to soften. It happens in order to prepare your body for birth, and it should, but unfortunately, this also has some side effects. The ligaments around your spine soften, and can no longer protect the nerves properly.
Stress
With your new life situation, preparations, and growing to-do lists, we tend to get stressed easily. But stress is just bad for everybody and everything… And besides the negative impact of stress on your mind and unborn baby, it may appear physically in the form of pain.
How do you protect your back?
The importance of a strong back is still underestimated- unfortunately. And a good majority of people don`t grow up exercising and building a strong back.
To protect your back, you have to both strengthen the muscles around your spine and stretch to keep your back flexible and prevent stiffness.
Building a strong back
An excellent way to keep your back healthy is to practice yoga! Of course, it is best to make yoga practice part of your life before you get pregnant, but if that`s not the case, no need to worry… You can still strengthen your back during pregnancy! And why would this not be the perfect time to do something for yourself? After you have your baby, you will certainly need a strong back more than ever!
There are many postures and exercises you can easily practice several times a week…
- Cat and cow stretches
- Tabletop position
- Warrior 1 & 3
- Side planks
- Side stretches
- Pelvic tilts
Here you go with a 10-minute prenatal yoga video for a healthy back during pregnancy!
Other tips to help with back pain
- Avoid heavy lifting
- If you have to lift something- always squat
- Rest
- Support your back while sitting and always sit with a straight back
Protect your back after birth
Most probably, after you have your baby your back pain will be gone. But be careful not to neglect your back right now, just because there Is no acute pain anymore! Raising a child takes all the (back)strength you have!
There are many gentle exercises to regain your strength and work on your back after birth, and you can even include your baby! A few times a week, and 10 minutes of practice can make a huge difference…
And as important as exercising are your everyday habits. Those include:
Your posture!
Your posture contributes more to your back health than you might think. Having a good posture requires a healthy back and helps to keep it that way… But with a nursing infant, you may find yourself sitting on the couch with slouched back and shoulders. So be aware of your posture while feeding, holding, and carrying your baby. Always use nursing pillows to bring your baby to you if you are breastfeeding, and always bring your awareness to your body to correct your posture.
How you lift things
It starts with picking up your baby and applies to everything you lift up. Always bend your knees and lift from your legs. Never bend down and lift from your back, even if it may seem easier.
Alex Pirie and Hollis Herman wrote a book named “How to raise children without breaking your back” which you may find worthwhile reading!
What you work
If you work in front of a desk, as the majority of people do, you should take a lot of breaks to walk around or do some stretches! Sitting at the computer for eight or more hours a day is proven to affect your health in many ungood ways, one of them being your back health.
Conclusions
There is much you can do about your back! It all starts with being ready to integrate this idea into your being and making room for frequent practice, and the awareness of your body. I know it is hard sometimes to do that, but you have only one body. Take good care of it!
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/back-pain-in-pregnancy
