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A Comprehensive Guide To Back Pain During Pregnancy

Did you know that most studies estimate that 50% of pregnant women suffer lower back pain? However, it’s important to remember that back pain during pregnancy is primarily temporary. 

Welcome! We’ve written a guide for just about everything we could think of regarding back pain during pregnancy – If you’ve got anything you’d like us to add, leave a comment below! We’ve divided our guide into:

The causes of back pain depend on your trimester
Steps you can take to prevent back pain during pregnancy
Interesting statistics and facts about back pain during pregnancy
When should you worry about back pain?
Is back pain dangerous to the womb?
Will back pain go away after giving birth?
How to deal with back pain during pregnancy

Skip ahead to any section you find the most interesting – this article is pretty long! We’ve also written an article about solutions to back pain.

Why do pregnant women suffer from back pain?

If you’re interested in understanding why you probably suffer back pain during pregnancy, this section is for you!

Why do pregnant women suffer from back pain in the first trimester?

If you suffer from back pain in the first trimester, you can probably pin it on hormonal changes.

Ovaries produce much progesterone, slightly weakening your muscles and joints while making your ligaments (tissues) more flexible.

As a result, your waist will probably hurt as it slowly begins to bear your baby’s weight.

Why do pregnant women suffer from back pain in the second trimester?

During the 4th to 6th month, back pain is caused when your muscles are forced to become firmer while supporting your enlarging tummy.

Sacroiliac joints, which connect the pelvis with the spine, become looser, causing pain in the back, pelvis and waist.

Why do pregnant women suffer from back pain in the third trimester?

The third trimester is quite different!

Your baby’s growing size normally causes back pain during the third trimester. As a result, the blood vessels around your pelvis and back can become depressed, putting pressure on your nerves and causing pain.

Enlargement of the uterus also separates the muscles between the ribs and pubic bones. This can cause extra strain and result in back pain.

What does this mean for me?

You won’t necessarily experience these three phases above. For example, you might only experience back pain early or late in pregnancy.

Depending on your pre-existing conditions or the nature of your pregnancy, the symptoms could vary from mild to painful.

We recommend you consider often exercising or ensuring you don’t stay stationary for too long! In case you missed it, you can find our tips for dealing with back pain during pregnancy over here.

Steps you can take to prevent back pain during pregnancy

Our number one tip to avoid back pain: Watch how you squat, sit, lift and put down weights. We can’t emphasise this enough.

1. Watch your form when lifting weights. 2. Don't stand or sit for too long. 3. Lightly exercise daily for half an hour. 4. Get a backrest and footrest for your chair. 5. Apply cold and warm compresses in 15 minute intervals. 6. Don't stand or sit for too long. 7. Avoid wearing high heels. 8. Remain active even if you feel back aches.

It’s not easy to explain how to squat correctly just using pictures and text, so we’ve found a great video on Youtube to help you out. Squatting properly to pick things up is essential to preventing back pain during pregnancy!

Don’t be disheartened if you still experience back pain despite following these steps. Most pregnant women experience back pain anyway, and these steps will help ease the pain you would otherwise experience.

Interesting statistics and facts about back pain during pregnancy

We’ve compiled some great statistics about back pain in a simple format below. Save it for your reference if you’re interested!

Pregnancy back pain facts: 1. Lower back pain is the most common cause of sick leave after delivery. 2. According to the US NIH, the gold standard of treatment is physiotherapy, yoga, massage, acupuncture and relaxation. Graph showing that postpartum back pain gradually subsides over time. Graph showing that 50% of pregnant women suffer from. lower back pain at some point during pregnancy.

We’ll look to add more infographics to our content in the future if you enjoy it. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Infographic. Pregnancy back pain facts: You are more likely to recover during the postpartum period if your pain is in only one part of the body. Avoid prolonged sitting. Use a pillow backrest when sitting. Minimize activities which worsen pain. Use a pillow to support your legs when sleeping.

It’s unfortunate to tell you the bad news – but sometimes, there can be long-term health problems from your pregnancy and back pain. Unfortunately, not everyone recovers, so it’s crucial to stay healthy during pregnancy and use the pain management techniques shown in the infographic above.

 

When should I worry about back pain?

Back pain usually is just a sign of your changing body during pregnancy. However, you should be concerned if it’s been accompanied by vaginal bleeding, fever, or a burning sensation when urinating.

These conditions could indicate that you have a urinary tract infection, which can result in preterm birth.

We recommend that you check with your doctor immediately for professional treatment.

Is back pain during pregnancy harmful to the womb?

No, back pain is not dangerous to your baby. It’s typically just a symptom of your changing body.

However, it can cause long-term health problems for you. Unfortunately, a small percentage of pregnant women will continue to face back pain after their pregnancy (See our infographics above).

How to get rid of postpartum back pain

After giving birth, your pregnancy back pain should probably go away. However, it can be replaced by postpartum back pain. Studies show that up to 75% of pregnant women experience back pain immediately after birth.

It would help if you tried to follow the steps we listed earlier to relieve the pain subside.

The usual practices apply: Keep exercising, watch how you lift and bend while carrying weights, make sure you aren’t stationary for too long and don’t wear high heels.

We can provide some additional tips, especially for the postpartum period!

  1. Try some pelvic floor strengthening exercises, like bridges and shifting planks.
  2. Keep your spine straight when walking and bending to pick up your baby.
  3. Pro tip: You can start walking soon after normal or Caesarean delivery. It might not seem like it helps your back, but it does. Shifting your body relieves the pressure on your lower back. Did you know that sitting is the most harmful posture for your back?

How to deal with back pain during pregnancy

There’s a chance that you’d still encounter back pain even if you followed all the steps we shared earlier. Here are some tips you can follow to alleviate your pain:

  • Try to sleep facing the left to ease blood circulation.
  • Avoid stress, as it can increase muscle pressure and worsen your back pain.
  • Use comfortable shoes when travelling. Putting your feet firmly on the ground can help relieve pressure from your hips. 
  • Stop sitting down so often. Sitting is one of the most harmful postures for your lower back.
  • Finally, avoid carrying heavy loads wherever possible. Ask for help!
  • Try out prenatal exercises, such as yoga, gymnastics, and swimming. Previously, we’ve run some features and tutorials about prenatal exercise on our Instagram account. So go ahead and take a look!
  • Take a warm bath to relieve muscle pain.
  • Consider getting a prenatal massage. Don’t be afraid to ask your partner for help! A good prenatal massage oil like Mama’s Choice Relaxing Massage Oil can help you relax and ease your pain. You can also try Mama’s Choice Herbal Oil which has a warming effect to relieve muscle aches.

Mama's Choice Relaxing Massage Oil

  • Compress the back and pelvis with warm and cold water frequently. Did you know that cryotherapy (cold therapy) is used everywhere? Athletes use it to recover after exerting their ligaments and muscles – but we digress. One simple technique you can try is to alternate between warm and cold compresses. For example, you can try applying ice to your back for 15 minutes, followed by a warm towel for the next 15 minutes.

Back pain is one of the many issues you’ll face during pregnancy. We’ll be blogging about many other problems such as morning sickness, nutrition and stretch marks soon, so you can subscribe to our newsletter if you enjoy our content and would like to read more!

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ALSO READ:
How Herbal Oil Can Help With Body Pains While Pregnant
How To Improve Your Pregnancy Mood
Oxytocin Massage: A Simple Yet Effective Way to Help With Breastfeeding

Author Mama's Choice Team

Mama's Choice Team

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