How To Cope With These Common Pregnancy Pains

Pregnancy can be a wonderful, exciting time for moms - but it’s also a time filled with aches and pains that you might not have experienced before! As your body changes and expands over the course of nine months, it’s very common to experience different types of pain at different stages of the pregnancy - and sooner with each pregnancy after! Women shouldn’t have to suffer through pregnancy, though, so here are some simple ways for dealing with common pregnancy ailments. 

1. Lower back pain 

Carrying all that extra weight around your front and middle can put extra pressure on your lower back. The bigger your baby gets, the more your center of gravity begins to shift forward, which can strain the muscles in your lower back. Carrying heavy bags, picking up older children, or wearing uncomfortable shoes can make the pain even worse. 

Ways to cope: massage, heating pad, stretching, and supportive shoes.

2. Sciatica

Sciatica can feel like a painful burning or shooting pain that starts in your lower back or butt and radiates down one or both legs. It can feel like a hot sensation that shoots down the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back and down each leg. Typically, sciatica is worse on one side of the body. Sitting for long periods of time or walking with bad posture can make the sciatic pain worse. 

Ways to cope: ice packs, heating pads, gentle stretching, massage, taking standing breaks, or seeing a physical therapist or chiropractor. 

3. Cramping and pelvic pressure

Many pregnant women report feeling some vaginal cramping and pelvic pressure, especially in early pregnancy as the uterus expands rapidly, and toward the end of pregnancy as your baby moves into position for delivery. It can feel like pressure or pain in your pelvis, butt, thighs, and lower back, similar to menstrual symptoms outside of pregnancy. The good news is, your pelvis expands to make room for the baby - but it can be very painful at times! 

Ways to cope: taking a bath, lying down and resting, using a heating pad, and wearing a maternity support belt.

4. Round ligament pain 

The round ligament helps cushion and support your uterus during pregnancy, but it is the cause of one of the most common complaints during pregnancy - round ligament pain. Round ligament pain can feel like a sharp, stabbing feeling in the belly and groin area. As the pregnancy progresses, the ligament stretches more and can become more painful. It usually occurs as a sudden, sharp sensation, and disappears within a matter of seconds. Rapid movements such as sneezing, laughing, exercising, rolling over, or standing up can trigger round ligament pain. 

Ways to cope: gentle exercise like stretching and yoga, over-the-counter pain medication, using a heating pad, and avoiding sudden, jerky movements.

5. Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD)

During your pregnancy, the gap between your pelvis bones nearly doubles in width to make room for your baby. Surging hormones also cause these bones to relax and become more mobile. The baby will need this extra space to move through during birth. Excessive movement of these bones is called symphysis pubis dysfunction, or SPD, and is jokingly referred to as “lightning crotch” because that is exactly what it feels like. This pain feels like pressure or stabbing pain in your pelvis, and usually occurs at the end of pregnancy. Movement like squatting, climbing, and lifting can make SPD pain worse. 

Ways to cope: icing the painful areas, gentle massage, wearing a maternity support belt, and sleeping with a pregnancy pillow or a small pillow between your legs. 

If you are suffering from any of these common pregnancy aches and pains, the KeaBabies Maternity Support Belt would be the ideal item to use during your pregnancy journey. Its ergonomic design provides 360° comfort and support for your belly and lower back. It prevents pesky backaches by helping distribute your weight evenly along your middle. The added support for your baby bump can take some of the pressure off of your pelvis, which can  be key to avoiding pain from SPD or sciatica. Its stretchy, breathable material makes it comfortable to wear both day and night! 

Pregnancy is a wondrous time, full of excitement and anticipation, but it can also bring about a lot of new pains and sensations in your body that you’re simply not used to. Don’t let yourself suffer through pregnancy. Instead, follow these tips and tricks for managing each type of pregnancy pain! 

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