During pregnancy, your body goes through so many changes, and your rapidly fluctuating hormones can cause some discomfort. If you are currently doing the demanding job of growing a human, read on to find some relief from your pregnancy pain!
During my pregnancy with my first daughter, I had an extremely short list of complaints. I was so blessed to have a blissfully easy and enjoyable pregnancy with her. Aside from the frequent night awakenings for bathrooms breaks and an aching back towards the end of the pregnancy, I could not understand why pregnant women complained of being so uncomfortable and miserable with pregnancy pain.
By contrast, my pregnancy with my second daughter was filled with aches, pains and misery from early on. Some of that had to do with the emotionally difficult circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. But I also just had a lot of physical discomfort that I never experienced with my first daughter or at least not to the same degree.
So, as I went through my pregnancy with my second daughter, I became one of those women I previously never understood who felt irritable and complained regularly as a result of all the aches and pains of pregnancy. To be honest, I experienced very little enjoyment throughout this pregnancy for a variety of reasons. But by utilizing some of the simple solutions for pregnancy pain described below, I was able to find relief from a lot of my physical discomfort.
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Please note that I am not a medical professional. Nothing in this post is meant to be construed as or replace medical advice. Please speak with your care provider about any concerns you have or any pregnancy discomfort solutions you want to try to make sure they are safe for you.
9 Simple Solutions to Pregnancy Pain
1. Chiropractic Care for Back Aches
Unlike the end-of-pregnancy back aches I had with my first daughter, my second daughter brought on severe back aches beginning at 14 weeks. At this point, I was still having a lot of morning sickness and could not exercise. There was very little I could do to alleviate the pain and discomfort besides lying down.
Read my top 3 tips for relieving pregnancy back pain here.
So I began seeing a chiropractor and continued to go faithfully every week and eventually every two weeks throughout my pregnancy. This, combined with my next recommendation, significantly helped to relieve my back aches. Even though it didn’t seem like the chiropractor was doing very much at each appointment, my back did so much better when I was regularly getting adjustments.
It did take some time for the adjustments to have a lasting effect on my back. And, once I was not feeling sick all of the time, I did my own “treatments” at home in conjunction with the chiropractic care to keep my back loose and relaxed. But even in my third trimester when I was working out and stretching every day, I still needed the chiropractic adjustments to keep my back happy.
2. Exercising & Stretching for General Discomfort
I already eluded to this one, but exercising and stretching became absolutely essential to my overall comfort once I was able to be active without feeling sick and once I had the energy. This one was really hard at first because, during my first trimester, I was so inactive due to morning sickness, low energy and sleep deprivation that I became pretty weak and just could not seem to get my energy back.
My energy levels improved once I started this prenatal vitamin (I had previously been taking a few specific vitamins, but not a comprehensive prenatal) and once my sleep improved somewhat in the second trimester.
I was around 20 weeks before I began attempting to exercise for the first time since before I became pregnant. At first, it was difficult even though I was only doing a short 10 or 15 minute workout. I could feel how weak I had become and it was so discouraging. But after a few weeks, I began to regain enough muscle and energy that the workouts were no longer exhausting and difficult.
I really liked exercising with Jessica Pumple of Pregnancy and Postpartum TV on YouTube. I liked that she had short 10, 15 and 20 minute pregnancy workout options that got my heart pumping and muscles strengthening without exhausting me.
And now, at 2 1/2 months after giving birth, I do her postpartum workouts. Although I have much more energy now that I am not pregnant, I still appreciate the shorter workout options she has since my hands-free time is pretty limited.
As my pregnancy progressed, I also practiced various stretches throughout the day that helped to loosen and open up my hips and back. Exercising and stretching are so important both for reducing pregnancy pain and for preparing your body for labor and delivery. It’s okay if you are not able to start exercising and stretching as early in your pregnancy as you would like to. It’s never too late to start!
3. Epsom Salt Baths for Braxton Hix
Around 26 weeks, I began having very intense Braxton Hix. Intense enough that I had to stop what I was doing and just breathe. They were much worse when I was over-tired and/or over-worked. Oftentimes they came on strong when I was pushing myself to finish preparing supper before resting after having a busy day on my feet.
Sometimes lying down would help ease the contractions. Other times getting on my hands and knees for a while would help. But frequently, the contractions would be back as soon as I got up.
Sometimes eating a meal would make them stop or reduce their intensity, but chugging water (the frequent recommendation for relieving Braxton Hicks) never helped even the slightest bit.
What I did eventually find to help was taking epsom salt baths. Of course, this is a bit time consuming and not always accessible, but when your contractions are severe enough to prevent you from doing anything anyways, it is totally worth it to spend 45 minutes in the bath. It takes time for the epsom salt (magnesium) to really start to work, so you do need to soak for a bit, but it really helps.
4. Bananas for Leg Cramps
I began having leg cramps at night sometime in my second trimester. At first they were annoying. Then they became intolerable. There’s nothing like being awakened in the middle of the night by your body automatically jumping from your bed like a loaded spring so that you can do a calf stretch before your muscle turns into a pretzel!
I tried magnesium spray to prevent these unpleasant episodes and it did not help in the least.
By the way, it is possible to overdose on magnesium even when it’s used topically. Yes, I know from personal experience. Just watch for headaches, fatigue, diarrhea, muscle weakness and nausea if you are using magnesium.
Anyway, one day I mentioned the leg cramps to my mom and the fact that magnesium did not help. She told me that leg cramps can be caused by other deficiencies besides just magnesium, including potassium and calcium. While I was sure I was not deficient in calcium (because I eat plenty of dairy products), it made sense that I could be deficient in potassium.
I began eating a banana every day and my leg cramps instantly improved significantly! In fact, one day that I forgot to eat a banana, I had lots of leg cramps during the night again. The difference was obvious.
I will say that towards the end of my pregnancy, even eating bananas was not helping my cramps anymore, but it definitely helped earlier on.
5. Apples & Yogurt for Acid Reflux
Acid reflux. Ick. From that nauseous feeling to heartburn to the desire to shove down the acid with every piece of bread in sight, reflux is one of the most annoying pregnancy symptoms.
First of all, if you have acid reflux during your pregnancy, I recommend you limit or avoid excessive amounts of chocolate, caffeine and acidic foods.
Read here about 4 surprising things you didn’t know you should avoid during pregnancy.
But sometimes, reflux will come despite our best diets (or because we couldn’t resist a little more chocolate …). During those times, a little yogurt or an apple can help to lessen the discomfort.
My husband is constantly telling people to eat apples when they have acid reflux because he claims they are the best treatment (aside from eliminating junky, greasy and fatty foods). And I have to admit, it did help my reflux on the days when it was especially problematic.
I also frequently ate yogurt with all of my more acidic meals (like lemony fish) during the first trimester and it helped my reflux significantly.
Also, try not to overeat. This was one of the biggest triggers for my reflux while pregnant. Even when you don’t feel like you are overeating, the lack of space inside the belly during pregnancy can make it easy to eat more than your tummy can easily contain in one sitting.
6. Kegels for Bladder Leaks
While bladder leaks may not be physically painful, this issue is definitely a pregnancy pain we all wish to avoid.
I did not start doing kegels until I was into my third trimester and I may or may not have experienced some leaky situations during sneezing fits prior to strengthening my pelvic floor.
Once I began a daily kegel routine, I was amazed by the fact that doing kegels actually worked for helping control pregnancy continence issues. Once I had been doing them faithfully for a couple of weeks, I no longer had any leaky situations.
I really cannot recommend doing kegels enough. I never did them during my pregnancy with my first daughter because I didn’t think it was truly necessary. But after my pregnancy with my second daughter, I can tell you that they make a huge difference in this embarrassing pregnancy pain.
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I have also noticed a difference postpartum as a result of doing kegels during my pregnancy. And I am starting to do them again to repair and maintain the integrity of my pelvic floor after giving birth.
7. Coconut Oil for Belly Tightness & Itching
As your pregnancy progresses and your belly gets stretched more and more, the tightness in your belly can become really uncomfortable. And while there may not be much you can do about the internal tightness, of your growing uterus (except for, perhaps, a cup of red raspberry leaf tea every day), you can treat the external parts of your belly to help with the stretching and itchiness of your skin.
With my first daughter, I religiously applied cocoa butter or my own homemade body butter to practically my whole body in an attempt to avoid stretch marks (stretch marks are pretty much unavoidable for the vast majority of women, by the way).
However, this time around, I did not have the time or the physical mobility to do that. I felt so much bigger and it was so much harder to move this time around. So I simplified and used coconut oil (which melts and rubs on so much quicker and easier than cocoa butter) on my belly only.
The discomfort of the stretching did not allow me to forget or skip this important part of my morning routine, but I kept it quick and easy. And it was very effective at easing the skin tightness and itching.
8. Comfy Pants for Your Growing Belly
Because pregnancy can be so uncomfortable, it is important to at least have some elements of comfort in the things you use everyday, such as your clothing. Make sure you have comfy pants to wear as your belly grows. And don’t wait too long to start wearing looser fitting or maternity pants.
My experience is that it may be necessary to start wearing maternity pants or loose fitting pants even before you have a baby belly. Personally, it starts to be painful for me to wear regular jeans somewhere around the end of my first trimester even if I’m not really showing yet.
If you wait too long to start wearing loose-waisted pants, you might find yourself miserably uncomfortable while you’re at work or out shopping one day.
But even later in pregnancy when you are already obviously wearing maternity clothes, some pants are better than others. I found that I could not always comfortably wear even maternity jeans. Maternity leggings are absolutely essential to have in your wardrobe during pregnancy for those days at home or days when you go out but just can’t handle the jeans.
A family member bought me these pretty maternity leggings and I really liked them.
9. Exercise Ball for Posture
Bad posture is a common ailment even amongst non-pregnant people. But when you are pregnant, you have even more weight pulling you forward and down. Allowing bad posture will only worsen your pregnancy pain, but it can be so hard to resist or even notice that you are not sitting up properly.
An exercise ball helps with the posture problem. It was also the most comfortable way for me to sit while I was pregnant, personally. I used my exercise ball while sitting at the table to eat or work on the computer or in the living room while watching TV. Sometimes sitting comfy and relaxed on the couch sounded good, but the ball often ended up being more comfortable and it was definitely better for my posture.
Unfortunately, my exercise ball got a hole in it sometime early in my pregnancy. I was pretty upset because I thought they were expensive and I knew I absolutely had to have one. But, fortunately, I found this one on Amazon that was only about $17 when I bought it.
I did find a cheaper one at Aldi for around $12, but the sizing was off. After a couple of purchases and returns, I gave up and kept the one from Amazon. I am five feet tall and it is just right for me, but it can be pumped with more or less air to adjust for some degree of height differences.
The Best Part About Pregnancy Pain
So to wrap things up, let’s talk about the best part of pregnancy pain.
The best part about pregnancy pain, you say? Is there even anything good about pregnancy pain?
Well, yes, there is. What is great about pregnancy pain is the fact that you know approximately when it will end. All of your current ailments, troublesome as they are, will only be with you for the duration of your pregnancy. I’m sure there are some exceptions, but for the most part, the discomforts of pregnancy resolve immediately or soon after giving birth.
I literally felt relief from my pregnancy discomforts with my second baby as soon as I finished giving birth. In the hospital those couple of days after having her, I remember loving how much lighter I felt and the fact that I did not have a strain on my back anymore.
Read my 2nd natural hospital birth story here!
And even now that it has been 2 1/2 months since I was hugely pregnant, I still thoroughly enjoy the fact that I can see and reach my toes again.
I know that pregnancy can be a real pain in the belly sometimes, Mama. And I am not going to tell you to soak up every frustrating moment and try to convince you that you will miss this. Honestly. I do not miss being pregnant in the least this time around. I don’t even miss those “sweet” little baby kicks that made me cry out in pain on a regular basis.
It’s okay if your not blissfully breezing through pregnancy. You know, it is my personal opinion that when God put the curse of painful childbearing on Eve and all of her descendants as a result of her sinful choice to disobey Him, He was not just referring to labor pains. It’s the pain of PMS and periods and pregnancy too.
I used to feel almost guilty that I had such a pleasant, easy pregnancy with my first daughter in light of other women’s pregnancy discomfort. But I sure made up for it with this last pregnancy.
So don’t worry, Mama. You’re in good company if you are frustrated by your pregnancy pain. I know it’s easy to feel guilty about not enjoying your pregnancy. But the fact is, some pregnancies are just hard. And the difficulties you are presented with may be completely out of your control.
But you can control how you respond to and treat your pregnancy pain. The solutions I have discussed in this post really did help to greatly reduce my discomfort during pregnancy. I hope that you will try the ones that apply to you and that you will be able to find some relief until that wonderful day arrives when all these ailments will be over and your beautiful baby will be in your arms, smiling innocently up at you as though he never caused you any trouble at all.
If you found this post helpful, please share it with your pregnant mama friends who are also in need of relief!
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