Congratulations & Celebrations… For you have a baby time! Pregnancy is the best news in the life of every lady, and why not, after all, it is the biggest and most precious gift of the God. But with some gain, also comes little pain and so is the scene, when you are pregnant. A lot of care during this time. Due to hormonal changes, the body of the pregnant lady goes through many changes. One such change is uppermost back pain. Upper Back pain during pregnancy is quite obvious due to the changes in hormones at this time and increased the weight of the mother and the baby in the womb, but when it is about spending nine long months with such a pain, it becomes very tough to deal. So, as a helping guide, we have brought you with such an informative piece of article which will help you very much in taking the best care of yourself especially when you are the victim of upper back pain during pregnancy. Let us understand the reason for this pain and then know the ways to get rid of it.
What is the reason of Upper back Pain during Pregnancy?
The focus is on the pre-natal lower back pain during pregnancy, but the problem of upper back pain founded in equal proportion. In medical language, the upper back pain occurred during pregnancy is termed as Thoracic Spine. It happens in the third semester of pregnancy, but in few cases, it might occur early as well, depending on one’s body and the changes that a woman has to deal. Understand the reason for upper back pain during pregnancy. A woman goes through various changes during this time and as per the medical science there is a reason for every move that a woman faces during pregnancy. So, is in the case of upper back pain. There are numerous reasons as to why women suffer from a lot of top back pain during pregnancy. Let’s understand.
Once you are pregnant, the level of hormones increases in your body speedily which at later stages also prepares the shape of a woman for the delivery. These hormones result in relaxing the muscles and ligaments of the stomach and also loosening the muscles of the back portion. It happens so that the baby gets ample place to develop and grow freely. It is a truth that a pregnant woman’s weight step-up by at least 25%. Now as the pregnancy months pass, the size of the baby along with the size of the uterus, both increases which further results in increasing the pressure on the ribs which is the central support of the back to keep firm and robust. Due to the additional stress caused by weight, the muscles weaken and cause severe upper back pain at the time of pregnancy. Secondly, one more reason for back pain during pregnancy is due to the mid of the gravity being wobbled by the baby in the womb which results in inclining the body frontward. Now, in such a situation the back muscles play a significant role in balancing the body weight. Thirdly, the increased size of the breasts could also be one of the reasons for back pain during pregnancy as this leads the shoulders to bend much. It is one of the necessary changes.
The truth is that all such symptoms are unavoidable and it is not advisable at all to go for painkillers at all as it might harm the health of your baby. You can go for some easy exercises and some safeguards that will help you a lot to get relief from this pain and are also safe for the mother and baby both.
Read More : 15 FOODS TO STRICTLY AVOID DURING PREGNANCY
SAFEGUARDS & INTERVENTIONS
Luckily, some effective measures can help you a lot in curing the excess upper back pain to an extent. All you need to do is to take some extra care right from the first day of the pregnancy so that the entire time can be a memorable one. Below are few safeguards and interventions that will prove to be a great help to you:
- Correct standing position:
Pregnancy time is a pampering time, and every expecting mother loves it a lot. Every person in the family gives utmost importance to you and your health, and so you can enjoy lots of rest in this whole duration. But at times, there are occasions where your presence is must, and you cannot avoid standing. So, to ward off upper back pain from occurring, it is essential that you follow the correct standing posture. Keep equal distance between both the legs so that the weight of the body which also includes the importance of the baby might get distributed equally. It implies the least stress on the upper back portion. Hence, take care of how you stand if there is a requirement; strictly follow correct standing position only.
- Correct sitting position:
Like the standing posture, the mother-to-be should follow the proper sitting position as well. Prevent the use of leaning chair or sofa, instead, prefer sitting on the chair which ensures comfy lumbar support during your pregnancy time. You can even make the use of lumbar pillows on the back of the chair to add more comfort while sitting because when the lower back portion of the pregnant lady must be in the right way, the chances of having upper back pain becomes minimal. While you sit, make sure that you keep your both the feet on the ground, and the distance of the shoulder should be maintained breadth aside. The reason behind such posture is that it assures an equalised dispersion of the entire weight with least stress on the back portion. So, the more comfortable your sitting pose is, the more relief you will be from any back pain during pregnancy.
- Correct sleeping position:
Sleeping for extended hours, or even lying on the back for long duration are considered to be the causes of back pain during pregnancy. Manage the rest accordingly, meaning thereby, for some time you can sit and relax, and for some time you can sleep and take rest. Do not remain in the same posture for a long time; keep changing (as per the advice) from time to time. The expectant mother is considered to sleep on one’s side in a safe position. It is believed to follow the right way of sleeping during pregnancy. Also, say NO to high pillows because it is the job of the cushion to assure the comfortability of the neck and back portion, both. So, prefer sleeping with flat pillows at least during these nine months. In your late pregnancy, it is better to sleep on the left-hand side so that the uterus implies no extra force on the major vein that is on the right-hand side of the stomach, named Vena Cava. It also helps in enhancing your blood circulation. A sound sleep works like a blessing in disguise, for a pregnant lady.
- Go for some stretching exercises:
When you are in pain, you will try all the necessary cures and opt for some stretching practices is one of them. It might be of great assistance when it comes to the upper back pain during pregnancy. There are two examples given under:
- a) Doorway Muscular Pectoralis: – While standing nearby to the door; put your arms on the frame of the door and raise your hands to the height of your shoulder in such a way that your elbows should bend to ninety degrees altitude. Now put one foot forward and slightly bounce frontward till the time you experience little stretch at the forepart of your chest and shoulders. Stay in the same posture for about thirty seconds. That’s it. Make the repetition of the same for about three to four times in a day, with ample of gaps.
- b) Scapular recantation: – Once done with the above-given exercise, you can relax your arms in the usual way and then lightly pinch the shoulder blades unitedly in such a way as if you are attempting to carry a pencil amidst them. Now hold the pose for about five seconds and then take a sigh of relaxation. While repeating this exercise, make various sessions of it and repeat it about 20 to 25 times per session.
- Yoga and Massage:
You can even take the help of daily massages by consulting a physiotherapist, while you are expecting. Their professional technique of relieving the pregnancy pain works superbly. Also, if pain exists because it is a regular phenomenon during pregnancy, you can prefer palliating methods like cold & hot water bag. Also, specific pregnancy yoga classes which comprise of safe yoga especially for the expecting ladies and are highly helpful for the health of the mommy and the baby both. Such exercises not only relief from any pain but also helps in easy and quick delivery too.
- Lift in the right way:
Pregnancy is a delicate time, so extra care is a must. A strictly advised is to pick the heavy weighted articles when you are expecting, and in case if there is an urgent need to lift any regular weighted object, you are advised to keep these points in your mind. With an erect back stoop at your knees, elevate with your legs and bring the purpose nearby to your body and avert any bend and lift motion. If there is a need to bend, bout your complete body along with the feet to confront the new place instead of pivoting at the waistline. You can follow the same style while picking up your little one post delivery. In case, if you need any help, do ask for it, neither hesitate nor try doing any task which you are not comfy doing it.
- Be very active: Always try to be a busy mom! Make sure you confirm with your doctor for any of the daily exercises you perform. As per the advice of Dr Harms, Swimming is the best exercise for an expecting woman. In his words, “It gives the muscles that are supporting your extra weight a break and helps with conditions such as varicose veins and ankle swelling.”So, stay active and energetic as much as you can because this further initiates the growth of your baby too. To add on, wear the inner wears which are very comfortable, nothing such that creates uneasiness.Even if the above measures do not prove helpful, immediately contact your doctor so that they can know the reason and give the requirement. But it should not be ignored in any condition. Though the issue of upper back pain is evident during pregnancy many a times it might be due to pre-term labour or any other serious health issue, so should be treated as a priority. Curing upper back pain not only ensures a safe delivery but also helps you a lot in recovering quickly. Always be strong at heart and make a point that you should be the first one to care yourself because no one can understand your problem better than you even if they are your best care-takers.Being pregnant or becoming the mother is a unique experience that a lady experiences. Hence, enjoy every bit of it and this can be only done if you are completely healthy. Do memorise all the essential things mentioned above so that you can relish a happy and healthy pregnancy.Are you having or had this experience in the past?? I would love to discuss more with you; please comment to share your experience with my readers and me.Image Source: ShutterstockDuring Pregnancy 15 FOODS TO STRICTLY AVOID DURING PREGNANCY