The largest nerve in your body is the sciatic nerve. It’s the one that brings the feeling to the backs of your legs and the bottoms of your feet. When it hurts, it hurts! If you’re pregnant, it’ll act up because it runs along under the uterus and along the spine before it can get to your legs. As your baby grows it puts pressure on the nerve and …ZING! OWIE!

Tingling/numbness like pins and needles, burning, radiating, shooting pains in the back or rear.  Sometimes I can’t even take a walk because it shows up wrapping around my left leg usually. It’s not all the time though thank God. For some women, it sticks around even after birth!

Here’s a 10 ways to relieve yourself of the pain.

1- Take a bath.  The warm water helps sooth and just feels good.

2- Lie on your left side & apply hot and cold temperature to the painful area.  If a heating pad doesn’t stay, do what I did and tie it on with a dish cloth or towel.

3- Pelvic tilts are nice! Yogic stretches if that’s your bag. Try tilting your pelvis forward until you’ve gone as far as you can go comfortably. Hold it for a count of 10, release, repeat as long as you feel the need. You won’t look especially attractive, but I’ve done this in public before!

4- Avoid heavy lifting if at all possible, I’ve got a husband for that! I find that even my library ladies are more than willing to take my books out to my car for me. Sweet ladies!

5- Don’t stand for long stretches of time.  Of course it’s easier said than done, I must have a chair because if I sit on the ground I sometimes can’t get up on my own!  Luckily it’s more hilarious than embarrassing.

6- Wear your maternity belt. I’ve got one from Medela that I found at a garage sale but, to be honest, it mostly just holds up my pants (which I need!), so it’s sometimes annoying.

7- Alternative medicine?  My mother is an acupuncturist; I don’t care for needles at all but in the past it’s helped take away the pain. Personally I prefer massage! Though if you schedule acupuncture/ massage for yourself make absolutely sure they’re qualified to work on a pregnant person.  There is a difference!

8- Spend some time in a pool, just floating around.

9- Ask your doctor about non-steroid anti-inflammatory medications for the pain.