pregnancy pain relief

10 Ways to Relieve Pain from Pregnancy Caused by the Sciatic Nerve

Mother's Health, Pregnancy, , , 2 Comments

Ouch!

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.

10- Take a nap.  Resting is important in any case and spending time resting those muscles is a good thing.

What is Pelvic Girdle Pain?

Mother's Health, Pregnancy, , 5 Comments

Pelvic girdle pain is caused by the widening of joints in your pelvis by the hormone Relaxin in preparation for passing an infant.  The extra added size and weight of your stomach as your little one gets bigger puts stress on your body.  You can feel it as a minor ache in that area or, if more extreme, it can be a painful searing feeling that covers your hips, back, and stomach.

SkeletonWho gets Pelvic Girdle Pain?

It’s said that about 80% of pregnant woman get Pelvic Girdle Pain during their pregnancy.  The majority of these aches come to a head in the third trimester when there is the most pressure on the pelvis.

This is not, however, the only time when you can experience it.  I started feeling it during my second trimester while packing up my house to move.

Other names

Pelvic girdle pain is different from Symphysis Pubic Dysfunction in that the discomfort is more generalized and isn’t necessarily caused by the loosening of ligaments.

You might also want to read my article on how I have Pelvic Girdle Pain

Pelvic Girdle Pain: I have it, how about you?

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My husband and I finished moving into our new house at the end of July, which is hard for a pregnant chick! So when I started feeling a little groin pain after the move was over I wasn’t concerned about it, bound to happen, it’ll heal after a couple days, right? But then it just kept going.

Pelvic Girdle painAt first it felt like I’d gone on a twenty-mile bike ride on a reeaaally hard seat. And if you’ve ever gone too long on an old seat you don’t soon forget it! I was feeling kinda, for lack of a better term, saddle sore. And though it’s not exactly an emergency it is uncomfortable, and as I have about another week until my next doctor’s appointment, I did what millions of pregnant people do, self-diagnose over the internet.

On a side note, Pelvic Girdle sounds like underwear my grandmother used to wear in the ‘40s or something…

I’ve always imagined my pelvis as one solid hunk o’ bone but, no surprise, I’m wrong! There are three joints in there (the pubic symphysis, and two sacroiliacs) that are there, with help from the hormone Relaxin, to allow my pelvis some extra room for the baby to pass. This extra room is more than I’m used to dealing with though and that’s what’s keeping the discomfort so consistent, especially when I have to roll in and out of bed for one of my many nighttime bathroom visits.

Pelvic Girdle Pain is associated with first pregnancies, previous back pain (my poor L5!), strenuous work (the move!) and the fact that my little bundle o’ joy seems to be more comfortable when he’s making me less comfortable. Jerk.

Also because of the Pelvic Girdle Pain I’ve begun waddling which, depending on how you look at it, is either a cute byproduct of pregnancy.  Or an opening for your friends and co-workers to tell you that you look like Danny Devito’s Penguin. Jerks.

The only recourse I have is to avoid unnecessary stairs, roll like a log when I get in and out of bed, and to go nowhere without my husband to do my grunt work for me. As things stand, it looks like I’m stuck in this state of constant groin-ache until somewhere after I give birth to my little jer- uh… miracle.

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction Relief

Pregnancy, , 1 Comment

Going through the pain of being pregnant is driving me a little crazy. For some reason knowing the science helps me feel a little better.

For me, the biggest issue is pelvic girdle pain.

The cause of Pelvic Girdle Pain is the pregnancy hormone Relaxin. This hormone causes the ‘relaxation’ of pelvic joints and ligaments allowing the baby to pass from the womb into the world.

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction and Pelvic Girdle P are similar. So similar that the terms are often used interchangeably. The pubic symphysis is part of PGP. It just happens to be ‘localized’ to the pubic symphysis at the front of the pelvis.

Wikipedia describes it as:

It is a condition that causes excessive movement of the pubic symphysis, either anterior or lateral, as well as associated pain, possibly because of a misalignment of thepelvis. SPD is a dysfunction that is associated with pelvic girdle pain and the names are often used interchangeably.

from wikipedia

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction Relief Tips

  • Number one, Relax! Rest as much as you can. Now’s the time to wallow in a stack of books or catch up on your daytime TV, guilt-free!
  • Try to limit movements that place stress on the symphysis pubis.
  • When you get out of bed (if you don’t do it already) roll out with both legs together.
  • When you go upstairs, go up one step at a time, like you did when you were little.
  • See your doctor get proper diagnose and treatment for Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction.
  • Ask your doctor to prescribe you pregnancy safe painkillers
  • You can wear a pelvic support garment (like a belt or girdle). You can also try crutches.
  • Visiting an occupational therapist is helpful if you have trouble with daily tasks.
  • Ask your doctor for exercises to help. These can benefit the muscles supporting the joints and help with posture while pregnant.
  • You may consider alternative treatments. These include chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, etc.

In most cases, it takes about half a year to recover fully after birth. If the pain continues past six months, consult your doctor for further treatment.

This scares me a little, but here is to hoping for a quick relief.