Your body’s never been this shape before!
When you’re pregnant, as the months march on, you carry more and more weight out front. This means that you’re at significant risk of increased lumbar curving. The results could be mild discomfort, or you might even experience significant pain.
Either way, you need to keep an eye on your posture while you’re pregnant: it’s never been so important.
What can you do?
It’s a great idea to bone up on how to perform core exercises before and during your pregnancy. Our chiropractic clinic is the best place to go if you need professional advice on how to do these exercises in order to get the maximum benefit. Plus there are certain safe chiropractic measures which can be performed on pregnant women, and these can produce significant physical improvement.
You can also attend pregnancy yoga classes, take part in gentle aqua natal classes, invest in supportive shoes (and kick off those heels for a while), try not to sit for prolonged periods (if you do need to sit, keep as much of your body in contact with the chair as possible and keep your knees lower than your hips) and avoid heavy lifting. If you have children already, we know this can be a sticking point. So if you do have to pick up your little one, bend your knees and keep your spine straight while you lift.
By day, by night
You might not realise it, but you can ease some of this pressure while you catch some Zs overnight. Try placing a pillow between your legs while you sleep, to reduce pressure on the joints of your spine. You’d be surprised how much more comfortable this simple move can make you at night.
During the day, try performing regular stretches and exercises which focus on the areas at risk. If you’re not sure where to start, book an appointment at our chiropractic clinic in Torbay and we’ll run you through the basics. There are stretches you can do to help your lower spine, and your upper back, too (most women experience growth in their breasts during pregnancy and this can result in extra pressure higher up your back). These include performing careful neck stretches, and bringing your arms into a circle in front of you, clasping your hands and pushing outwards.
The importance of relaxin
When you move into the final months of your pregnancy, your body releases a hormone called relaxin which, as the name suggests, causes your muscles, ligaments and tendons to soften. While this is great preparation for birth, it could spell disaster if you overdo it. So be careful not to stretch yourself physically or lift heavy items. It’s a great time to take a back seat on the more strenuous household chores!
At this point in pregnancy, it’s quite common for women to experience knee and ankle pain. So try to keep your legs elevated and perform basic stretches to reduce pressure on your joints.
Post-natal posture
Relaxin can remain present in the body for a prolonged period after you’ve given birth, so you won’t be out of the woods straight away. Make sure you continue to take great care when carrying, lifting and walking, and keep those exercises going.
For many reasons, it’s a good idea to get the baby in the pram and head out for a gentle stroll. This will tick the exercise box as well as giving you some much-needed fresh air. You can also look into booking onto a local buggy exercise class in your area.
Chiropractic care may be able to undo much of this damage and get your lower body in proper alignment for an easier birth. Treatment is extremely gentle using specialist techniques to encourage the realignment of your back and pelvis. At Torbay Chiropractic Clinic we also treat mums with post-pregnancy related back pain, often as a result of breastfeeding, poor posture, weight gain and muscle strain.
For more information, please call our friendly team on 01803 329799