I am 32 weeks pregnant and am experiencing extremely uncomfortable back pain. I know it's very common, I know pregnancy is uncomfortable, etc. I am looking for some help/relief. I have been using a heating pad on my upper back, which seems to be where I am experiencing the most discomfort. I have also seen a chiropractor through my whole pregnancy which has helped. I am scheduled for a prenatal massage tomorrow. Tylenol hasn't helped and I am not interested in any stronger pain relievers/muscle relaxers the doctor has offered. I don't like taking those when I am not pregnant because of the side effects I experience.
I work in an infant/toddler day care room so I am on my feet a lot and lifting a lot - and these babies are HEAVY!!! I wouldn't doubt if my dr. recommended cutting back - I only work 25 hours a week. I have a hard time forcing myself to slow down because there is so much pre-baby stuff to do, but I haven't been very productive lately anyway!
Any other ideas for relief???? I have tried most home remedies I can think of, but looking for anything else?? :-) TIA
Mmmmm....swimming pool....that sounds absolutely LOVELY right about now!!! Amazingly I did not think of that one...might have to seek that!
My dr. recommended one of those harness/maternity belts. I plan to go to the maternity store tomorrow and check them out.
Thanks ladies!
Find a swimming pool.
When my back was aching - floating in the pool was heaven!
I never wanted to get out.
Try Arnica Gel.
You can find it at any natural foods type store, Whole Foods etc.
Its a natural thing and helps aches and pains.
I know Golfers that use it on their wrists etc. and I always have a tube of it at home.
Or try those 'Icy Hot" creams.
Or try Acupuncture. Of course, with someone who knows how to treat pregnant women.
And talk to your Doc. If need be you'd need a note to say to lessen your carrying load etc. at work. You are 32 weeks along after all.
Don't over-exert yourself.
When I was preggers with my 2nd child, I was doing child care in my home. I had a toddler and baby. At 8 months along, I STOPPED, doing the child care. My body could just not take it anymore.
And my belly, was HUGE. People thought I had multiples in there!
I had to, stop. That was better than my Doc putting me on, bed rest.
I used to do a prenatal yoga DVD every evening. It is low impact and made my back feel great.
I'm 33 weeks and experiencing the lower back pain. It is hitting me pretty hard at night, and it is definitely due to the amount of physical labor I am engaging in. And sadly, I mean simple things like bending to get pots and pans out of the cupboard and lifting laundry baskets.
I have no issues all day at work- I am either standing upright and walking/talking/supervising students, or sitting at my desk on the phone/computer, talking with students. Then I go home for the evening and it all kicks in- I am doing chores, up and down, taking care of two kids, one of whom likes to be lifted and carried. I can imagine working in a daycare is causing all your back pain. At least mine holds off til night, although I learned the hard way over Winter Break that I just HAD to take it easy at home.
My husband went and got me a support band that cinched around my hips. This actually helped while I was doing things around the house, but it was not made for a pregnant person so it was not that comfortable. I know they make these things for pregnant people and maybe you should look into getting one for while you are work, if you have to lift a lot of kids. My husbands a physical therapist so I trusted that he would know how/why this would help and it did. Basically it was like a post-surgical band that was supposed to Velcro suck around your abdomen and I wore it on my hips. for some reason, keeping your hips cinched in while bending, leaning etc really does help. Maybe you can find the right thing online? I got mine at a drugstore, which is why it wasn't ideal, but it was the closest thing my hubs could find on a weekend when I was really complaining a lot.
I wore a belly band, and it helped a lot. You can get a stretchy one that fits just under your baby bump, or you can go old-school Asian and simply wrap a long, narrow piece of fabric around and around across your waist and lower back and under your belly. It gives a little extra support so that your muscles in your back aren't overtaxed.
Prenatal massage can help, too, and I'll second the suggestion to get to a swimming pool so you can move around and stretch with your body supported by the water.
What shoes are you wearing? Talk to your doctor about any type of support you can put in your shoes. That should be able to relieve some of the pain. For me, the most pain I get is when I wear ballet flats as they are too flat and don't offer support. Get a really good pair of sneakers with a lot of support.
What helped me most is a pillow between my knees when I slept, watching my posture/stretching all the time, and putting a tennis ball between my back and the wall and rolling around on the painful areas.
You're almost there! Good luck!
I agree with SweetChaos, yoga (or light stretching) can really help. I used something called BioFreeze when my pain got really bad. It's not available OTC, but it's not terribly expensive. I would keep it in the fridge to get an extra dose of pain relief.
