Back and Pelvic Pain During and After Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a lot of things: miraculous, joyous, nauseating, blotchy, exhausting, itchy and fun. Sometimes, however, it’s a pain in the butt. And sometimes, the pain continues long after you’ve given birth—like a mom I know who still has pelvic pain several months after her baby arrived, and another who has shooting pain down her leg while she’s pregnant.  And while that pain is not exactly normal, it’s not freaky weird either. Unfortunately, it’s part of the pregnancy package for some women. : Relief for Common Pregnancy Pains Cartilage holds the two bones of your pelvis together Headache in pregnancy. During pregnancy, hormones relaxin cause the cartilage that holds the two halves of your pelvic bone together to soften, allowing the pelvis to be more flexible. It makes sense. Your baby’s head settles down and eventually passes through your pelvis; you’re going to want a little give. Unfortunately, sometimes the pubis “gives” too much and creates a gap between the bones. This is called symphysis pubis disruption SPD. It can happen any time during pregnancy. It’s not a terribly common occurrence but boy-oh-boy, when it happens, you know it. It hurts like heck, and it can continue to be really painful for months until your midwifedoctor figures out the problem and sets about helping you heal. : Can Yoga Help Relieve Back Pain in Pregnancy? Some women need physical therapy, stabilization belts and pain medication to recover from SPD but most heal well within days to weeks with rest, heat, ice and maybe some Tylenol or ibuprofen after delivery only. As the hormones that originally caused the cartilage to soften recede, the bones fuse together again, and many women go on to have other babies with no problem at all. Another common issue is a shooting pain down the butt, which could be sciatic pain. The sciatic nerve branches off the spinal cord and runs right down the middle of your buttock there’s a sciatic nerve branch in each hip and down into your leg. As your baby gets bigger and your uterus presses more weight on your back, the nerve gets irritated. Some women say it’s like hitting your funny bone in your hip. Others describe it as a shock-like feeling. Still others just say it hurts. Plain and simple, it’s a pain in the butt. If you experience it, get advice from your doctor or midwife about it. Gentle exercise like prenatal yoga or swimming can help strengthen the muscles in your back and pelvis while easing that “baby weight” off your sensitive bones and nerves. Catcow pose is perfect for displacing the baby—at least temporarily—off the sciatic nerve. Try a hands-and-knees position and gently rock your pelvis back and forth. : 3 Pregnancy Back Pain Exercises If it hurts most when you’re sleeping, roll over on the side opposite the pain. Avoid heavy lifting and standing for long stretches of time. Heat, ice and Tylenol are OK. If you need an excuse for a warm but not too hot bath—this is a good one. It may be hard to see the upside of this pain in the butt, but take it from millions of mothers before you, babies are worth it.