Monday, May 8, 2017

Pregnancy and Back Pain

The Aches and Pains of Pregnancy

It is an unfortunate but inevitable fact that a majority of pregnant women will experience back pain at some point in their pregnancy. There are many remedies that can relieve the aches and discomfort of pregnancy, while preventing it from becoming a long-lasting predicament. Want to try the new pregnancy symptoms calculator?

Women with pre-existing back pain prior to pregnancy have an easier time adjusting to the discomfort as the pregnancy develops. Proper medical advice and treatment can prevent back pain from becoming a complication when labor occurs.

Causes of Pregnancy Back Pain

Two categories of back pain during pregnancy are caused by:

1.) Strained ligaments, muscles, discs and joints caused by poor posture, incorrect lifting methods, weak or taut muscles, or injury, this type of back pain can occur with people even before pregnancy. Symptoms worsen at the end of the day or after standing for long periods of time, due to muscle fatigue and stretched ligaments from the combined weight of both the body and the baby.

A minority of pregnant women may experience symptoms of sciatica during the course of their pregnancy. This stems from inflammation or back pressure which causes pain in the sciatic nerve. Other symptoms include tingling, weakness, backaches, and pain traveling down one leg. There is a common misconception that it is the baby’s weight that puts pressure on a nerve, however sciatica is a disorder which may occur whether the pregnancy exists or not.

2.) Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP)  this back pain is pregnancy-related and may need to be treated differently from standard back pain. A majority of pregnant women who experience back pain during pregnancy suffer from this ailment.

Pain symptoms located around the area of the pubic bone may signal the onset of Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). It is advised to consult a qualified physiotherapist well-versed in the area of women’s health to make a correct diagnosis for these conditions.

Preventing Back Pain

By making sure the body is fit and healthy before getting pregnant can help prevent back pain. Even if pregnancy has already occurred, keeping fit is still possible through exercise specially tailored for pregnant women (refer to antenatal fitness portion). These exercises can lower the risks of developing pregnancy-related back pain. Women unaccustomed to exercise are advised to take it slow.

Keeping a moderate exercise regimen, having the correct posture, refraining from lifting heavy objects, and taking good care of the back can ensure the prevention of pregnancy-related back pain. If lifting is unavoidable, knees should be bent, the back kept straight, and the object held close to the body as possible.

Ways to Alleviate Back Pain

1.) Taking care of the back

2.) Massage  particularly when performed on the lower back, massage can result in considerable relief for tired and aching muscles. One relaxing method is to lean over the back of a chair or lie on one side while the muscles on both sides of the lower spine are massaged. Massage performed by a massage therapist, a midwife, or a physiotherapist may further relieve back pain.

3.) Heat and water taking a warm and soothing bath, using a hot pack, or even a warm water shower can alleviate symptoms of back pain.

4.) Wearing a support belt a maternity or support belt can help hold up the baby’s weight, easing the strain on the stomach and back muscles.

5.) Using a support pillow  sleeping on one side with a wedged-shaped pillow beneath the tummy can lessen back pain.

6.) Strength and stability exercises exercises involving the pelvis and lower abdominals can strengthen back and stomach muscles to help support the baby’s weight. One example of a simple and safe abdominal exercise involves getting down on the floor on the hands and knees, making sure the back is in a level position. While breathing in and out, the belly button is pulled in towards the spine and the back held immobile for 5 to 10 seconds. The stomach muscles are then allowed to relax after each contraction.

7.) Having a good posture  this helps particularly if pain symptoms are centred on the tailbone, or coccyx. Slouching should be avoided, and the back should be arched whenever possible. It is advisable use a cushion or a cushioned ring to make sitting more comfortable.

8.) Aqua-natal classes according to research, these water exercises can significantly decrease pregnancy-related back pain.


Overcoming the Pain of a Failed Pregnancy

Imagine a newlywed couple eager to have their first baby.  After months of anticipation and careful attention to the pregnancy, the unexpected happens --- they suffer a miscarriage. The trauma of losing an unborn child is a difficult period for any couple, but more so for the would-be first-time mother. After miscarriage and other forms of pregnancy loss, most couples usually have a lot of questions that need to be answered. Always be aware of some early signs of pregnancy quiz. A lot of people take it upon themselves to answer why the miscarriage happened and exactly how they could have prevented pregnancy.

But usually, miscarriage is rarely anyone's fault, and sometimes pregnancy loss is even a predetermined outcome at the time of conception.  There may not be any explanation at hand why miscarriages happen, though, the medical community recognizes a few known miscarriage causes. A number of theories abound regarding the cause of miscarriage.

One-time pregnancy loss, also called sporadic, are usually caused by chromosomal abnormalities while the fetus develops.  A lot of times, doctors assume this as the default explanation for first time miscarriages due to the fact that most couples go on to have a normal pregnancy after one miscarriage.

Chromosomal abnormalities such as extra chromosomes or missing genes may cause the baby to stop developing and eventually to be miscarried. After the first miscarriage, most medical professionals do not conduct testing for the cause of miscarriage since chromosomal flaws are usually random, one-time events.  Miscarriage due to chromosomal flaws may occur to any woman at any age, but those who are 35 years old and above are at highest risk.

When a miscarriage happens two times in a row, the cause is unlikely to be random chromosomal errors in a row.  Usually, doctors will conduct a process of testing for recurrent miscarriage causes after the second pregnancy loss.  In this case, chances are higher that the woman may have a detectable problem that causes the miscarriage.

About 50% of the cases, doctors find a cause for recurrent miscarriages and then the woman is given treatment in her next pregnancy.  However, half of the cases may not reveal a cause.  At any rate, a woman may still get pregnant again even with two unexplained miscarriages, and still with greater chances of a normal pregnancy than another miscarriage.

Causes of recurrent miscarriages are usually much more controversial compared to that of single miscarriages. The following is a list of some of the most commonly recognized causes of recurrent miscarriages:

  • Abnormality in the structure of the uterus
  • Blood clotting disorders, such as antiphospholipid syndrome
  • Certain chromosomal conditions, such as balanced translocation

Doctors believe that low progesterone and other hormonal imbalances may cause recurrent miscarriages. Although treatment with progesterone supplements is fairly common after one or two pregnancy losses, however, not all medical practitioners agree on the practice. Others believe that malfunction in the immune system, such as high levels of natural killer cells, may be the culprit.

Pregnancy losses after the 20th week are called stillbirths. Too-early births, on the other hand, are called preterm labors.  Both preterm labors and stillbirths usually have different causes from earlier miscarriages, although chromosomal errors in the baby can also cause stillbirths. The most common causes of stillbirths and preterm labors are cervical insufficiency, problems in the placenta, and preterm labor due to medical issues in the mother.

No matter what may be the cause of pregnancy loss, the woman is advised to seek out emotional support from friends and relatives.  Counseling helps a lot in dealing with the emotional aftermath of miscarriage.