Six easy ways to find more comfort in pregnancy
Did you know up to 70% of pregnant women experience some sort of back or pelvic pain and ache at some point in their pregnancy, and almost 80% experience insomnia in the third trimester. There is good news though.
You can do something about this by changing a few ways you move and hold yourself throughout the day which religiously followed can bring a little more comfort into your pregnancy!
1. Sleeping
Getting a good night’s sleep gets harder and harder as the pregnancy progresses. As your baby grows, you experience more physical discomfort and excitement and anxiety kicks into full swing about the reality of being a new mother.
Getting adequate sleep is really important, so here are some tips for you.
Sleeping on the left side with support of bolster or pillows tucked under to support your belly and a pillow between legs can relieve pressure on the lower back. Placing a pillow behind your lower back will also prevent you rolling onto your back. If you need switch sides, you can change your position but ensure your belly and hips are supported in the same way. Research shows that the left side is optimal as it facilitates better blood flow to the heart, kidneys and uterus improving delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your baby. Try to preference sleeping on this side as much as you possible can without it inhibiting too much on your ability to get rest.
For more information on sleep in pregnancy, check out this link.
2. Peeing
Going to the toilet more often is normal and caused by the hormonal and physical changes in your body. It can however interrupt a solid sleep pattern at night. Try to get as much pee out of your bladder as you can to go for a little bit longer in between your urges to pee. As you sit on the toilet, gently lift your belly and then start to do spirals to encourage the flow of urine out of your bladder.
3. Getting dressed
Getting dressed standing up can cause you to lose your balance very easily and it also puts unnecessary strain on your pelvis and lower back. Try and get into the habit of sitting down to get dressed so you can stay balanced, and your hips and lower back are supported.
4. Brushing your teeth
Major postural changes can occur or poor postural habits even further accentuated in pregnancy which means the more of the mother’s weight is shifted forward. If you are experiencing lower back ache or pain, knee pain and a constant pregnancy waddle it is time to reset your posture and start building strength and balance back into the back of your body.
Practice engaging your ‘posterior chain’ (the muscle groups located on the backside of the body) every time you brush your teeth. Instead of curling your back over the basin to spit out toothpaste out, try to ‘hip hinge’ instead.
Learn how to do this here.
5. Sitting in the office or at the TV
Replace the office chair or couch with a swiss ball or in the birth world, we call it a birth ball. Not only is this a great labour skill to practice, by spending time every day using the ball in this way you are helping support and open the pelvis, loosen ligaments and support the lower back.
6. Waiting for the kettle to boil
While waiting for the kettle to boil, practice breathing in and out of the nose, and as you exhale ‘hug your baby in’ so you engage your deep core muscles. You can do this breathing while relaxing the pelvic floor and rocking the pelvis from front to back. This technique can help condition your pelvic muscles for birth and relieve back pain. It is also a great technique to use in labour to reduce back pain, distract yourself from contractions and help the baby move down.
These are just a few tips to get better sleep and more comfort in your day, with more on this topic taught in my Yoga for Birth and Hypnobirthing classes.
P.S I am hosting Free Hypnobirthing Information Session on the 20 July if you want to learn more, please register a spot ❤️🌟🌈🌻