Lower back pain when pregnant | Number 1 Cheat-Sheet

Lower back pain when pregnant-Overview

One thing that a lot of women feel or experience is lower back pain when pregnant and as the pregnancy progresses and the belly gets bigger, the curve in your back is exaggerated. You start to compensate for the growing weight in the front by shifting the center of your gravity back. This then puts a lot of pressure and strain on our lower backs.

There are so many different aches and pains of pregnancy that are normal to feel and experience, including among other pains the lower back pain when pregnant but that doesn't mean it is fun and by the end, you are just ready to be done with them all.


In addition, you have bad posture, you walk funny and all this contributes to lower back pain. However, lower back pain can also be a sign of preterm labor. If it's not a problem you've had before or have any history of or it's not associated with sitting for a long time or standing for a long time, then that might just make your back hurt naturally.

Different pains felt during pregnancy.

Pay attention to it and look for other signs of preterm labor. If you have lower back pain when pregnant, lower abdominal cramping, abdominal tightening or if you feel pressure in your stomach or down low, if you have any bleeding, spotting, leaking of fluid or an increase in discharge associated with the pain, these are all signs of preterm labor and you should call your doctor and get checked out. They will decide if it's just normal pregnancy pain or if it's due to something more serious like preterm labor that needs to be investigated.


Another type of pain that's typical to feel during pregnancy is just generalized pelvic pain or maybe a tender pubic bone. This may happen because there is a ligament in the front of your pelvis and your body starts to release a hormone called relaxin. That makes sense because its job is to relax that pelvic joint and help the pelvis open slightly.

It increases the internal diameter of your pelvis and increases the chances that the baby will fit through and be born vaginally or naturally. So if you are just kind of having generalized pelvic pain, you feel like your pubic bones tender, it's making you waddle, you feel like your hips are going to pop out of place then that could be your body's way of trying to increase the chances of you delivering vaginally or naturally.

So just tell yourself that overall it's a good thing even though it is not very comfortable. If however this lower back pain when pregnant gets severe or worse, talk with your doctor about it because some women do have more separation at that joint than they should have. They can look into it and again decide if anything needs to be done. The third type of pain that's normal to have during pregnancy is called round ligament pain. Your uterus isn't just hanging out in your belly, it's actually attached to various parts by ligaments.

These ligaments can be thought of as being elastics and as your uterus grows and stretches, they do too. They then too if you have sudden changes in movement or if you just change movement in, for example; you go a different direction, you are standing up out of a car, you are getting off your chair, you are on the floor and get up. All those sudden changes in direction and movement can cause those ligaments to tweak a little bit and that can cause very severe and intense pain right away along the track of that ligament.

Usually, it is one-sided again and associated with movement in and it is felt in your groin area from about the level of your belly button on the side of your abdomen down into the pubic area. If this is what you're experiencing, it is probably round ligament pain which usually goes away as fast as it came on. But some women do just have more dull pains that last a longer period of time. If you are cramping in your lower abdomen a possible concern would be preterm labor.

Tips of what to do with lower back pain when pregnant.

So what can you do about all these aches and pains if you're pretty sure that it is not preterm labor? There are things you can do at home for example; for lower back pain, you can use a heating pad for 10 to 15 minutes at a time just at the side of discomfort. You can take a warm bath before bedtime that can do wonders. If that is not enough, then you can talk with your doctor about over the counter pain relievers that are safe during pregnancy.

Another important tip is to get adequate sleep. There is a lot you can do to position your back and your pelvis appropriately so that it's more comfortable. Get a firm pillow or roll up a blanket and tilt yourself to one side and put that behind your back hip and then also get a pillow or another rolled-up blanket and put it underneath your belly so that it's not pulling and causing you to have pain. And then also put something in between your knees.


Make sure your head is well supported and this will help you sleep on your side, which you should do during pregnancy and hopefully help you be more comfortable. In summary, if you're experiencing pain that you haven't had before, it seems new or concerning to you, you're not sure what it's due to. Listen to your body, call your doctor and after asking you more specific questions and performing an exam, build aside if further investigation or treatment is warranted then act fast to avoid any complications or the worse, losing your baby.