Pregnancy comes with a load of new aches and pains you may not have experienced before. The good news is that the need for body pain relief during pregnancy means your body is doing its job to prepare for giving birth! The unfortunate downside is that you may have a while yet to go where those uncomfortable feelings continue.
To help you safely navigate your exciting journey as comfortably as possible, we’re taking a look at natural ways for finding body pain relief during pregnancy. Read on and learn how to be comfortable once again!
Methods for Body Pain Relief During Pregnancy
When you’re pregnant, your body is going through a huge number of changes. While the journey can be exciting and wonderful, it doesn’t come without a few downsides, as well. As your body adapts and prepares for the impending delivery at the end of your pregnancy, you might experience different aches and pains like back pain, swollen or sore joints, heartburn, and headaches.
To add to the situation, medical professionals tend to suggest limiting the types and amounts of any medications taken during pregnancy, as well. Fortunately, there are plenty of natural ways for finding body pain relief during pregnancy including:
- Practicing prenatal yoga
- Meditating
- Prenatal massage routines
- Swimming
- Elevating your feet to reduce swelling
- Changing up your sleep position
As with all health routines, consult your doctor before beginning any new pain relief techniques to ensure it’s safe for both you and baby.
Prenatal Yoga Practice
We’re kicking off our journey for finding body pain relief during pregnancy with prenatal yoga. Yoga is a movement-based, low-impact exercise that is great for both the mind and body. Popular prenatal yoga poses are aimed at strengthening your body, increasing flexibility, and may even help improve posture that could help with pregnancy back pain.
On top of the physical benefits of prenatal yoga, it’s been shown to help with your emotional state, as well. Deep, mindful breaths may help manage stress levels, help you sleep better, and deepen your relaxation.
Pregnancy Meditation
Pregnancy meditation and other mindfulness practices are next up on our list of methods for finding body pain relief during pregnancy. While the benefits of meditation, in general, have been studied at length, there are also studies showing the benefits of pregnancy meditation on mental and physical health.
The truth is that the two are highly correlated. For example, practicing pregnancy meditation for stress management may seem like it’s aimed at boosting your mental health, but stress has a self-feeding negative relationship with pain. When we’re stressed, we may not only be more susceptible to illness or injury due to lacking mental clarity, but our bodies also subconsciously tense up. This results in muscle tension that can radiate pain throughout the body.
Fortunately, meditation is a simple practice that can be done anywhere at any time. Even five minutes each day of mindfulness meditation during pregnancy may yield positive benefits to your overall health and wellness.
Prenatal Massage Routines
There may be no better method of finding body pain relief during pregnancy than by adopting a prenatal massage routine with full body massage. A full body massage reduces stress, can alleviate pain, and benefits your mental health, as well. Furthermore, for all the mommies-in-the-making out there, the American Pregnancy Association has said that getting a massage while pregnant can help with a variety of pregnancy health experiences including helping the labor process, and even possibly positively affecting newborn health.
Instead of trying to fit regular pregnancy massage therapy appointments into your schedule, many mothers-to-be have turned to the benefits of owning a massage chair. The benefits of massage therapy at home allow you to get your massage when you need it and from the comfort (and privacy) of your own space. This is especially ideal if you’re not feeling up to traveling around town to make appointments and dealing with the potential added stress of traffic, weather conditions, and appointment times.
The advancements of today’s luxury massage chairs have effectively eliminated any differences between using a massage chair vs human massage. In fact, the sheer number of different types of massage programs your model may offer makes it perfect for you during your pregnancy and beyond.
Additional massage chair features such that provide the benefits of heat therapy or zero gravity reclining may help enhance your body pain relief during pregnancy, as well. Doubling up on the potential health benefits, both heat therapy and the zero gravity position are potentially effective methods for increasing blood circulation, which could help reduce pregnancy swelling and lower blood pressure naturally.
Before starting any prenatal massage routine, make sure your doctor approves it. While prenatal massage has been generally accepted as safe during any stage of pregnancy, your doctor will know your specific health requirements and be able to advise you best.
Swimming During Pregnancy
While you may not always feel like getting up and being active when you’re looking for body pain relief during pregnancy, the fact is staying physically active may help. Swimming during pregnancy is a highly recommended form of exercise that has been deemed generally safe in all three trimesters as it’s low-impact.
This is one of the more popular pregnancy exercises women participate in because the natural buoyancy in water alleviates excess pressure from the spine. This can result in back pain relief during pregnancy that is most welcomed!
Elevating Your Feet to Reduce Swelling While Pregnant
Sometimes the best way for finding body pain relief during pregnancy is to kick back and relax. That said, not all methods are equally beneficial. If you’re using a massage chair as part of a prenatal massage routine, consider buying a massage chair with zero gravity reclining capability to capitalize on elevating your feet in the best way.
As we briefly mentioned earlier in this article, the zero gravity position may help alleviate back pain while reducing swelling. How does it do this? In the zero gravity position, the legs are elevated above the heart level and weight is distributed evenly along the body. This may help with finding body pain relief during pregnancy as any excess pressure is taken off the lower back and your legs are elevated safely. Add in gentle massage programs like Swedish massage and you’re in pregnancy bliss!
Changing Your Pregnancy Sleeping Positions
Last, though not least by any means, on our list of methods for finding pain relief during pregnancy is changing up your pregnancy sleeping positions. When you’re pregnant, restful sleep can be hard to come by. This is often a result of back pain during pregnancy or other aches that you’re experiencing.
To help combat your pregnancy sleep deprivation, there are a number of tricks you can try. For example, fold a thick towel lengthwise and place it perpendicular to your body at the point on your waist where your spine is most misaligned to support your back and prevent pain. The length of the towel will ensure support without requiring readjustment, even if you tend to roll over during the night. There are also a number of pregnancy products you can buy to help keep you in a set position while you sleep and stop you from rolling or changing position.
While we don’t recommend sleeping in a massage chair, massage sleep benefits may help you get the rest you need. Consider making it part of a relaxing night time routine to help you unwind before bed.
As you can see, there are a plethora of natural ways for finding body pain relief during pregnancy. Just as each woman’s pregnancy journey is unique, you may need to try a few different techniques to see what works best for you. Whether it’s practicing yoga, meditating, or choosing a massage chair for a myriad of potential health benefits, finding what makes you comfortable can be a major victory! For your safety and the health of your baby, remember to consult your doctor before beginning any new routines for body pain relief during pregnancy.
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