Pain in the Back

Lower back pain is becoming more and more noticeable the further along I get in my pregnancy. I find myself standing with a different centre of gravity, lower back arched to support my growing belly. I have noticed a lot of women on a group for New Mums on Facebook have been saying the same thing. I thought I'd share the ways I'm treating it and helping ease the pain.


Firstly, supportive shoes are SO important. They need to have a slight heel so your not completely flat footed. I cannot stress this enough. The little heel gives so much support to your lower back and changes your posture slightly. I've been wearing army style boots a lot through my pregnancy, mainly because of the weather but also because of the small heel. I can really tell the difference at the end of the day when I've been wearing these, or even supportive trainers verses wearing flat loafers. Try it , it really helped me!

Secondly, if I had a long day on my feet Ive found that a warm bath with Epsom Bath Salts reaaalllyyyyy helps. Obviously not uncomfortably hot, raising your body temperature too high is dangerous for baby-to-be, but warm enough to relax your muscles. Epsom Bath Salts aren't actually salts, its a crystallised form of magnesium and sulphate, two naturally occurring minerals. Mix about 2 cups into your bath and soak for about 12-15 minutes. This will really help soothe your muscles, in fact athletes have been using Epsom Bath Salts for heeling muscles since forever. They're equally amazing for pregnancy muscle pains like back ache, leg cramps and generally achy body form carrying extra weight. It can also soothe you forever stretching skin and will speed up the heeling of cuts and sunburns! It is also believed that magnesium is a natural stress reducer, whhhaaaattt ? Amazing, so this stuff is also good for the soul. Disclaimer - always speak to your midwife before using Epsom Bath Salts to make sure they are suitable for you & your baby.

Thirdly, the way you sleep will really determine the wellness of your back. I would highly recommend a U Shape pregnancy pillow, it really works for me. In fact, pre-pregnancy I actually had more back issues, as soon as I was 12 weeks I started using my pillow and my back within a week felt better. This is mainly because part of the pillow goes in-between the knees helps to keep your pelvis in a more natural position and the other half can be pulled right in to support your back as you sleep. I love mine. Theres a link to the one I have in my post 'Sleeping'

Lastly, pre-natal yoga is really suppose to help with aches and pains during pregnancy. Ive only done one class so I can't say either way. However, what i will say, is pre-pregnancy I had back pains, and whenever I stuck to yoga it always seemed to calm and get a lot better. So I'm assuming if this happened before, I can't see why it wouldn't help again during pregnancy.

Hope this helps