Some women get to breeze through their pregnancies completely symptom-free or, at least, minor symptoms and don’t experience some of the more harsh portions such as severe nausea or the pain associated with your hormones stretching your body to fit the baby. I cover a lot of the symptoms that hit during the first trimester like how to ease pregnancy symptoms, but I wanted to focus on something that I’ve had trouble with from both of my pregnancies. The pain that your hips have to endure to accommodate your growing baby.
First you need to understand what the pain in your pelvic region is caused by. In the early stages of pregnancy, your body has a surge of hormones that aren’t usually present until you conceive. One of these is Relaxin, which is released to help your bones and ligaments stretch to make room for your growing baby along with the ability to flex during labor. During my first pregnancy, it happened during the first trimester but it was extremely painful my uterus felt like it was ripping off the wall and my hips were caving in. This pregnancy isn’t as bad but it’s happening during the second trimester. There is a lot of popping and ligament pain. Here are a few of the things that I have found useful to help with this pain.
I suggest getting an exercise ball first. Not only are they great to loosen up the hips and tailbone but they are great during labor and then you can use it after the baby is born to work off the baby weight.
Child Pose – Straddle Stretch
First is yoga. Now some people don’t have the patience to sit through a yoga class or video so I’ll break down a few of the moves that helped me the most. Child Pose was one of the biggest ones, but there was also another form that was even better. Once you are down into Child Pose start to move your knees away from your body until you can feel the stretch in your hips. Once your belly is bigger this is more comfortable because your belly and hang between them. If your belly touches the floor I would put a big pillow underneath your butt and lower abdomen.
Lying Hip Stretch
Lay on the floor on your back (obviously, if you are super pregnant you won’t be able to do this but you could start on your side). Cross your leg across your body keeping the other leg straight. You can us your hand to pull your knee to make the stretch deeper. If you are laying on your side you can turn your torso and chest in the opposite direction with your arms. Make sure you do this very slowly though so you don’t cause extrauterine stretching that could create more pain for you.
Psoas Stretch
This stretch was recommended to me by a Chiropractor and it’s a good one. I’ll just let you play the video for the proper way to do this one. I was told to do it on a bed like this. Stand perpendicular to the bed. Put your right leg along the edge of the bed (behind you). Keep the left leg on the floor and your left hand/fist on the bed. Let your right hip drop toward the bed and stretch your right arm over your head (and back and to the left if you can.) Do both sides.
When all else fails call a Chiropractor. Most people are scared or even think that it’s only good for after car accidents but Chiropractic care is one of the best things I’ve ever discovered. Alignments help put my hips back into position after my daughter was born, sleep better and help tame my first-trimester nausea. You will feel amazing afterwards. Most insurance plans actually cover chiropractic care and if you are really lucky you can get massages included in that! Ahhhhh.
I hope these tips were helpful in relieving your stretching hips and pelvic pain naturally. Remember I am not a doctor and you should consult your midwife or doctor before attempting any stretches. What were some of the things you did to help?
