Pregnancy Aches & Pains

Fatigue and Insomnia

Feeling tired is one of pregnancy's most common symptoms, both at the beginning and at the end. Yet a lot of pregnant women complain that they are too uncomfortable to sleep at night.

The following strategies can help you combat fatigue and insomnia:

Take brief catnaps during the day, but avoid prolonged daytime napping.
Ask for help with tiring chores.
Make sure you are eating a healthy diet and taking your prenatal vitamins. Experts say a poor diet can cause fatigue.
Exercise regularly.
Practice the relaxation strategies you learned in prenatal exercise or childbirth classes.
Take a warm shower or bath at bedtime.
Sleep on a firm mattress, and treat yourself to some extra pillows.

Back Pain

Back pain bothers as many as one in two pregnant women. It typically begins around the middle of pregnancy, when the growing baby affects your posture and forces your back muscles to work harder.

To prevent or relieve back pain, try these strategies:

Remember to stand, sit, and walk tall—not hunched over.
Work in regular walks or swims.
Avoid standing or sitting still for long periods.
Place one foot on a stool or box when sitting or standing.
Squat to pick things up instead of bending from the waist.
Wear low heels—less than one inch high—but not flats because they don't provide arch support.
Use a small pillow behind your low back when you sit.
Sleep on your side, using one pillow under your stomach and one between your legs.
Make sure your mattress is firm. If not, place a board under the mattress.
Try massaging or putting heat or cold packs on the painful area.

Finally, look into exercises that can help prevent and treat back pain during pregnancy. One such exercise is a leg lift crawl. To do this, kneel on your hands and knees. Slowly bring your right knee toward your right elbow. Then slowly straighten your leg and lift it up and back, parallel to the floor. Avoid sudden jerks and keep your back straight, not arched. Repeat with each leg five to 10 times.

Constipation

Constipation is bothersome enough by itself. But it also can worsen another common pregnancy complaint—hemorrhoids, or varicose veins in the rectum.

The following strategies can help get your bowels moving:

Eat more high-fiber foods, such as whole grains, wheat bran, beans, fruits, and vegetables. One study found that pregnant women who ate about 29 grams of fiber a day had more regular bowel movements.
Drink at least eight glasses of water each day.
Try that old standby, prune juice.
Ask your doctor or midwife about taking an over-the-counter bulk laxative, such as one that contains methylcellulose or psyllium.
Make exercise, such as walking or swimming, part of your daily routine.

If hemorrhoids develop, try warm baths or use witch hazel compresses to ease swelling. Oftentimes, hemorrhoids disappear on their own after pregnancy.

Heartburn

Heartburn occurs when acid from the stomach is forced up into your esophagus, or the tube between your stomach and your throat.

Try the following tactics to minimize indigestion:

Eat slowly, chewing your food thoroughly.
Avoid spicy, fried, and fatty foods. Chocolate, coffee, soda, and mint-flavored foods also cause heartburn in many women.
Eat small, frequent meals versus large meals to avoid getting too full.
Sleep with your head on a pillow, slightly elevated.
Ask your doctor or midwife which over-the-counter antacids are safe to take.

Swelling

To reduce ankle and foot swelling, try these strategies:

Avoid standing or sitting still for prolonged periods. When traveling, get up to walk around every hour or so.
Sit with your feet propped up whenever you can.
Try wearing support stockings or pantyhose.

Nausea & Vomiting

The morning sickness that plagues many pregnant women typically occurs during the first 12 weeks or so. But it can actually happen any time during the day or night and may linger throughout pregnancy.

The following tactics can help prevent or relieve morning sickness:

Eat frequent, small meals and snacks so that you don't get hungry. An empty stomach is a frequent cause of morning sickness.
Avoid rich foods, spicy dishes, and offensive odors. Also, coffee, milk, tea, and citrus juice make many pregnant women feel nauseated.
Include in your diet more starchy foods, such as rice, white potatoes, soda crackers, and toast. Other items that can soothe an upset stomach include gelatin desserts, ginger ale, and decaffeinated teas.
Ask your doctor or midwife if the iron in your prenatal vitamin could be a problem.
Consider acupuncture, which studies show is effective against morning sickness. Acupressure wristbands also may help.
Ask you doctor or midwife if taking ginger root would be beneficial.
If nausea or vomiting are severe or trigger weight loss, talk to your doctor or midwife.

Stress-busting for Two

Pregnancy can be stressful emotionally as well as physically. Just dealing with the discomfort and changes in your body is challenging enough, especially if you push yourself to accomplish everything you did before you were pregnant.

And then there are all the implications of pregnancy and motherhood—from the pain of labor and concern over the baby's health to money worries and relationship changes. Not surprisingly, first-time mothers worry more than second-time moms during pregnancy.

But one of the best things you can do for your baby is to "de-stress." Stress levels that are too high have been shown to increase a woman's risk for preterm labor and a low birth weight baby.

Here are some ways to limit and handle stress during pregnancy:

Identify personal and work-related sources of stress, and try to find ways to make them less problematic.
Eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly.
Reach out for emotional and practical support from your partner, relatives, and friends. Research reveals such support can ward off depression and help your unborn baby grow.
Learn and practice stress-reduction techniques, such as meditation or guided imagery.
Sign up for childbirth classes; they reduce anxiety by teaching you what to expect and how to relax during labor and delivery.