Tips For Pregnancy Back Pain

This was originally written on February 5, 2008:

I'm now at almost 27 weeks pregnant and 23 pounds gained. I'm not as concerned, though, ever since I learned on Friday that Logan is developing at a quicker rate than most. I've had major non-stop hunger lately, but there's obviously a reason!

I can also tell I've moved on to another phase of pregnancy because today I'm feeling nauseated again :-( And, I experienced my first heartburn yesterday. I was lying on the couch and all of a sudden the area below my breast bone started burning. It kept getting worse and worse and that's when it hit me--uh, that must be why they call it heartburn. It was weird, 'cuz I thought people got it after they eat, but this was before supper. It actually went away once I ate.

Unfortunately, my stomach is going numb even when I lay down now, so I have two things (that and back pain) when I'm trying to relax. Otherwise, though, those are the only ailments I have these days.

I keep thinking back to my appt. on Friday and how it was another exciting moment in this pregnancy. :-) I forgot to mention that my doctor was feeling my abdomen and said, "oh here is he, hanging out" and that's how she knew where to put the doppler to hear the heartbeat (on my left side). When I feel my stomach it's just a hard wall so it's amazing that she could feel exactly where he was!!!

On Saturday, my mom & stepdad came over and we bought our car seat/stroller :-) We absolutely love it and can't wait to pick it up (it's being ordered from Lincoln, so it'll take another week before we bring it home). It doesn't sound like they make anything better than the Chicco travel system!

On Sunday, we put up the moon & stars wallpaper border in our nursery which is so adorable!!!!

Yesterday I just vegged out, as my energy is still low these days, and am doing the same today. So, I'll continue where I left off on Friday with pregnancy symptoms of the second & third trimesters. Aside from the skin changes, a common one (as you know) is back pain. The American Pregnancy Association says the following:

You are not alone if you are experiencing back pain during your pregnancy. The prevalence varies with reports, showing between 50 to 70 percent of all pregnant women having back pain.

Back pain during pregnancy is related to a number of factors. Here is a list of potential causes of back pain or discomfort during pregnancy:

Increase of hormones – hormones released during pregnancy allow ligaments in the pelvic area to soften and the joints to become looser in preparation for the birthing process of your baby; this shift in joints and loosening of ligaments may affect the support your back normally experiences.
Center of gravity – your center of gravity will gradually move forward as your uterus and baby grow, which causes your posture to change.
Additional weight – your developing pregnancy and baby create additional weight that your back must support.
Posture or position – poor posture, excessive standing, and bending over can trigger or escalate the pain you experience in your back.
Stress – stress usually finds the weak spot in the body, and because of the changes in your pelvic area, you may experience an increase in back pain during stressful periods of your pregnancy.

Back pain may not be prevented completely, but there are things that you can do to reduce the severity or frequency. Here are a few steps you can take to help reduce the back pain you are experiencing:

Use exercises approved by your health care provider that support and help strengthen the back and abdomen.
Squat to pick up something versus bending over.
Avoid high heels and other shoes that do not provide adequate support.
Avoid sleeping on your back.
Wear a support belt under your lower abdomen.
Make sure your back is aligned using a chiropractor.
Get plenty of rest. Elevating your feet is also good for your back.

Here are some other common interventions:

Ice or heat.
Braces or support devices.
Sleep on your left side and use a support pillow under your knees.
Medications used to treat inflammation.
Use a licensed health care professional such as a chiropractor or massage therapist.
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Just like when I gave the rundown on morning sickness a few months ago, unfortunately I, personally, haven't found relief in these options. But I think that is because my back pain is in a different area than most. I really haven't experienced lower back pain, i.e. the pelvic region. Mine has all been in the upper back, and so sleeping on my side actually makes it worse because the natural thing to do is round your shoulders forward. (I have a body pillow but, once again, that seems to give more support to my lower back.) I also haven't tried the "belt" because that goes around the lower back. Nor do I feel the couple of times I go out each week in my high-boots affect my upper back. Most of the time I am relaxing and getting proper rest. . .I believe my pain is all related to weight gain (especially in my chest area). Therefore, exercises seem the most likely to help in my case, as well as getting a prenatal massage. I am lucky to have an aunt who is a masseuse, although she lives in Kansas City so I can't really use her during this time! However, she was able to add the following:

". . .relaxation techniques, breathing. . .healthy fluids. Be sure you get a masseuse who is experienced in prenatal massage even if you have to drive a ways. An electric heat pad is not the best thing to put on your back for more than a few minutes at a time. It must be set at a moderate/medium temp--never a high setting. Far-infrared heat is the best. . .Consult your doc for referrals. No lifting. . .You may stretch all you can but relaxing those back muscles, sitting, standing, leaning, bending are most important at this time. Let someone help you with the heavier tasks, instead of bending at the back, stoop, kneel or bend 1 knee to reach things lower in cabinets / oven , etc."

All of this talk about back pain is making my back ache now, lol. So I'll finish with other pregnancy symptoms tomorrow :-)

How Long Did It Take You To Get Pregnant?

This was originally written on Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I am still low on energy. I don't think I'll take "activity" for granted after I'm pregnant. It's a blessing to be able to move around freely! It's depressing to have in your mind your old ways of doing things--and to try, but not be able to. I can understand the eldery and disabled now. A simple task like getting up off the couch takes a tremendous amount of energy. It's been at least a month since I've been able to carry laundry baskets (with clothes). Cleaning the house is equal to a marathon. We took down our tree and all of our Christmas decorations after the first weekend in January--but Joe was the one who did most of the work since I seriously felt incapable.

On Saturday I went scrapbooking with my friends Heather and Sara (which I've been doing since October at a store), and as I was walking to the parking lot carrying my bags, they slid off my shoulder. I did the "pull back up" move with my arm, but it didn't work and so I had to give my arm an extra jerk--bad idea--I felt a painful pull in my abdomen. Even though I knew it wasn't serious enough to affect the baby or push me into premature labor, I realized I can't push myself with anything or else I really can injure myself and/or my son. Needless to say, I consolidated when I got home and will only be carrying one bag from now on!

By the way, I never mentioned that a month ago I lost my balance and fell into my shower door. The fall left a huge gash on my abdomen and there's still a line, but fortunately that was the day before my big ultrasound and so I was reassured quickly that it didn't hurt my baby.

This morning is the first time in a while that I've been up before 10 to noon. I made a comment at scrapbooking how I've been sleeping 10-12 hrs lately and every mother who overheard said at the same time, "DO IT!" It will be years before I'll be able to do it again. . .maybe that's why my body isn't really giving me a choice on this matter--I'm resting up for years ahead!

I haven't had any of the six-month nausea in a week so I'm hoping that was just a two-week thing (and it was 1/4 as bad as the first trimester--whew).

Lately I've been losing/misplacing things which is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Maybe it's because our house is a mess. I told Joe I feel our house is a reflection of me. It's been an absolute disaster this month :p Fortunately, I've been slowly cleaning and working on getting it back together, so hopefully I'll feel the same about me/my life soon.

Joe and I finished registering on Friday so that is one less thing to worry about. We bought the moon & stars theme bedding set, so we can start decorating the nursery this weekend :-)

L.J. (we decided on James as Logan's middle name) is still moving around constantly. Every now and then I won't feel anything--but I'm always reassured within five minutes. I much prefer to be reassured this way rather than the first trimester with the all-day sickness (the only good part about that was that I always knew I was still pregnant and things were progressing well).

I forgot to mention that Joe's reaction was "weird!" the two times he has felt L.J. kick, haha! He says it's freaky--he can't imagine something alive and kicking him from the inside. I told him it often just feels like a twitch/spasm in my stomach. But yeah, I never could have imagined it before, either!

L.J. feels so low sometimes, it's like he's about to fall out (there's so much pressure). I made the comment that I think he'll just pop out easily during labor. . .Joe was like, "Can I get that writing?" Yeah, probably not :p

Joe says you can't tell I'm pregnant from the back, but this past week I've been able to definitely tell from the front (before, when I'd look at myself naked in the mirror my waist was still there. . .now it's not, lol. It feels weird when I put my hands on my hips--there's no indentation now). I'm not the cute basketball girl (you know, the pregnant woman who looks the same except for a perfect ball in front)--I'm carrying my weight all over.

Joe has somehow gained six pounds during my pregnancy, which is funny because he's been the exact same weight since our junior year of college (after he stopped lifting weights). He's one of those lucky people who can eat anything he wants and still look like he's working out every day. Granted, he's never had a very big appetite and it didn't seem like he'd been eating larger amounts lately. But studies have shown that most all husbands gain weight, too, while their wives are pregnant! Isn't that crazy? It must be a subconscious thing. Like, maybe I really am eating a lot more and he's used to eating in porportion to me and so he's eating more, too, without us noticing. . .???? Funny.
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This was originally written on Monday, January 28, 2008

This Friday will mark my 26th week of pregnancy. That is only four weeks before my mom had me--WOW. Sadly, the 26th week was when my cousin delivered her baby and lost him three days later. His real due date was this very past weekend. Please keep her in your prayers during this especially hard month.

Joe & I start our childbirth classes this Thursday. It seems unreal--another step toward L.J.'s arrival!

We started decorating our nursery on Saturday which was really exciting. Joe set up the crib & changing table, and we put the moon & stars bedding set together. It looks so nice--we love it!!!!

My back has been hurting pretty bad, and for some reason when I sit too long the top of my stomach becomes numb. I'm also peeing several times an hour--but at least there's still no nausea these days. . .and my sniffling is 99% gone. Also, I've found several of the items I'd lost, so I'm hoping that's a good sign (although there are five things still missing). That's probably due to me finally getting our house cleaned (with the help of Joe) by Saturday morning (Jake & Melissa came over and we went out to Wheatfields for a breakfast/lunch). Hopefully we can keep it this way for a while, especially since my mom & stepdad are visiting this Sat & Sun.

My only other plans include my mom throwing me a shower on March 1st, and Heather from Omaha is throwing me one with Lisa and the three Sara(h)s the Sun. before (2/24). It seems like just yesterday I was having a bridal shower--but that will be exactly five years from the day of my mom's!

From now on, on my blogiste, I'm going to try to topic in order of a woman's pregnancy. For example, today's will be about getting pregnant.

A friend of mine went off the pill in June, and when she hadn't conceived by August or September she started using the ovulation predictor kit. She expressed her disappointment to me recently about it not happening yet. It reminded me of how I felt last year.

Looking back, I see how strange the whole conception process is. Like, I went off the pill in Feb. 2004--not because I wanted to get pregnant, but because I'd had horrible side effects all year (despite even switching to one with a lower hormone dose). For about a year Joe and I were super careful. But, we got lazy and for the next couple of years we'd only use protection during my mid-month week.

Once I started tracking my cycle by taking my temperature, in February 2007, I realized how lucky we'd been not to get pregnant before we'd wanted to! My periods have never been regular and I realized I'd often been off on what were my most likely days to get pregnant. Our plan wasn't to purposely start trying to concieve until April (it's recommended to start tracking your fertility a couple of months prior to trying), but because of this realization, we decided to make March our first month of having unprotected sex during all weeks. After three months of this I began to wonder if we had some type of fertility issue. How could we have played russion roulette and not have conceived--when you hear about people all of the time having unprotected sex once and getting pregnant?!

So that's when I started using the ovulation predictor test. I was relieved that it showed positive (indicating that I was releasing an egg every month), but then was stunned when I didn't get pregnant in June or July. I still don't have an explanation. We did nothing different in August--the month I did conceive. (So even though in our minds we started trying in March, I consider pregnancy to have taken us three months since the months prior to August we didn't do it at the correct time.)

It is proof that if a couple doesn't have a fertility issue, it could just be as simple as "timing is everything." When you consider that (for a couple in their mid-upper twenties) the sperm and egg only have a 25% chance of meeting every month when no environmental factors get in the way (i.e. stress, viruses, etc.) then it's not really that surprising that it would take a few months for most couples. We're a society who wants quick results, but just like with everything in life, most things happen based on timing. That's why doctors don't want to test couples for fertility problems until after they've been trying for at least a year. More often than not, that's simply how long it takes. If you got pregnant on your first try then you are rare! (Tidbit: The month you go off the pill you are the most fertile you will ever be, however all doctors agree you should wait three months before you try to conceive, for your hormones to return to normal in order to prevent miscarriage or birth defects--as they are also the most likely during those first three months off the pill.)

That may be why the "first try" stories are the ones we hear about more, giving a false impression, because people are more likely to announce it as if they are extra fertile or something. In reality, most people are about equal (there's only two days a month women can get pregnant)--it's just that timing on when this happens (everything lining up) is different for everyone. (Also, many times people think their first pregnancy was their first try, when in all actuality there might have been a number of unplanned misses before.)

So, if you're in the same boat as my friend, as hard as it is not to get worked up about it--try to relax. That actually may be why I got pregnant when I did--because that particular month I'd given up! There was no more pressure because we were moving that month and had decided to wait to start trying again until 2008. I simply did the ovulation predictor kit for my third time as a last-minute decision one random day. . .and here I am five months later with a bun in the oven! :-)

Talk to ya again tomorrow!

Hearing the heartbeat for the second time

This was origianlly written on Monday, December 3, 2007:

Fortunately, I haven't had cramps aside from the week of Thanksgiving so that is good. I talked to my doctor about it last Thurs. and she said that if I have them now in the second trimester then I must go to the hospital if they haven't gone away after two hours. (I'm supposed to try lying on my side, drinking lots of water, and going to the bathroom to see if that helps. But if not, it's considered an emergency situation. . .yikes!)

My back pain is better but not entirely gone. My doctor prescribed a muscle relaxant for if it gets worse, but there are other things I'll try first, such as stretches and massages. I think the aches are related to my weight gain (in combination with the pelvis separating and the ligaments supporting the uterus stretching) and maybe my body is adjusting now. At first I think it threw off my posture and was weighing me down in front (which put strain on my back). Because since I haven't had a chance to buy a new bra, I can only wear mine for a few hours before I have to take them off! Since I started doing that, my upper back has improved. But I still feel 100 years old when I get up from a sitting or laying position!

Fortunately, my sickness is really over! I'm eating vegetables again and sleeping well. . .except for this morning I woke up at 4:30, so every now & then I'm still getting up early, but at least I don't feel fatigued. I haven't thrown up since the day after we returned from Thanksgiving (making my total while pregnant around 13) but best of all I haven't felt nauseated since November 23rd!

I had my hair cut on Wednesday (for the first time since the day I got pregnant!) and then Joe met me at my doctor's office on Thursday. He hadn't gone with me in October when I'd heard the heartbeat for the first time, so I was excited for him to hear it this time.

At first we had a scare! She put the monitor on my abdomen, only unlike last time when I'd heard the heartbeat immediately, this time there was nothing! It took what seemed like forever as she moved it left, right, up, down, and all over. I was thinking, ohmygosh, it died! I'm glad Joe's here because this is going to be a sad day. But my doctor was still smiling and talking and said, "I'm not concerned because I can hear it moving all around. It's being active today!" Sure enough, she finally found it (positioned really low)--and then it moved again! It was so cute, she had to chase it all over my belly! It's crazy to think it's already doing its own thing and already has its own personality!

Needless to say, the heartbeat was 10 beats higher this time (150 opposed to 140) so either it's more likely to be a girl, or the boy's heartbeat was higher because it was being so active! However, my doctor said it's just an old wive's tale, that in her experience there doesn't seem to be a way to tell if it's a boy or girl based on the heartbeat. But I still think it's a boy. We'll finally find out on December 18th! :-) Lately I've been having dreams that it's a girl (I dream nearly every night that I'm either giving birth, breastfeeding, or just holding my baby). But in my waking life I feel very strongly that it's a boy.
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This was written on Wednesday, December 5, 2007:

I forgot to mention that on Thanskgiving I just threw my leather coat (that I've been wearing the past two years) in our car when we drove to Iowa. Later that day I put it on. . .and realized it wouldn't close! I have now switched to my big heavy winter coat since my leather jacket is obviously way too small :p I'm up 10 pounds now at almost 18 weeks, so I bought my first pair of maternity jeans yesterday, along with maternity black dress pants, a black sweatsuit that says "Baby" on the top in silver letters, and a bra--yeay--finally one that fits again! My hope is that I'll be able to rotate these clothes (with the three shirts I have) and get by without any others, once I start wearing all maternity clothes, probably around Christmas. We'll see! I'm off to the mall for some Christmas shopping now.