This post is long overdue, but better late than never right?
If you follow me over on Instagram, you know that my second trimester had quite the challenges!
Around 24-25 weeks I started to get back/pelvic pain that kept getting progressively worse. The aches turned into pains, which turned into the worst discomfort I’ve ever experienced (and YES – worse than childbirth).
I don’t enjoy pregnancy at a baseline, but being that disabled and incapacitated was beyond horrific on top of the physical discomfort that I was experiencing.
I can’t even put into words what nerve pain feels like, but I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Walking, baring weight, carrying my son were painful, but getting in/out of bed was he worst. Even the tiniest adjustment in bed would send what felt like hot lightening strikes of knives down my buttocks and legs. I became so anxious to move… to even breathe. I know all of this sounds dramatic, but it was bad.
At the time, I also didn’t know what it was or what was causing it. Did I injure myself? Did I tear something in my hip or pelvis? Did I have a herniated disk? Did I hurt myself moving, painting or exercising? Was this just a normal pregnancy symptom? And most importantly – would this go away and how?!
At 35 Weeks Pregnant while writing this, I’m happy to report that I did recover – but it took a solid 3 weeks of self-care and consistency. Why did it happen? I still don’t know, but it seems to be common in secondary pregnancies because our bumps grow faster and our bodies adjust to pregnancy faster than the first time around!
I’ll share below the things that I did and used in case you are experiencing something similar in your pregnancy.
Disclaimer: None of this is medical advice. This is simply me sharing what I personally did that helped me in my personal situation.
- I was thankfully seeing a Chiropractor for maintenance already, so they were integral in helping me recover. If you happen to be local in New Jersey, I go to Circle Of Life Chiropractic. and can’t rave about them enough! Not only did they help me walk again, but they were incredibly generous with their time and were beyond compassionate.
- Staying Active – originally, when this started, I was afraid I was injured so I tried resting whenever I could. Resting made things 100000x worse. Anytime I was able to sit, lay etc… I only stiffened up and it made the pain so much worse. Light walks, staying active around the house etc helped a lot!
- Posture – I am definitely guilty of not doing my best with this. Even though I’m an active person, I do work from home, so I spend a couple hours a day at my desk. I started being more cognizant about my posture and limited my time in any one position to 20-30 minutes tops. If I was at my desk, I used a stability ball to sit also.
- Epson Salt Baths – once I knew that I wasn’t “injured” and it was more pregnancy related, I felt comfortable using heat as therapy and this helped immensely!
- Massage, Pressure, Foam Rolling – I did all of this at home daily, sometimes more. Anything to loosen things up! Pressure/Rolling to my lower back felt best, particularly at the Chiropractor, but if I had to use a wall and pressure ball myself – I did!
- Orthopedic Pillow – I know there’s a million pregnancy pillows on the market, but they are usually bulky, take up the whole bed and compress pretty easily! I ordered this one on Amazon, because I can actually maintain my alignment and it’s so much better (and my husband doesn’t hate it lol).
And finally, something I’ll be able to talk about more this upcoming week, are the workouts I’ve been doing. Back when I was about 24-25 weeks, I was asked to be apart of a Pre/Postnatal Fitness Program that was in program development at Beachbody.
I almost declined the offer because of the shape I was in, but decided to simply do my best. I modified everything and barely had any range of motion when I began, but I know that these stretches and workouts that were specifically curated and developed for us mamas helped immensely!
More on that to come!
But before I wrap things up, I did and still do spend at least 1 hour a day on either exercise/self-care or self-care alone to ensure that I’m doing everything possible to keep my body in the best condition possible. It’s certainly not easy, but nothing could possibly be harder than the pain I experienced! Hope this helps you, and if you’re struggling – I certainly hope you feel better soon!
If you have any remedies that helped you, don’t hesitate to comment below!!
Meghan
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