07/20/2026
Condition of the Week
*** Pregnancy Discomfort***
Common pregnancy discomforts and relief:
Back pain and sciatica:
-Stand up straight with your chest up and your shoulders back and relaxed. Don’t lock your knees. Avoid standing for long periods of time. If you have to stand for a long time, try to rest one foot at a time on a stool or box.
-Sit in chairs that have good back support. Put a small pillow behind your lower back for extra support.
-Wear shoes with low heels and good arch support. Don’t wear flats or high heels.
-Don’t lift heavy things. To pick up something off the floor, bend at the knees and keep your back straight. Don’t bend over at the waist.
-Sleep on your left side and put a pillow between your legs or sleep with a full body pillow. Sleep on a firm mattress. If your mattress is soft, put a board between it and the box spring to make it feel firmer.
-Wear maternity pants that have a wide elastic band that goes under your belly. You may want to try wearing a belly-support girdle made just for use during pregnancy.
-Aim to be active every day. Talk to your health care provider about exercises and stretches you can do to help strengthen your back muscles.
-Try putting a heating pad or ice pack on your back.
-Talk to your provider before you take any pain medicine. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicine, supplements and herbal products.
Belly pain:
-As your baby grows, the muscles around the uterus (womb) pull and stretch. This can cause pain low in your belly. You may feel it most when you cough or sneeze. It usually goes away if you stay still for a bit or if you change to a different position.
Congestion and nosebleeds:
-Use a humidifier to increase the moisture in the air in your home.
-Drink plenty of water.
-Put a few dabs of petroleum jelly on the insides of your nose.
-Use saline nose drops or nose rinse. Don’t use any other kind of medicine without talking to your provider first.
Constipation:
-Drink lots of water. Fruit juice (especially prune juice) can help, too.
-Eat foods that are high in fiber, like fruits, vegetables, beans, whole-grain bread and pasta and bran cereal.
-Eat smaller meals several times a day. Smaller amounts of food may be easier to digest.
-Do something active every day. Walking is good. Ask your provider about other activities that are safe during pregnancy.
-Tell your provider about any supplements you take, especially an iron supplement. Too much iron can lead to constipation. Don’t take any medicine, supplement or herbal product during pregnancy without talking to your provider first. A supplement is a product you take to make up for certain nutrients that you don't get enough of in foods you eat.
-Ask your provider about over-the counter medicine that is safe to take. Don’t take any kind of medicine during pregnancy without talking to your provider first.
Fatigue and sleep problems:
What can I do about fatigue and sleep problems during pregnancy?
Fatigue means being really tired and having little energy. You may feel fatigue early and late in pregnancy. Your body may be tired because:
-It’s working hard to take care of your growing baby. Your body’s making pregnancy hormones and you’re using a lot of energy, even when you sleep.
-You may have trouble sleeping at night because you’re uncomfortable or you need to get up to go to the bathroom. Later in pregnancy, leg cramps may wake you up at night.
-You may feel more stress than before you got pregnant. Stress is worry that you feel in response to things that happen in your life. Stress can make you feel tired.
-You may have other children to take care of and other activities that take up a lot of your time.
Here’s what you can do to help you feel less tired:
-Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Take short naps during the day, if you can.
-Eat healthy foods. Drink plenty of water during the day but cut back a few hours before you go to bed at night.
-Do something active every day. Talk to your health care provider about activities that are safe during pregnancy.
-Cut back on activities that aren’t necessary or that make you tired. Ask your partner, family and friends to help you out around the house or running errands. If you have sick days or vacation days at work, use them.
Here’s what you can do to help you get a good night’s sleep:
-Sleep on your left side with a pillow under your belly and another one under your legs.
-Take a warm shower or bath before you go to bed to help you relax.
-Do exercises, like yoga, to help you relax before going to bed.
-Make sure your bedroom is quiet and comfortable.\
-Cut out caffeine, especially before bedtime. Caffeine is a drug found in things like coffee, tea, soda, chocolate and some energy drinks and medicines. It stimulates the brain, so it makes you feel awake. It stays in the body for several hours, so limit it in the afternoon or evening.
Headaches:
-Talk to your health care provider before you take any medicine, supplement or herbal product to relieve your headache. Some may be harmful to your baby. A supplement is a product you take to make up for certain nutrients that you don’t get enough of in the foods you eat. An herbal product, like a pill or tea, is made from herbs (plants) that are used in cooking.
-Try to figure out what causes your headache (called a headache trigger). Common headache triggers are cigarette smoke, certain foods and eye strain. Once you know your triggers, try to limit or get rid of them.
-Eat healthy foods, drink lots of water and do something active every day.
-Get a good night’s sleep every night. Rest during the day when you can.
-Try to reduce your stress. Stress is worry, strain or pressure that you feel in response to things that happen in your life. Tell your health care provider if you need help to reduce your stress.
-Try relaxation techniques, like deep breathing, yoga and massage. Take a warm shower or bath before you go to bed.
-Put a damp cloth on your head or on the back of your neck.
Heartburn:
-Eat five or six small meals a day instead of three large meals. Eat meals slowly—don’t rush.
-Drink more fluids between meals and less with meals.
-Don’t eat late at night. Eat your last meal two to three hours before you lie down or go to bed.
-Don’t eat foods that cause heartburn, like greasy or fatty foods, spicy foods, citrus products (like oranges or orange juice) and chocolate.
-Don’t drink alcohol. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause serious problems for your baby.
-Raise your head up on pillows when you sleep.
-Talk to your health care provider before you take any medicine, like an antacid, to help relieve heartburn.
Leg cramps:
Here’s what you can do to help prevent leg cramps:
-Stretch your legs before you go to bed.
-Do something active every day. Talk to your health care provider about activities that are safe to do during pregnancy.
-Eat foods that are high in magnesium. Magnesium is a mineral that you get from food. Too little magnesium in your body may cause leg cramps. Foods that have a lot of magnesium in them are whole-grain bread and pasta, beans, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Ask your provider about taking a magnesium supplement. A supplement is product you take to make up for certain nutrients that you don't get enough of in foods you eat.
-Drink lots of water.
-Wear comfortable and supportive shoes.
-Talk to your doctor about taking a calcium supplement.
Here’s what you can do to help relieve leg cramps:
-Stretch your calf muscles. Flex your feet and down.
-Massage the calves using long, downward strokes.
-Take a hot shower or a warm bath.
-Put ice on your legs.
Shortness of breath:
-Don’t smoke. If you need help to quit smoking, tell your health care provider.
-Sit or stand up straight to give your lungs room to expand. Move slowly.
-Try to breathe clean air. Stay away from secondhand smoke (smoke from someone else’s to***co) and other air pollutants.
Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy:
During pregnancy, your body goes through many changes to accommodate a growing baby. When you’re pregnant, the hormone relaxin is released, which relaxes the joints and eases labor and delivery. Sometimes, the ligaments get so loose that they become structurally unstable, and it creates pain.
Other factors that can lead to spine misalignment and pain during pregnancy:
-You’re typically carrying 25 to 30 extra pounds.
-The abdominal muscles weaken.
-The curve in your lower back becomes accentuated.
Chiropractic care keeps the spine aligned, so it can be helpful for pregnant women who are in discomfort. Sometimes, midwives and obstetricians recommend chiropractic care to their patients.
Here, how chiropractic care can be a beneficial part of a prenatal routine.
-Chiropractic care can alleviate pain: A chiropractor will work on spine alignment, muscles, joints and ligaments to create better functioning and stability of the pelvic region, says Dr. Brown. She adds that around 75% of women who receive chiropractic care report feeling relief about two to four days after a session.
-Chiropractic care can ease pregnancy nausea: The spinal cord and spinal nerves, which chiropractors work on, are part of the nervous system. Chiropractic care can improve the overall functioning of the nervous system, which may help with nausea.
-Chiropractic care can help reposition the baby.
-Chiropractic care can reduce the length of time you’re in labor:nWomen who receive chiropractic care during pregnancy have 25% to 31% shorter labor times because of better alignment in the pelvic region, which decreases intrauterine constraint and allows the baby to pass through the labor canal with more ease.
-Chiropractic care can help with postpartum pain: Some women continue going to the chiropractor after the baby arrives, as breastfeeding is also a time when women need help to ease body aches.