Summary: As the belly gets bigger and heavier, the pregnant mother\’s center of gravity will gradually shift forward when standing. In order to ensure the balance of the body, the shape of the spine of pregnant mothers will also change. Specifically, the pregnant mother\’s waist will lean forward more, her hips will lean back further, and her neck will be stretched forward more forcefully. Such a posture doubles the load on the muscles directly connected to the spine. As the belly gets bigger and heavier, the pregnant mother\’s center of gravity will gradually shift forward when standing. In order to ensure the balance of the body, the shape of the spine of pregnant mothers will also change. Specifically, the pregnant mother\’s waist will lean forward more, her hips will lean back further, and her neck will be stretched forward more forcefully. Such a posture doubles the load on the muscles directly connected to the spine. At the same time, the growth of the stomach also affects the abdominal muscles, reducing strength and affecting standing posture.
The joint ligaments of pregnant mothers will become loose under the influence of hormones, and the sacroiliac joints and pubic symphysis will also change accordingly. Unfortunately, instability has also increased. All of these factors can lead to lower back pain. Generally speaking, mothers\’ back pain can gradually subside during their return to exercise until unloading, uterine contraction, and stomach subside. In order to relieve the symptoms of back pain, it is very important to adopt the correct walking, standing, sitting and even lying postures in daily life.
How should I go?
As the belly becomes rounder, the pregnant mother will gradually become bigger and the center of gravity will shift forward, because the big belly will hinder the movement of lifting the legs, and the pelvis will increase when walking.
This makes pregnant mothers walk a bit like Donald Duck, swaying, and sometimes they can\’t help but use one hand to hold their waist. These are normal.
The following suggestions may be useful to you:
1. When walking, remember to keep your shoulders relaxed and be careful not to bend your upper body.
2. If necessary, you can wear a pregnancy-specific lumbar support. It has a good foil effect and can relieve low back pain, but don\’t expect to be completely immune to pain.
3. Don’t walk for too long. You can sit down and rest for a while before continuing.
4. To prevent foot pain, if you walk for a long time, you should wear a pair of flat shoes with good arch support. The soles need to have a certain thickness.
Because, as the weight of the fetus gradually increases, the load on the mother\’s feet also increases when she walks. Heel pain and plantar fasciitis can easily result if shoes that are worn for long periods of time do not provide good enough support. There are also some problems. Some pregnant mothers may even feel pain as if the sole of their foot is being torn as soon as their foot touches the ground.
Pregnant mothers who were accustomed to wearing high heels before pregnancy may find it uncomfortable to switch to flat shoes at first, but flat shoes are indeed safer and more comfortable. After a while, they will get better.
How should I stand?
Due to changes in the spine, pregnant mothers often stretch their heads, raise their chests, and stick out their buttocks when standing. Pregnant women should not indulge in such postures as their spines will feel tired.
So, here are five points to consciously correct yourself: Keep your head up and maintain a good neck position. The vertical line of your earlobes should preferably be above your shoulders. Remember to raise your head. Keep your chest high, relax your shoulders, and avoid thrusting your chest out and thinking about raising your head to the roof. Don\’t tilt your hips, tighten your hips appropriately, and always remind yourself not to tilt your hips back. When standing straight, don\’t lean your body and let your legs support your weight evenly. Changeable Postures Do not maintain standing postures for too long, change them appropriately.
How should I sit?
When sitting to work or rest, pregnant mothers may have their waist hanging in the air due to their belly, which is not good for the lumbar spine at all. For the sake of health, pregnant mothers should pay attention to the following aspects.
1. Sit up straight
The buttocks should be close to the back of the chair, keep the body straight, do not lean to one side, and keep the head and neck straight.
2. Sit up straight
Instead of crossing your legs, you can put a small stool under your feet and step on the stool with your feet.
3. Sit flat
Keep your body close to the table when working; if you use a computer, adjust the height of your monitor so that the horizontal centerline is at eye level. Find support at your elbows and relax your shoulders.
4. Waist protection
If you are sitting on a swivel seat, do not use your upper body to rotate the seat. Accordingly, it is recommended to use the lower body to drive the whole body to rotate together.
5. Hyperactivity
After sitting for 20-30 minutes, adjust your posture. You can stand up and move for 5 minutes before continuing to work.
When switching between sitting and standing positions, move your body forward to the front of the chair, and then use your legs to support yourself. Try not to lean forward or stand up to avoid excessive stress on your waist.
How should I lie down?
If you want to say which position lasts the longest during the day, it is really the lying position. Some pregnant mothers complain of back pain when they wake up every day, or numbness and cramps in their legs. What suggestions do you have for this?
1. Don’t lie flat
Pregnant mothers should try not to sleep on their backs. It is best to sleep on their sides, preferably on their left sides.
Not only is the position of lying down aggravating low back pain, but also because as the gestational age increases, the baby may compress the inferior vena cava, a large blood vessel in the stomach. This vein primarily carries blood from the lower limbs, pelvis, and abdomen back to the heart. If it becomes difficult for blood to return to the lower body, it will increase the burden on the heart and may also reduce the blood supply to the placenta.
As for the sleeping process, don\’t worry about accidentally lying on your back, because if it becomes uncomfortable, people will adjust their positions themselves.
2. Equipped with bedding
Pay attention to the height of the pillow, which conforms to the curve of the cervical spine. A wavy pillow can support the cervical spine well. The mattress should be firmer to support the body well. If a person sinks in, the lumbar spine will be very tired. As long as the cervical and lumbar vertebrae are well supported, the cervical and lumbar vertebrae can be kept in the same straight line when the person is lying on the side, and the possibility of causing pain is very small. If necessary, pregnancy pillows can be equipped, such as U-shaped, L-shaped, etc., which can help mothers support the abdomen and waist and relieve low back pain symptoms.
About the author Liu Yan, Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing United Family Rehabilitation Hospital, Master of Rehabilitation Medicine, Capital Medical University