Women suffering from pelvic pain during pregnancy, experience a host of challenges which makes their everyday activities even more difficult. In some cases, the pain can be so excruciating that they feel incapacitated to walk or fall asleep peacefully.
Causes of Pelvic Pain
Pain in the pelvic region may be caused due to stretching of abdominal muscles, pressure from round ligaments, loosening of symphysis pubis joint, and other changes. Most aches and cramps are sporadic, lasting for a short period of time, and usually subside on their own.
But, when the symphysis pubis joint is affected, it can lead to debilitating pain which keeps worsening, as you approach your due date. The hormonal changes cause the ligaments and joints to relax and loosen up, so as to allow the baby to pass through during childbirth. Sometimes, the ligaments holding the pelvic bone in place, stretch much ahead of your term completion. This renders the pelvic joint loose and unstable, leading to severe pain which is known as pelvic girdle pain. You can feel pain in your groin area, hips, lower back, and pelvic region.
Pregnant women are often advised to sleep on their sides, preferably the left side, when they reach the third trimester. This is because of the high risks associated with decreased blood flow to the fetus when sleeping on your back. While finding a comfortable position itself is difficult during the last trimester for most women, it is even more challenging for women with pelvic girdle pain. Sleep gets disrupted because of severe pelvic pain when they try sleeping on their sides.
How to sleep with Pelvic Pain?
- Pillows come in very handy during pregnancy. You may consider investing in a body pillow or a pregnancy pillow, which is specially customized to provide comfort.
- Placing a pillow between your knees, to elevate the top leg, when sleeping on your side, helps in aligning the pelvis and decreasing the pressure on your pelvic muscles and hips.
- You may place a suitable pillow under your belly if your back hurts. This helps in improving the positioning of your pelvis and spine.
- You may wear a supporting abdominal band to help in correcting the alignment of the pelvis and alleviating pain.
- You may try sleeping in an inclined position, to help get comfortable.
- You may use a couch or recliner with comfy pillows, to help get some much-needed sleep.
- You may consult a prenatal chiropractor who specializes in adjustments and alignments to help get relief from pelvic and back pains.
