A bundle of joy is often accompanied by pain.
While pregnant, you'll encounter a number of aches and pains that you've never experienced before. From a simple backache to stomach cramps and muscle contractions, you'll find that you're often plagued by pain in some form, and desperate to find a way to stop the pain. Unfortunately, while pregnant you are limited to the type of drugs that you can take, however some are safe. Besides medicine, you can find other pain relief that soothes your aching body during a transitional and stressful time in your life.
OTC Medicine
If you are the type of person who automatically reaches toward the medicine cabinet when pain hits, then you should know which types of over the counter medicines are appropriate for use by a pregnant women. While you may trust ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen when you have pain while not pregnant, you should know that these medicines are not advised for pregnant women to take. The contain NSAID pain relievers which can be dangerous to an expecting woman. Instead, stick to acetaminophen and follow regular dosing instructions. If your pain does not subside, talk to your doctor about prescription medicines that you can potentially use.
Heat and Massage
Using heat and massage are two ways that you can avoid taking medication while you're pregnant. While very hot temperatures are generally not advised, as they can dangerously raise your core temperature, heating a bathtub or shower to 100 degrees and below is fine. Make sure that you take breaks every ten or twenty minutes to give your body a chance to cool off. A whirlpool tub can be very relaxing for back and leg pain. If you'd prefer a massage, look into a masseuse that specializes in prenatal massage. They have special tables built to accommodate a pregnant woman's growing body so that she can enjoy pain relief in comfort.
Nutritional Supplements
When pregnant, you may experience crippling leg cramps in the middle of the night, and can have lasting side effects for days afterward. This is caused by a potassium deficiency. Potassium regulates muscles contractions, which means if you are not getting enough, you can experience painful muscle spasms which most often occur in the calf muscle. Making sure to have adequate nutrition through a balanced diet and nutritional supplements is important to relieve that middle of the night pain. Your doctor might also prescribe a standalone potassium supplement to ward off that cramping. If it does happen, make sure to begin massaging your calf muscle immediately to relax the muscle so that you can go back to sleep.
