Pregnancy Blog

1- Walk & move your body every day

Movement is essential for the body. Most occupations & parts of everyday life have us sitting for hours per day. By having ‘movement breaks’ and adding in daily walks, this improves our lymphatic drainage, muscle tone, blood flow, mental health, cardiovascular health, joint mobility and so on. Ideally every 20minutes, stop what you are doing, stand up, stretch, roll your shoulders, move your body then sit down and reset your posture.

Unfortunately a common complaint during pregnancy is reflux. That burning sensation in the back of your throat and chest. When we eat, food passing down the esophagus into the stomach, but to stop the food going back up our throat, there is a sphincter/valve. In pregnancy the Relaxin hormone can make this valve weak thus allowing food and stomach acid back up the esophagus and creating the burning

feeling.

Pregnancy can bring a range of unwanted aches and pains that can start at any stage of pregnancy. Osteopathic treatment is a safe form of hands-on, physical therapy to make your pregnancy more comfortable.

Luckily Osteopathic treatment is safe at any stage of pregnancy, whether you are 4 weeks pregnant or 41 weeks pregnant. Osteopathic treatment does not induce labour. However it absolutely help the mother prepare for labour, making sure all her muscles, ligaments and joints are working their best to make labour as easy as possible.

Turning a baby must be done under strict medical conditions as is very dangerous due to not knowing the location of the umbilical cord. Treatment can help encourage the baby to move to the head down position but to truly ‘flip a baby’ this must be done in hospital under ultrasound and by a medical professional. Sarah believes the baby will only move if it can safely and when it is ready.

For most women, by the third trimester it becomes hard to get comfortable at night. This is due to the bigger belly size and the strain it places on your muscles, joints and ligaments. Therefore it is very common by the third trimester that you end up sleeping with a mountain of pillows. I recommend the following area’s to put pillows to get the best nights sleep.

One of the most common complaints Osteopaths treat postnatally is mid back/bra line region pain. This is due to a few factors. First being the increased size of the breast tissue. This added weight on the front of the chest pulls on the back, neck and anterior/front of your neck muscles and spinal joints.

Have you got aches, pains and uncomfortable niggles? Unfortunately pregnancy can be a time of bodily discomfort, with new and not-so-nice things to deal with. Pregnancy osteopath Sarah Boughtwood (sarahboughtwoodosteopath.co.nz) shares some of the more common aches and pains in pregnancy, and what you can do to help yourself.

Sleep is a vital part of our day. Whether you are pregnant, a new mum or not, sleep is essential. Quality sleep is our time overnight for our parasympathetic nervous system to do its job of ‘rest and repair’. Yet for many of us, a solid 8hours of uninterrupted, quality sleep in not happening. Whether its struggling to fall asleep, waking up wide awake at 1am, going to the bathroom multiple times, or you are uncomfortable during sleep, all these factors effect the quality of your sleep.

Iron is tested via a simple blood test. This checks your floating and iron stores. The normal range of ferritin (protein that iron binds to)/iron stores is 20-120, ideally you would be 50+. Typically your iron levels & stores are tested at around 28 weeks and possibly at the beginning of pregnancy and at the 36 weeks blood tests. As explained in the previous blog, they are retested at 28 weeks due to this stage of pregnancy is when your little one, steals the most iron from you to grow.

Growing a tiny human is tough work. Let alone if it is baby number 2 or 3 and as you are chasing other toddlers, plus working and general day to day life. It is quite common in the first trimester to be very tired. Generally this eases, along with morning sickness as you start trimester 2. Around 28 weeks your midwife or obstetrician will order some blood tests to test your ferritin/iron stores, along with other things. This is because at 28 weeks your baby draws the most iron from you, leaving you tired and depleted.

Unfortunately a common complaint during pregnancy is reflux. That burning sensation in the back of your throat. 

Cause:

During normal digestion, food travels down the esophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach), through a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), and into the stomach. The LES is part of the doorway between your esophagus and your stomach.

Nutritional advice during pregnancy plays a pivotal role in supporting the health and well-being of both mother and baby. The dietary choices made during this critical period can significantly impact the pregnancy outcome, influencing the development of the baby and the mother's own physical and mental health.

​Pregnancy can be a joyful time but unfortunately can bring some unwanted aches & pains. Osteopaths work closely along pregnant mother's to guide them through the process and alleviate those unwanted pains. These aches and pains can be from mechanical causes like the growing baby putting strains on muscles, joints & ligaments and/or from all the hormonal changes that occur with pregnancy. Osteopaths also like to work along side expectant mother's before these issues arise to try to prevent them occurring in the first place.

During pregnancy your pelvic floor is very important, especially leading up to birth. Whether you are planning a natural birth or c-section. Doing some simple exercises can help tighten your pelvic floor muscles to help avoid the symptoms associated with a 'weak pelvic floor'.

Does every pregnant person need a pregnancy belt? Simply, no. They are a very good support for those that need them but not everyone does. 'Smiley belts' are very popular and have their place, but if you are considering using one, speak to your midwife or health professional first. A few osteopathic treatments and you may not even need a belt.

Never had leg cramps before but now your pregnant all of a sudden your legs are cramping at night? Muscle cramps are defined as 'painful, localised, involuntary skeletal muscle cramps'. They are a very common complaint in pregnancy, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy. They occur in 50% of pregnancies and subside after delivery. Theories behind cramping in pregnancy relate to; weight gain, impaired blood supply to the lower limbs, joint laxity and increased pressure on leg muscles

Pregnancy is a beautiful and transformative journey, but it can come with its fair share of discomforts. One such challenge that some expecting moms face is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Those pesky, uncontrollable sensations in your legs can be quite bothersome, especially when you're already dealing with all the other changes in your body.

Constipation in pregnancy is both normal and a common complaint. If you are suffering from constipation please consult your midwife or health professional, so they can work with you to try resolve it. There are many reasons why constipation occurs in pregnancy; progesterone, iron supplements, side effects of medication e.g. omeprzole (losec) etc. 

One of the many joys that some women experience during pregnancy is headaches. Although not fully understood, it is believed to be related to the influx and changing hormonal levels. Another contributing factor could be the change in blood volume.

 Other causes to consider:

- Eyestrain

During pregnancy, especially in the third trimester it is important you sleep on your sides. DO NOT SLEEP ON YOUR BACK! At the beginning of the night, always start by sleeping on your sides. It is important from early in pregnancy your start sleeping on your sides so it becomes a natural habit. Naturally as your belly expand as the pregnancy progresses you can’t sleep on your tummy either (not that I recommend tummy sleep even when not pregnant).

Pain around the tailbone during pregnancy can be quite discomforting and mostly refers to the coccyx bone, a smaller triangle-shaped bone situated below the sacrum. As your pregnancy progresses, your posture undergoes significant changes, leading to a forward tilt of the pelvis. This shift in alignment places additional weight and pressure on the coccyx, resulting in tailbone pain. The discomfort is often heightened when you're sitting, bending, lifting, climbing stairs, or passing stools.

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey, but it often comes with its share of physical challenges, and rib pain can be one of them. In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the symptoms, causes, self-relief strategies, and how osteopathic examination, diagnosis, and treatment can provide a pathway to comfort and well-being during this transformative time.