A woman undergoes many changes during pregnancy. Today, we will be discussing the postural changes pregnant women undergo and the impact of the weight of her baby on her body. During the first trimester, the baby bump is not as noticeable and there are not many physical changes that happen within the body that affect her posture. The biggest change a woman undergoes in this trimester is hormonal changes.

It is usually only after the second trimester that a woman has noticeable postural changes. As the baby grows in size and weight, the stomach stretches outwards and her center of gravity slowly starts to shift forward. This causes an occurrence called lordosis (or open scissor syndrome), whereby the lower back arches inwards to push the belly forward and the bottom (buttocks) will be pushed backward (see picture).

The lower back isn’t the only thing affected by the growing baby. The upper back and shoulders start to hunch forward. Our posture changes even when we pick up our groceries from the car and bring them into the house, imagine the effect of carrying a growing baby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with no rest in between.

There are times where these postural changes can cause pain. Lower back pain and neck pain are very common amongst pregnant women. The stress imposed onto the ligaments of the back (spine) and hips that comes with the postural changes contribute to the pain. The back muscles have become weak and tight, while the abdominal and butt muscles have been stretched and weakened.

Even after delivery, there are cases where a woman would still feel remnants of back pain and neck pain if the supposed “injury” has not been dealt with.

All these pregnancy posture issues can be solved with proper exercise and stretching, coupled with muscle tightness release. Exercise reaps benefits to the pregnant woman as well as the baby she is carrying. With exercise, the mother and baby are healthier. The stronger and fitter the mother is, the easier the delivery process as the mother is already accustomed to enduring exertion over a period of time, and to endure the long hours of delivery.

If you want to know more about the types of exercises and stretches that can be done, feel free to give us a call at 03-50315946 or send us a Whatsapp  or Make an Appointment. We at Rehamed Therapy are always here to help!