8 Quick Home Remedies to Ease Back Pain During Pregnancy

Back pain and pregnancy seem to go together like peas and carrots. It can ruin your sleep, make your third trimester a living hell, and can completely diminish your whole prenatal experience. As I’m updating this post, I’m actually pregnant with my second. After dealing with lower back, hip, and sciatica pain during both pregnancies, I feel like a I have a pretty good handle on what works.

If you’ve googled how to relieve back pain during pregnancy, you’ve probably seen the usual suspects: prenatal yoga, corrective posture, hot pads, etc. This post is going to share a few of the lesser-known remedies for pregnancy back pain that are a life-saver for me. I hope these tips help, Mama, so you can get the rest you deserve!

RELATED POSTS:

• The Best Online Birthing Classes for New Moms
• How to Turn a Posterior Baby
• How to Relieve Heel and Foot Pain During Pregnancy

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase from one of the links I will make a small commission at no charge to you. Blunders in Babyland does not diagnose, treat, or give out any professional advice for any medical or financial situations.

1. Kinesiology Tape

Have you seen the funny pictures on Pinterest of the women with the tape all over their bellies? This is kinesiology tape and it’s amazing.

The concept of kinesiology tape is similar to a pregnancy belt—it adds support.

Kinesiology tape relieves back during pregnancy by lifting the skin to promote blood flow and relieving pressure from your pain receptors. Studies have shown dramatic results.

The benefit doesn’t stop with relieving back pain either. You can use this technique to relieve swelling, carpal tunnel, and pesky sciatica pain. Many athletes swear by this technique.

Your partner can easily apply the tape, but you have to do it right for it to be effective. Check out the tutorial above to learn how to apply.

2: Use a Heating Pad

I’ve tried a lot of heating pads but this one is nothing less than divine. I’ve used it for neck pain, low back pain, and even menstrual cramps. It’s a good item to keep in your cabinet!

So, you’re probably wondering: is it safe to use heating pads during pregnancy? Most practitioners say yes, as long as you don’t leave it on for more than 20 minutes. 

I agree. I made the mistake of falling asleep with it on. Don’t do that!

3: Lumbar Support Pillow

I honestly can’t believe that people don’t recommend these more!

I think we subconsciously limit lumbar support pillows to office spaces. When you’re dealing with back pain during pregnancy, lumbar support pillows become essential for watching TV, eating at the dinner table, or even driving to the supermarket.

From what my doctor told me, the lumbar support pillow helps keep your spine aligned, preventing your backbone from compressing and putting unneeded pressure on your hips and joints.

The lumbar support pillow I listed above is a favorite with my readers.

4. Sit on a Chair Backwards

Quick hack: try sitting on chairs backwards. Definitely not quite as effective, but it’ll do in a pinch.

When you sit backwards, you tend to support your chest on the back of the chair, which straightens your spine. Remember, shoulders back, healthy curve in your back! This is a short-term solution, but if you’re having an extra-difficult day at the workplace, this can make it more tolerable.

5. This Exercise Ball

Pelvic rotations is one of my favorite remedies for pelvic pain particularly. Here are just a couple reasons why I think you should invest in an exercise ball too:

It’s excellent preparation for labor—especially if your baby turns out to be sunny-side up. It will gently encourage your baby into the best position.

2. It can encourage your baby to go into the cephalic position (this is something you should absolutely focus on in the second and third trimester—-you do not want to deal with breech pregnancies).
3. It relieved my back problems like no other. If you’re suffering from back pain because of hip misalignment, an exercise ball will be your best friend.
   It helps you loosen your joints for labor!

Related Post: How to Turn Your Baby from Posterior

6. Go to the Chiropractor Regularly

If you’re struggling with back pain during pregnancy, stop what you’re doing and go see a chiropractor!

Much of back pain is caused by hormones that soften your round ligament and added pressure from your uterus, but there could be other factors at play that are causing your pain.

For me, it was a torqued hip (also pelvic torsion or twisted pelvis). If you’ve been in a car accident or play sports, you’re especially susceptible to a torqued hip as well. My chiropractor did some hardcore palpitations, popped some things back into place, and viola, I was pain-free for at least a couple days. It was the best $50 I have EVER spent.

Seriously, just go in. Usually, they give free consultations and most insurance companies cover at least a portion of the cost as pain management.

Pull Back Your Butt

Even if you weren’t prone to slouching before, pregnancy shifts your center of gravity, making you much more likely to do so.

But correcting your posture is easier said than done when you have about 20lbs of baby and water pulling you forward!

Here’s an easy trick to remember for correcting your posture: pull back your butt.

Pulling your hips back allows your spine to straighten, relieving some of the pressure from your sacrum. Standing this way takes a lot of cognitive work, but over time it will relieve your lower back pain a ton!

Use Your Partner

It’s time for your partner to try his hand at a pregnancy massage. Pregnancy massages are extremely easy to do and really focus on pushing on certain pressure points.

Check out the video above for some great prenatal massage techniques. At about 1:33, you’ll notice the woman applying pressure to the sacrum area. This technique is actually commonly used during labor as well, when a baby is posterior or a mom is having back labor. The technique relieves the pressure on your discs, which is also excellent for relieving back pain during pregnancy.

RELATED POST: How to Cope with Labor Pain: The Best Techniques

9. Drink Lots of Water

Whatever you do, DO NOT GLOSS OVER THIS!

Your doctor, midwife, husband—everyone—will scream about the importance of hydration during pregnancy. BUT it’s easy to forget about it. Water is the key to a successful pregnancy AND relieving back pain. You can try all the techniques on this post and still feel pain if you fail to drink enough water.

Why? Studies have shown that dehydration causes back pain.

The discs in our spine absorb the shock of our every day movements. They are are surrounded by a gel-like membrane that is primarily made of water. When you’re dehydrated, the inner circle of the disc shrinks, resulting in back pain.

There are two components to this: drink water and move. When you move, the discs are lubricated, but that only works if you’re hydrated.

10. Sleep on Your Side with Your Belly Supported

This especially helped during my second pregnancy, when my daughter liked to kick the snot out of me at night. You’ll notice that a reoccuring theme in this post is to better support your back. This includes while you’re sleeping. 

Try putting a pillow behind your lower back, shoulders, and in between your knees. During my first pregnancy, a pregnancy pillow helped a lot. During my second, I just used a few I already had at home. I think it really depends on your weight and your baby’s position. You might also try supporting your stomach.

My OBGYN also recommended this position to open my hips to help my baby turn into the head-down position. 

11. Diffuse Essential Oils

Don’t knock it until you try it! I fully attribute lavender essential oil to the success of my natural childbirth. There have been several studies that link lavender essential oil with decreased pain and better sleep.

While medical professionals say it’s okay to use some essential oils after the first trimester, you really need to ensure that you’re using a pure, therapeutic quality oil for your (and your baby’s) safety. I do not recommend Amazon or Walmart. You want oils with ethically farmed ingredients and high quality control!

I love Simply Earth Essential Oils. I’ve used this company since 2019. They’re amazing especially when you know nothing about essential oils and you’re just looking for a user-friendly/wallet-friendly brand to try out.

FAQ: Questions You Might Have About How to Ease Back Pain in Pregnancy

What Can Cause Back Pain During the Third Trimester?

Extra Weight and Center of Gravity Changes

No, I’m definitely not calling you fat! Weight gain is completely normal as your baby develops. Your uterus expands and increases as well, which puts additional pressure on your spine and lower back muscles. This added load can result in lumbar pain.

Hormonal Changes

Oh, hormones. If you happen to experience pain during the first trimester, hormones are likely the cause. 

During pregnancy, your body releases a hormone called relaxin. This helps loosen ligaments and (eventually) prepares you for childbirth. Unfortunately, it can also result in joint instability.

Posture Changes

Have you noticed a change in your posture lately? That adorable baby bump alters your center of gravity, and as your body adjusts, you might find yourself standing and sitting a little differently. The curvature of your spine increases, and that extra arch can lead to strained muscles and, you guessed it, lower back pain.

That’s why getting some great arch support is so important!

What’s the difference between back pain and Sciatica pain?

Sciatic nerve pain is is severe back pain cause by an irritated sciatic nerve. The symptoms are specific:

• numbness, especially in your groin
• difficulty walking, using the bathroom (or just moving in general)
• burning or shooting pain
• Pain from the lower back, radiating behind the thigh and down to the knee

While some of the techniques below can be used for sciatica, most are geared toward typical upper and lower pregnancy back pain. If you  think you have sciatica, visiting a doctor is your best bet.

Can preterm labor cause back pain?

Technically, yes back pain can be a sign of preterm labor. But, I don’t want you to freak out every time you feel something that’s extremely common in pregnancy. Preterm labor pain is almost always accompanied by other symptoms.

Here’s an example of my term labor pain progression:

Just before labor in my second pregnancy, I experienced a dull, radiating posterior pelvic pain that would not go away. I tried changing positions, hopping on the exercise ball, and doing my usual stretching exercises. This happened in conjunction with more frequent contractions. Pressure in my pelvis also increased. And, as my husband will attest to, I became increasingly agitated.

 Here’s a few other symptoms to keep an eye out for:

• Leaking fluid (amniotic)
• Decreased fetal movement
• Nausea
• Pink-tinged discharge

How do you ease back pain in pregnancy?

There is no doubt: pregnancy backaches are the worst. They can be so demoralizing. Please don’t let it get you down.

These are MY favorite remedies for back pain during pregnancy. Try a few out because your body, the causes of your pain, your habits, are so different from mine.

I truly hope these techniques help you relieve your pain. If they do, please share this post on Pinterest or Facebook. Let’s help each other out and stay informed.

Good luck, Mama!

Looking for more pregnancy tips? Follow me on Pinterest!

RELATED POSTS:

• The Best Online Birthing Classes for New Moms
• How to Turn a Posterior Baby
• How to Relieve Heel and Foot Pain During Pregnancy