During this special time, you will undergo vast physical, chemical, and often emotional changes over a relatively short period. These are some of the changes your body experiences:
Structurally
Your body has to adapt to carrying up to 20lb of baby, water and placenta, which requires it to readjust into the “pregnancy posture”. This increases the hollow of your lower back (lordosis) and tilts the pelvis forward, which has a knock-on effect in the mid and upper back, pelvis, and legs. This can often cause backache and muscle pain as the body tries to adopt this new position.
Secondly, the expanding uterus puts the diaphragm under pressure, which can lead to heartburn, nausea, and, on occasion, shortness of breath.
Your pelvis also has to adapt to this new posture, and the baby’s position can often dictate how well it does this. For example, the baby can push on specific areas, which can cause pain and strain. Osteopaths understand the importance of resolving tensions within the pelvis and uterus to allow free movement of the baby so that it can find a position that provides a minor strain on both them and you! Previous injuries and pre-pregnancy trauma or strains can also often become much more apparent once pregnant and influence how well the pelvis can adapt to the pregnancy posture. Osteopaths will consider these when taking the case history and treat the whole of you, not just your pregnancy.
Chemically
Your body produces the hormone relaxin in large quantities in the first trimester, which is thought to help loosen the ligaments and soothe the pelvis, allowing proper room in the birth canal for delivery.
Unfortunately, this can often cause pain during pregnancy, as the pelvic joints can move too much, resulting in hypermobility. In addition, this pain is often experienced at the pubic symphysis, where the two pubic bones meet at the front of the pelvis, and in the sacroiliac joints, where the pelvis attaches at the back. These two common problems respond particularly well to osteopathic treatment.
