Every pregnant woman can tell you that there are common discomforts of pregnancy. It just would be too much to ask to have your body nurture and grow another human being without it causing some amount of discomfort. The most commonly discussed discomforts in groups of pregnant women that a newly pregnant women may be interested in knowing about are back pain, breast changes, self image issues, constipation, dizziness, headaches, hemorrhoids, heartburn, insomnia, leg cramps, morning sickness, round ligament pain, swelling and vaginal discharge. If having to carry about another human being 24/7 and then pushing that human being out of your vagina at the end of 9 months wasn’t enough for the pregnant body to do, women have to cope with the day-to-day discomforts of pregnancy.

The back pain of pregnancy:

Although you can experience back pain at anytime during the pregnancy the most prevalent time to experience it is at the end of the pregnancy when the baby’s weight is at it’s highest pulling supporting muscles, which can strain your back. Back pain is so common during pregnancy that more than half of all pregnant women experience it. There are many things that contribute to back pain of pregnancy including your center of gravity being off, poor posture and the fact that hormones make the joints to become looser which affects the ability of the ligaments to support the back.

You can help to prevent back pain during your pregnancy by learning some simple tricks such as using ice or heat, braces or support devices, to sleep on your left side, use medications to treat any inflammation, use a chiropractor or massage therapist to bring relief and use pillows under your knees to help support your posture while you sleep.

The Self Image problem of Pregnancy:

Self image is the way a person feels about herself or himself and in the case of pregnancy it is how the pregnant woman feels about her self image regarding her body shape, size, tone, texture etc. Typically those who are unhappy about being pregnant are more likely to have a self-image problem.

One way to overcome self-image problems is to understand what it is that your body does when it nurtures and carries the unborn baby. When pregnant a woman should feel cherished by those around her and she should be pampered by others and by herself. Exercising while pregnant is an excellent way to stay fit, strong and to encourage a positive attitude about your body.

Heartburn during pregnancy:

Many people get heartburn even when they are not pregnant so it is a common complaint for anyone but is a special complaint when it comes to pregnancy. It feels like a burning sensation in the chest area. What causes the burning sensation is the valve that is located between the stomach and the esophagus does not sufficiently keep the food contents from backing up into the esophagus. This occurs especially in pregnancy because the hormone progesterone causes the valve to relax. As the stomach acid is allowed to pass through this relaxed valve into the esophagus it irritates the lining.

It is quite common especially in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy to have heartburn and indigestion because the expanding uterus is putting pressure not only on the stomach, but on the intestines as well. This pressure especially the pressure on the stomach can also force stomach contents back up into the esophagus.

Thankfully, there is a way to treat and prevent heartburn in pregnancy. In order to treat heartburn, first do all you can to prevent it by eating five or six smaller meals instead of 3 big ones each day. Do not lie down until at least an hour after eating. Do your best to avoid fatty, greasy, or spicy foods.

To treat heartburn if despite prevention you still get it:

* Drink a glass of milk

* Eat yogurt

* Put a tablespoon of honey in a glass of warm milk

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