Did you have siatic pain during your first pregnancy and did it come back with 2nd pregnancy?

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to get pregnant with our second and am worried about experiencing the severe siatic pain that came off and on during my first pregnancy. If you have experienced this, did it come back with every pregnancy? What excerises can I do to make it less likey? any?? TIA!

[Anonymous]

I had terrible sciatic pain for about the last month of my first pregnancy and was dreading it in my second pregnancy. I'm happy to say that I didn't even have one twinge of pain the second time around. Not sure why -- I didn't do anything special to avoid it. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Yes I did, and yes it did.

Second pregnancy, I was proactive and went to see a chiro at the first sign on sciatica. That helped a lot.

[Anonymous]

Yes and yes. Although it started sooner and wasn't as painful with the second pregnancy and I carried that baby 2 weeks longer.

[Anonymous]

New poster, my first time pregnant so I can't help. I hope those of you responding, if OP does not mind, will also say what you are doing to manage the sciatic pain. I am only 22 weeks pregnant and I have had this for a few weeks. It doesn't seem to be continously severe, but it is always there in a sort of toned down way and then sometimes it hurts so much I feel like I'm favoring that side. I don't really have the shooting down the leg pain that others talk about, or the tingling (maybe some numbness, but that comes and goes) but I have a pain that gets very sharp at times in my left buttock. When I told my OB about it, he put his hand on the exact spot that was killing me and said "here?" i said "oh yes" and he said "sciatic nerve."

Anything I can do? I guess I can endure the off and on pain but since I'm only about halfway through this grand adventure I'm really worried that I will spend the balance of my pregnancy limping.

So basically, not trying to hijack, just asking everyone who answers OP to consider adding extra info for me on how to manage.

I sure do hope you all DON'T get this again!

[Anonymous]

I had it first time, but have not yet this time (30 weeks). This time. I am doing prenatal yoga and it really helps!

[Anonymous]

i had it with the first but not the second or third.

[Anonymous]

OP, thanks! At least I can HOPE I don't get it now! I'll def try pre-natal yoga this time around.

[Anonymous]

I had it w/ 1st preg by about 6 mos. I have it w/ my 2nd preg and I'm only 15 wks! My OB (who is very pro-drugs) wanted to give me Codeine for it, no thanks. She also wanted me to go to a Physical Therapist. I've done nothing, the yoga sounds good--or Chiro.

[Anonymous]

I had it badly during my first pregnancy but I did not have it at all the second time (only a year after the first pregnancy) and I carried for an additional 4 weeks the second time!
By the way I did not take anything for it and just did some basic exercises to help manage the pain.

[Anonymous]

I had it with the first pregancy and was able to avoid it for the second by getting pre-natal massage every two weeks. Even if it wouldn't have come back without the massage, the massages themselves were so deeply relaxing that my second pregancy seemed much easier than the first.

[Anonymous]

I am at 34 weeks with my first baby. Unfortunately I am having a lot of back problems that just came on about 3 weeks ago. My ob referred me to an orthopedist. I have a hard time walking- I limp and have to wear good tennis shoes with everything- this helps even though its not pretty. So basically- I feel like I'm 75. I am looking forward to the doctor appointment early this week to get a few answers and get some pain tips- but I don't want to take meds. Now I use a heating pad and when I am sleeping I sleep with a pillow between my knees. This does seem to help. I have not done yoga, but I do stretch which helps some but the pain comes back when I walk around. I have a pregnant friend of mine who told me to try pre-natal massage by a physical therapist. This sounds like a good idea so I think I will try it out. Hopefully- this won't happen in a second pregnancy because it is brutal. My pregnancy is going fine other than this.

[kdwalker]

This was actually a huge concern of mine when I found out I was pregnant. I'm a physical therapist, and on my feet most of the day at work, and my sister was completely debilitated by the end of her pregnancy with sciatica. I took some pro-active steps and avoided sciatica. No one is to say that I would have gotten it if I didn't do these things, but I think it helped.

Before you try any of this, check with you OB, some women have conditions that may be made worse from exercises.

1. You can get a pelvic stabilization belt. It's an elastic belt that you put around your pelvis, literally like a rubber band to hold your pelvis more stable. When you're pregnant, hormones make your joints much more lax. The excessive movement of the hypermobile joints can cause trauma/agitation to the surrounding soft tissue (gluteal muscles, sciatic nerve, lower back, etc.) I was able to wear it until about 30 weeks, then the pressure on my bladder along with baby pressure on my bladder was too much for me.

They make maternity support belts as well that essentially "lift" the weight of baby thought a harness system that goes over your shoulders. I didn't do that, but it's an option. My advice would be to start with the pelvic stabilization belt and move on to the maternity support.

2. Keep your hips and back strong (abs are important too for this condition, however, lucky us, we don't get that option as baby gets bigger). Again, the hormones make your joints lose, so you want to keep your muscles strong to combat that. Simple things like mini-squats, and straight leg raises in each direction help with that. Another good exercise is something called "bird-dog" You probably know it: get on your hands and knees, slowly lift your R arm and L leg at the same time, hold a few seconds, and then repeat on the other side. This is great for strengthening your back. I've also been a big fan of prenatal yoga though the whole thing. It's great for stretching and building the gentle strength that you need to support a changing body. Again, check with your OB before starting exercises.

3. WEAR SUPPORTIVE SHOES a lot of women don't do this, especially if you work in an office. But it really is the easiest thing you can do that will make a HUGE difference. You need a shoe with a lot of cushion and very good arch support. The body is all physics, your foot is the first thing to land on the ground, and all the force of your body landing is first controlled by the function of the foot. If you're walking around on 2 inch, pointy toe heels when you're carrying an extra 30 lbs and a big belly, you aren't setting yourself up for success.

Supportive shoes won't be as stylish as regular shoes, but for a few months, it's worth it. And if you have a special event, it's ok to pull out the heels for a few hours, just not all day every day. There is a store called Comfort One with multiple locations around DC. There are 3 in Dupont Circle and one in Clarendon... those are the ones I use the most, but I know there are more, just look it up online. Their staff is well trained, and they have a vast collection of supportive shoes that are a little more formal than sneakers.


I hope that helps. Good luck with #2!