Pain in the posterior
If you experience shooting pain that runs from your lower back or bottom down the hindside of your legs, you could be suffering from pregnancy-related sciatica.
Sciatica is most common in the third trimester when an expanding womb places pressure on the sciatic nerve, which runs under the uterus from the lower part of the spine.
Here are some ways to ease the discomfort:
- Get off your feet—or at least rest one foot on a box or stool while standing.
- Apply a heating pad to your lower back or soak in a warm bath.
- Do pelvic tilts by kneeling on the floor with your hands below your shoulders and, while keeping your back straight, rocking your pelvis forward and back.
- Try acupuncture or therapeutic prenatal massage. (Be sure to get the OK from your doctor first, then choose a licensed acupuncturist or a certified prenatal massage therapist.)
Though sciatica is rarely a serious condition, if the pain or numbness in your lower back, bottom or leg occurs with increasing frequency, becomes constant or escalates in severity, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Good news! The symptoms of sciatica should gradually disappear following delivery. And since the ailment is instance-specific, it may not plague you in subsequent pregnancies.
