If you’re expecting a baby and living with pregnancy back pain, especially in your lower back, you’re not alone. The majority of pregnant women experience back pain at some point in their pregnancy. And, while the reasons are easy to track down, finding back pain relief that’s tailored to your particular situation may take a bit of trial and error, says physiotherapist and back pain expert Malton A. Schexneider, PT, MMSc.

What Causes Pregnancy Back Pain

Pregnancy-related back pain has several causes. The most obvious one is the extra weight you’re carrying around and the change it makes in your center of gravity. Because your weight falls disproportionably to the front, it throws off your posture and can end up causing pain.

In addition, when you’re pregnant, your body prepares for delivery by increasing the levels of hormones that relax your joints and ligaments, strong tissue that connects bones together. This makes it easier for the baby to pass through the pelvis. Unfortunately, the loosening joints can also cause pregnancy back pain.

On the other hand, back pain can also be the result of injuries that occurred years before, such as a slipped disk, and these old problems can be reactivated during pregnancy.

Finding Pregnancy Back Pain Relief

To achieve some back pain relief, Schexneider tells his pregnant patients to stay as active as possible. “Continue to walk, do exercises, just don’t lie around,” he says. Schexneider adds that if back pain becomes particularly bothersome, a pregnant woman can be fitted with a brace that will support her belly and take the stress off her lower back.

"Watch where you’re sleeping as well," says Diane Penna, of Pollack Pines, Calif. When her back pain started during the seventh month of her second pregnancy, “I was in constant pain and I couldn’t sleep," she recalls. "I spent nights on the couch because the support it provided for my sacrum [a flat triangular bone at the end of the spine] helped somewhat — my bed was too soft.”

Other tips to help your back include:

• Lifting techniques. Always lift with your legs, not with the more vulnerable muscles in your back.
• Footwear. Wear sensible, low-heeled, comfortable shoes. This will help your posture and the alignment of your spine.
• Targeted exercise. Try this pelvic exercise: While on your hands and knees on the floor, arch your back like a cat. Hold the position while you count slowly to 10 and then relax. Repeat 5 to 10 times. Do this every day to help stretch and relax your back.
• Professional advice. Ask your doctor or midwife for other exercises you can do to help relieve pregnancy back pain.
• Sleeping position. Don’t sleep on your back, which puts a strain on your lower back. Always try to sleep on your side.
• Medications. Drugs to relieve back pain should be used with caution and with your physician’s knowledge. The usual pain reliever recommended is acetaminophen (Tylenol). In some cases, other medications could make the pain worse. “I tried to take pain relievers with Benadryl to help my pain at night, like Tylenol PM, but it made my pain worse," Penna says. "It had something to do with the Benadryl’s effect on the inflammatory process in the joints.”

There is some good news, though. Pregnancy back pain usually goes away not long after the delivery, most often within six months. At that point, though, just make sure you use proper lifting techniques when toting around your toddler (or toddlers)!