Your growing belly places additional strain on our back. Pregnancy hormones also loosen the ligaments and tendons that support your pelvis, increasing back strain. Back exercises can help ease tension, strengthen muscles and make you more comfortable as your pregnancy progresses. A strong back will also help you during labor and delivery as you're called upon to push.
How to Keep it Safe
Avoid laying flat on our back during the second and third trimesters because your belly weight can reduce blood flow to your uterus. Listen to your body and stop any stretch or exercise that feels uncomfortable or causes you pain. Wear supportive shoes to prevent slipping and falling. Keep hydrated. Warm up your muscles with five minutes of light aerobic activity, like walking, to help prevent injury.
Aerobic Exercises
Walking and swimming are two types of aerobic exercise that help strengthen your back, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. These exercises call on back muscles to carry you through the movements, but also strengthen supporting muscles like abdominal, hip and thigh muscles. Swimming might be easier during late pregnancy because the water takes pressure off your muscles and joints and gives you a wider range of motion. Aerobic exercise helps you keep your weight in check, so you don't add additional strain to taxed back muscles.
Forward Bend
The forward bend helps stretch and loosen up your back muscles to prepare them for strengthening exercises. Sit in a chair, then carefully bend forward as far as you comfortably can. Let your arms dangle in front of you to increase the stretch. Hold as you count to five, then slowly come back to sitting. Do this stretch five times.
Backward Stretch
Try the backward stretch to both loosen and strengthen your back muscles. Start on your hands and knees, then slowly sit back on your heels without lifting your palms from the floor. Curl your head toward the floor and press your arms away from you until you feel the deep back stretch. This stretch is similar to the yoga position called child's pose.
Leg Lift
The leg lift does double duty in that it strengthens your back and strengthens abdominal muscles which help support your back. To do this simple move, start on your hand and knees. Slowly bring your knee toward your chest as far as you comfortably can, then extend it straight back until it's fully extended and parallel to the floor. Repeat five to 10 times for each leg, alternating legs if it makes you more comfortable.
Back Press
If you have a hard time getting down on the ground, the back press may be for you. Stand up straight with your back facing the wall and your feet shoulder-width apart. Move forward so you're feet rest about 12 inches away from the wall. Lean backward so your upper body rests against the wall and press through your lower back as if you were trying to flatten out your back. Hold this movement for 10 seconds, then relax your lower back. Try to repeat the movement 10 times.
Yoga
Prenatal yoga classes are designed with pregnancy needs in mind and many poses directly address back pain. Warrior poses helps stretch and strengthen both your back and your thighs. Cat-cow, or pelvic tilt, also helps ease back pain. Choose a class specifically designed for pregnancy as opposed to a general yoga class because not all yoga poses are safe during pregnancy. Avoid inverted poses in the third trimester.
