31 Weeks Pregnant and SORE Hips! Help!

Another vote for a chiropractor. My midwife made me see one after I came shuffling in to an appointment with her. After leaving the chiropractor's office I was actually able to walk for the first time in what felt like forever.

HI--
The relaxin is kicking in big time right now! For me pre-natal yoga did wonders, and going to the chiropractor nearly once a week at the end. Also, sitting on an exercise ball was way more comfortable then anything else. You could also try homeopathic calc phos.
J.

easy...chiropractor.

Yoga and stretching helps a lot- but mostly its something we have to just deal with because of the pregnancy hormone, relaxin, which allows our joints to loosen up.
If you have good insurance I also recommend pregnant acupuncture. :)

I had the same pain not much to do but wait for baby to come out!

walking helped me a little bit. Good luck, I remember that feeling and it's not easy.

I loved swimming when I was pregnant. I couldn't sink if I tried, I was so buoyant. My belly would stick up out of the water but floating on my back felt so good and took the pressure off of everything.

I sat on a balance ball at work (9 hours/day behind a desk). It helped my hips and back because my body was in a little bit of motion all the time, and it forced me to pull up out of the "slouch" position that causes pain from misalignment; there was no pressure on my hips or tailbone. They are only like $15 at Target... TOTALLY worth it if you are sitting all day. It might help alleviate some of your nightime pain as well since you won't have all that built up pressure. And, oh yeah, people made fun of me but at that point I couldn't care less! Good luck!

We learned a little exercise during childbirth class that helped a lot with hip/lower back pain. It looks really goofy, and I hope I can explain it well to you. =) Here goes: You get down on the floor on all fours, and have your husband kneel next to you, or behind you, whatever's easier. Have him put his hands low on your hips, almost to your butt but not quite, and apply pressure. (I told you, it looks really goofy, and your husband will probably giggle like all the dads did in my class - but I swear - it feels SOOO good.) And you can have him squeeze your hips for a few seconds at a time, however long you want really. It just takes some of the pressure off. Only other things I thought of were a hot bath for the soreness, or swimming. Swimming is a good way to strengthen your muscles without any pressure on your joints. Good luck!

I'm 26 weeks and that's how my hip pain started (tingly, a little numbness) around 20 weeks. I spoke with my doctor about it and sometimes it's just how the baby is laying, like on a nerve or something. In my case, I have scoliosis and between that and the normal ligament stretching, it causes alot of pain. It's only going to get worse as the pregnancy progresses, and unfortunately there's not much that can be done. If it starts to get to the point where Tylenol doesn't help, ask your OB for Flexiril. It's a muscle relaxer that is safe to take during pregnancy. I only take it at night, sometimes in the afternoon depending on my activity level (and resulting pain level) that day. Hopefully this will help you and congrats on the pregnancy!!!

I'm small framed and I couldn't have survived my late pregnancies without my chiropractor. The weight of the baby, the repositioning of everything, I was out of whack. It really helped me. You might consider it.
I was afraid to go to the chiropracter with my first pregnancy, but my hips got so out of whack I could hardly walk. It was really a great relief.

I hope you find some comfort. You don't have much longer to go now!

Take care and best wishes!

I just want to say - ME TOO!!! I am 22 weeks and in SO much pain from sleeping on my side. My hips hurt every morning. I actually just posted this same question on another site, so if you want to follow that one for (hopefully) some other good tips, here is the link: http://seattle.citymommy.com/?q=node/12028

I also see a chiropractor. While he hasn't done anything specifically for my hips, my back has felt great throughout the pregnancy. He also recommended inserts for my shoes. My feet aren't flat, but I don't have huge arches, so he thought a little more arch support might help.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - great toys for babies and kids! Summer sale thru 7/31

I recommend a chiropractor, too. Dr. Candice Koch at Active Chiropractic Wellness is my chiropractor in Colorado Springs. She's excellent! Her number is ###-###-####, and she specializes in Women's health and pregnancy. I love her. I'm so thankful for her. I get so bad when I'm pregnant that I can barely walk if I don't see a chiropractor. It is like night and day for me.

J.,

I have the same challenge when I'm pregnant! I'm 37 weeks right now and I've found that the couch is honestly the most comfortable place to lay down, especially on my sides! Our bed is too squishy to support my pregnant frame. :( So I usually end up on the couch!! Which is fine with my husband because every single time I flip from one side to the other it is quite the show! lol!

I hope your couch is as comfy as mine! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
V.

wow, my hips used to hurt too from sleeping ! I was blessed and had a super easy pregnancy, barely any pains or problems, but my hips are one thing that hurt when sleeping. No matter how much I fell asleep on my side I always woke up on my back...even though you are not supposed to sleep on your back its the only way I could actually get any rest. I don't think theres much else you can do except have that baby. Congrats !!!!!!!!!!!

All I can say is...9 more weeks and it'll all be over with!!

I had the same thing when I was preggo w/ my first. I got pregnancy massages, chiro work, and I stretched. Try doing some lunges (step back w/ your left foot, keep right knee over ankle, and put both hands on the inside of front leg. Press back w/ your left heal. Repeat other side) and pigeon pose (from that lunge, walk the right foot over to the left side and drop the knee down. Move the foot straight back toward your body if that's too much of a stretch. Keep hips square). Good luck. It will get better once the baby is born and you won't even remember how your hips ached.

I'd see about getting into a chiropractor or a doctor of osteopathy. They do the same thing with some differences. DOs are usually covered by insurance. I can recommend a really great one just N of the DTC, if you want to drive that far, but I'm sure you've got one closer to home. :) GL! I do not miss the pain I had those last few months, but it's all going to be worth it in a few weeks! Congratulations!

My first thought would be a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy:

Dr. John Davis, ###-###-####
Atlas Chiropractic on Powers and Research
http://www.atlaschiropracticonline.com

In fact, my daughter and I see him personally. And I have to tell you that I have had alot of personal experience with chiropractors (since I was a senior in high school) and he is one of the best. Tell him I sent you and I believe the first three visits are free, or something like that. At a minimum, the initial consultation and exam and will be complimentary.

I would also recommend prenatal yoga:

On the eastside www.cambioyoga.com
On the westside www.ombabyom.org

You can also try squatting, butterfly exercises, frog leg exercises, and bridging exercises to stretch and strengthen the hip area.

C. M., CBE, CLD
The Westside Birth Connection

I have the painful hip thing for my entire pregnancies and it is the hardest thing to deal with in my opinion. I cannot even go up and down the stairs sometimes. Needless to say, my doc recommended running a bath as hot as I can stand it and sit in it for up to 5 minutes. We all know that hot baths and hot tubs are a no no for pregnancy but you can do it for a short time for relief. I only fill the bath long enough to reach midway up my hips when laying down so as not to heat my belly (not sure if it makes a difference).

I have also done some Tylenol when it gets real bad.

Good luck, you are almost there!

I'm sure that you already know why you're hips are sore, if you're like me and can't seem to read enough about pregnancies! (the joys of being a first time mama). One of the things I highly suggest is to see a chiropractor. A lot of people don't seem to realize that a chiropractor not only realigns your back, but your entire skeletol structure (when needed of course.) With our hips slowly stretching and preparing for the big day things tend to get "out of whack". A chiropractor can help eliviate those strechting pains and help with any other pains (low back, upper back tension, even the pregnancy on-set of carpal tunnel!) Just keep in mind they may not be able to fix it in one go. It took a while for your hips to get out of whack, it will take a while to get it back... however much more comfortably done. I hope this information helps!