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may be in a particular spot or the pain may move from place to place.

      •Intense burning in the rib area, aggravated by Baby’s kicking, may cause inflammation in the ligament and muscle fibres, called intercostal pain.

      •Round ligament pain is a needling sensation in a very specific ligament in the pelvis which helps support your growing uterus.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓Regular walking, swimming and dancing improve the strength of ligaments, lessening ligament pain.

      ✓Correct your posture by pulling in your tummy muscles and buttocks, keeping your shoulders back and down, and tilting your chin slightly upwards when walking – this will put less strain on your ligaments.

      ✓Sleep with a pillow between your knees to relieve hip pain.

      ✓For aching in your lower abdomen, cup your hands around the lower part of your growing belly and lift it gently for instant relief.

      ✓Go down on all fours and rest your head on folded arms so that your buttocks are higher than your chest, to soothe pain in the pelvic area.

      ✓Wear a pregnancy band in the third trimester for support which very effectively soothes ligament pain.

      ✓Massage painful areas with arnica oil.

      ✓Take the tissue salts Calc fluor and Ferrum phos to improve elasticity and strength of ligaments.

      ✓Ferrum phos also helps for burning ligament pain.

      ✓If you have a low pain threshold, take a homeopathic remedy to improve anxiety and help break the pain-tension cycle.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      If there are any symptoms like an abnormal vaginal discharge, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, inexplicable constipation or bloating.

      2.Backache

      More about it:

      •Backache is often a form of ligament pain and is mostly experienced from mid-pregnancy, as the ligaments of your back relax and stretch.

      •Your centre of gravity and posture change during pregnancy, putting additional strain on your back.

      •Strain on the joints between your pelvis and hip bones, which is common in pregnancy, may contribute to lower backache too.

      •Women often don’t take care when bending and picking up weighty objects, making lower back injury and pain more likely.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓Prevention is better than cure and it’s all about building your strength and posture, so do yoga, walk, dance or swim regularly, before and during pregnancy, if all is well with you and Baby.

      ✓Alternate periods of rest and movement and do regular back-strengthening exercises.

      ✓Try to correct your posture by pulling in your tummy and buttocks, keeping your shoulders back and down, and your chin slightly tilted upwards.

      ✓Go down on all fours for instant but temporary relief.

      ✓Cross your hands in the small of your back and press up firmly against a wall.

      ✓If you have a desk-bound job, sitting on a “birth ball” can help correct posture and ease pain.

      ✓Wear a pregnancy belt.

      ✓Ask your partner to give you a back massage using arnica oil.

      ✓Take the tissue salts Calc fluor and Ferrum phos to improve ligament elasticity and strength.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      If you experience backache in early pregnancy associated with pelvic cramping or abnormal vaginal discharge; you have a fever; your urine smells strongly; or you have any accompanying signs of labour earlier than your due date.

      3.Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)

      More about it:

      •The small, bony canal in the wrist (the carpal tunnel), through which nerves and blood vessels pass to and from the hand, does not allow much room for fluid retention – and swelling is common in this area.

      •CTS refers to numbness, a clumsy feeling or severe pain in the fingers, hand and/or arm, and affects approximately 62% of pregnant women.

      •There may be a loss of strength and dexterity of the affected hand.

      •It may only occur at night due to pressure at the shoulder joint or because the wrists are flexed while you sleep.

      •CTS is made worse by doing forceful activity.

      •CTS will seldom resolve spontaneously and symptoms mostly continue for some months after birth.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓A wrist splint helps some people.

      ✓Take the tissue salts Nat mur and Nat sulph to help reduce swelling.

      ✓Apply cool poultices (damp linen cloths wrapped around your wrists or cooling gel pads, available from large pharmacies) to reduce pain and swelling.

      ✓Avoid any positions or activities that worsen symptoms, and don’t let your arm hang down at your side for long periods.

      ✓Do gentle exercise to reduce swelling – make a fist, then spread the fingers; also gently move your wrist forward and backwards.

      ✓The tissue salts Nat mur and Nat sulph may help reduce swelling in the area, Ferrum phos may help for any burning nerve pain, and Kali phos helps regenerate and heal nerve injury in chronic cases.

      ✓Gentle fluid drainage massage to encourage movement of fluid towards the heart may help – keeping the affected hand elevated, gently stroke the hand and arm towards the shoulder; never stroke towards the fingertips.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      •If symptoms are not relieved by these tips, persist or become worse, steroid injections or minor surgery may be needed – this is usually very successful and is not harmful to Baby.

      •Because many women still experience symptoms after birth, it can be difficult to find a comfortable breastfeeding position – see your midwife or a breastfeeding advisor for help.

      4.Cramps in your feet and legs

      More about it:

      •This is common due to extra magnesium and calcium requirements of pregnancy, and demands on the circulatory system.

      •It is most frequent in the last trimester but can occur at any time.

      •It is usually most severe at night.

      Self-help tips:

      ✓Increase your consumption of foods rich in magnesium like nuts, seeds, bananas and leafy green vegetables, and in calcium like avocados, dates, grapes, guavas, kiwifruit, lemons, mangoes and dairy products (in moderation).

      ✓Pull the toes of the affected side up towards your knee and massage the cramping muscles.

      ✓Take the tissue salt Mag phos to help improve absorption of magnesium from food and supplements and to give rapid relief during cramping.

      See your midwife or doctor:

      If there are pronounced varicose veins in the affected leg, it feels hot to the touch or you find the pain unbearable.

      5.Sciatica

      More about it:

      •The sciatic is the largest nerve in the body and arises from the spinal column in the lower back. Pressure on this nerve will lead to pain and inflammation, called sciatica.

      •The common symptoms include a dull ache in the buttock, sharp shooting pain down the back of the leg and in the foot of the

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