How To Maintain A Good Posture During Pregnancy

Maintaining a comfortable and ideal posture during the later stages of your pregnancy can feel like an impossible task. As your pregnancy progresses and your belly grows, you may find everyday activities like sitting in your favourite chair challenging due to pains and aches all over your body.

Despite the increasing discomfort, you must focus on maintaining a good posture during pregnancy. Otherwise, your abdominal and pelvic floor muscles may tighten, which may later affect your labour and delivery. To make things easier for you, we have discussed several steps to help you maintain good body posture during pregnancy, and prevent tumbling and getting imbalanced while sitting and standing.

The Correct Way to Stand During Pregnancy

• While trying to stand, don’t tilt your head forward, backward, or sideways. Hold it up straight with your chin in.
• Keep your shoulder blades relaxed and back, and your chest forward. Now, place your knees straight, but make sure they are not locked.
• Stretch the top of your head toward the ceiling, and pull your stomach up as much as possible. Don’t tilt your pelvis backward or forward, and keep your buttocks tucked in.
• Balance your weight evenly on both your feet, and point them in the same direction as your shoulders. Wear low-heeled shoes to support the arch of your feet, and prevent hurting your back.
• Stand up gradually and not in a rushed manner. Also, avoid standing in the same position for a long time. 

The Correct Way to Sit During Pregnancy

• Sit up with your shoulders back and spine straight. Make sure that your buttocks touch the back of your chair.
• Keep your back supported with a rolled-up towel, lumbar roll, or pregnancy pillow to ease the pain.

Here’s how to find a good sitting posture if you are not using a pregnancy pillow or lumbar roll for back support.

• Sit at the end of your chair and droop completely. Now, draw yourself up, accentuate the curve of your back as much as possible, and hold for a few seconds.
• Release your posture slightly and then sit comfortably in this position.
• Make sure that your body weight is evenly distributed on both hips, and your knees should be at a right angle. 
• If you are at work, then adjust your chair height according to your workstation so that you can sit close to your desk. Rest your elbows and arms on the desk or chair, and keep your shoulders relaxed.
• If you are sitting on a chair that pivots and rolls, then don’t twist your waist. Instead, turn your whole body. 
• While standing up from your chair, move to the front of the seat, and stand up by straightening your legs. 

You can try other sitting postures as well, but if you are sitting for a prolonged period of time, then use the method discussed above to prevent back pain. 

The Correct Way to Lift Objects During Pregnancy

• Make sure your feet are firm before you lift an object. Also, if the object is too heavy, refrain from lifting it all by yourself, and ask for help.
• Keep your back straight, and only bend your knees and hips to pick an object that is lower than your waist level.
• Start with a wide stance close to the object and keep your feet firm on the ground. Tighten your stomach muscles and focus on lifting the object using your leg muscles.
• If you are lifting an object from the table, then slide it to the edge so that you can hold it close to your body. Use your leg muscles to lift the object, and return to the standing position.
• To lower an object, place your feet as you did while lifting, tighten your stomach muscles, and bend your knees and hips without leaning forward.

The Best Position for Sleeping During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you should avoid lying flat on your back or directly on your stomach. Lying on your back, especially in the third trimester can affect your circulatory function and increase pressure in your heart, resulting in reduced blood flow to the placenta. 

To maintain good blood flow to your uterus, kidneys, and your baby, you should consider lying on your left side. This will help reduce pressure on the larger organs and also prevent backache. Additionally, use a pillow under your head as well as the back of your legs to prevent cramps and other body aches. You can even consider investing in a pregnancy pillow, which will help you get a restful night’s sleep by supporting your belly and back. 

Conclusion

Maintaining a good posture during pregnancy is essential as it helps prevent sore muscles and other aches and pains throughout your body. A good posture can also help create enough space for your baby to move freely and develop, and strengthen your muscles and pelvic floor to enable smoother labour and childbirth. So make sure to use the tips that we described above while doing everyday activities and prevent stress or injury to your back or legs. 

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