Pregnancy puts an enormous amount of strain upon a woman's body. To be sure, bearing life is no easy task! The average amount of weight gain put on during pregnancy is fourteen kilos and those fourteen (or more!) kilos can put a lot of strain upon a woman's spine and back muscles. A great deal of pregnant women living in the United Kingdom have found that the advice given to them by osteopathic practitioners is the easiest to follow and helps to relieve the back stress a great deal. This article explains some tips given to pregnant women by osteopaths:

1. Do not get talked out of exercising! The only reason to give up exercise while you are pregnant is if your doctor makes you take some time for bed rest. With just a few adjustments to the intensity of your workout, you should be able to follow your regular exercise schedule without too much difficulty. You probably won't be able to exercise with the same intensity, but some exercise is better than none! You will want to do exercises that help you control your heart rate. Going over 145 bpm is dangerous. Exercises to build up your core and your strength are the best exercises you can do. Swimming is an especially enjoyable way to have a full body workout when you are pregnant.

2. Some osteopaths will advocate that a pregnant woman get regular relaxing massages to help soothe the tension that can build up in her back muscles and along her spine. Carrying around an extra person puts quite a bit of physical strain on the body. The emotional weight that one bears while they adjust to becoming parents can also take a physical toll on the muscles and spine, so an osteopath will work on helping a pregnant woman find ways to naturally ease her tension.

3. Work with your osteopath and other doctors to figure out a diet that is healthy for you while not harmful for the baby. More and more foods are ending up on the "no food" list for pregnant women, but an osteopath will be able to help you determine which of those foods you truly need to avoid and which are just common cautionary tales. Eating a balanced diet during pregnancy will help keep your body and your baby's body healthy during your pregnancy, which will do quite a bit to relieve the pressure that you and your baby are putting on your back.

Osteopaths believe in treating the whole body and not just specific symptoms. Together you and your osteopath will work to figure out the specific physical and emotional triggers that cause your back pain and will invent a plan to deal with those triggers to help your back stay pain free during your pregnancy.