What can you do? | Physiotherapy for abdominal pain during pregnancy

What can you do?

Abdominal pain during pregnancy should be clarified in order to prevent complications or consequences, even if they are usually harmless causes. After clarification, local heat can be applied and the tissue relaxed, for example, in case of pain caused by the stretching of the ligament apparatus. Light mobilization exercises for the pelvis or breathing exercises can also be used to relieve abdominal pain during pregnancy.

Before taking pain medication, it is strongly recommended to consult your doctor, many of the conventional pain medication can harm the baby. Herbal teas, hot water bottles, a bath or a light massage can relieve pain. Often constipation occurs during pregnancy due to the hormonal changes, in this case the pregnant woman should drink a lot and eat a fibre-rich diet to get the digestion going again and avoid painful constipation. Those articles may also be of interest to you:

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When should I start seeing a doctor?

Abdominal pain during pregnancy is usually of harmless origin. Nevertheless, a medical examination should be performed, especially in the case of new types of pain. Pain that occurs in the long term is worthy of clarification.

If bleeding, diarrhea, fever, vomiting or other additional symptoms occur, it is urgently necessary to see a doctor. If pain is already known and clarified, home remedies such as heat application or relaxation techniques can be used first. If the pain persists or changes, the cause of the pain should be clarified again. In particular, the use of medication should be discussed with the doctor, as many of the conventional medicines could harm the child. It is better to go to the doctor once too often than too little, even though most abdominal pain during pregnancy has completely harmless causes.

Nausea

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is a common symptom of early pregnancy. The cause is not known. In a strong form, vomiting during pregnancy also belongs to the gestational disorders, and is then called hyperemesis gravidarum.

The problem with frequent vomiting is the loss of fluid and electrolytes. Nausea can also occur due to the child’s space requirement, for example after meals. The stomach is displaced by the growing uterus and can expand less, so when the child eats the usual amount of food, a “lack of space” can occur, resulting in nausea.

Due to the hormonal changes, some pregnant women find certain foods nauseating or cannot tolerate certain odors without nausea. It can be helpful to eat several smaller meals instead of a few large ones. Relaxation techniques or acupuncture are also used to relieve morning sickness.