Back Beat
For years I’ve had off-again, on-again pains in my back, hips, and knees. At least one of them will be a little bit niggly at any given time, and I expected that, during pregnancy, it’d probably be my hips that gave me the most trouble.
Well, I’ve been getting hip pain at night as I try to get comfortable, but a little yoga stretching in the morning tends to loosen that up. What yoga, stretches, hot water bottles, baths, icing, and even paracetamol* isn’t helping is a horrible, deep pain below my right shoulder, which has been causing me no end of grief.
However, I found out a couple of weeks ago that an old friend of mine has qualified in pregnancy massage and you better believe I jumped on that like a shot!
I visited Stevie at theLodge.Space in Canada Water: it’s a beautiful, purpose-built, holistic therapy studio: they run yoga, pilates, and dance classes there in bright, airy studios; the smells coming from the cosy kitchen were amazing, and the smoothies (sipped in the sunshine of the courtyard) were divine.
I had a half-hour back massage, and obviously a good natter along with it! Stevie used natural oils, so no nasties at all, and the combination of the scents, music, and mood lighting almost had me dozing off (if it weren't for the occasional *ouch* moment!). Spud enjoyed herself too, having a little wiggle every now and then!
As the day wore on I started to stiffen up again a little, but I’d been advised to drink plenty of water, have a warm bath, and do a few stretches to ease out the tightness in the scapula.
I certainly feel better today – it’s taken until mid-afternoon for any achiness to rear its ugly head, and I’m making sure to keep heat (not ice; I’ve been told to steer clear) on the affected area. And I’ll be back again for sure as this pregnancy progresses.
How did you relax, or deal with niggly pains while pregnant? Did anyone else have a lovely massage?
* I know paracetamol is usually fine to take during pregnancy, and I have been cleared by my midwife to take it, but I still worry, so I’m only having one when I’m actually all out of other options. It doesn’t even touch the sides, though, so maybe taking it sooner might help? Am I just being over-paranoid?
However, I found out a couple of weeks ago that an old friend of mine has qualified in pregnancy massage and you better believe I jumped on that like a shot!
I visited Stevie at theLodge.Space in Canada Water: it’s a beautiful, purpose-built, holistic therapy studio: they run yoga, pilates, and dance classes there in bright, airy studios; the smells coming from the cosy kitchen were amazing, and the smoothies (sipped in the sunshine of the courtyard) were divine.
I had a half-hour back massage, and obviously a good natter along with it! Stevie used natural oils, so no nasties at all, and the combination of the scents, music, and mood lighting almost had me dozing off (if it weren't for the occasional *ouch* moment!). Spud enjoyed herself too, having a little wiggle every now and then!
As the day wore on I started to stiffen up again a little, but I’d been advised to drink plenty of water, have a warm bath, and do a few stretches to ease out the tightness in the scapula.
I certainly feel better today – it’s taken until mid-afternoon for any achiness to rear its ugly head, and I’m making sure to keep heat (not ice; I’ve been told to steer clear) on the affected area. And I’ll be back again for sure as this pregnancy progresses.
How did you relax, or deal with niggly pains while pregnant? Did anyone else have a lovely massage?
* I know paracetamol is usually fine to take during pregnancy, and I have been cleared by my midwife to take it, but I still worry, so I’m only having one when I’m actually all out of other options. It doesn’t even touch the sides, though, so maybe taking it sooner might help? Am I just being over-paranoid?
Comments
Post a Comment