I called my doctor’s office and I left a message requesting answers to these questions already, but since I’m waiting for a response I figure it couldn’t hurt to find out how other women handled these problems.
My first issue is with sciatica. Holy crap, sciatica is kicking my butt (quite literally, it seems) and appears to be getting worse as time goes on. I spoke with my doctor about it previously and was advised that sciatica just kind of happens to some women as the baby causes swelling and pressure against the sciatic nerve and that there isn’t much that can be done about it. The problem is that the sciatica is causing problems with my lower back as well and rendered me pretty much immobile all day yesterday. After researching them I sent my husband in search of a belly band/maternity belt and now that I have one I can stand and walk and stuff but stairs, bending, and other pretty standard daily tasks have become very difficult. This morning my husband had to help me put on my socks. Did anyone else have to deal with this kind of thing and did you find a solution for it?
My other issue is with mosquitoes. It has been pretty rainy here for the last week or so and now that it has stopped there is lots of water for mosquitoes to breed in around the city. I am very allergic to mosquito bites and usually I can control the itching and swelling by taking antihistamines. In fact, last year I got bitten while I was asleep and decided I didn’t want to get up to go take a benadryl and when I woke up the bite had swollen so much it was about the same diameter as a softball. When the city dries out a bit and the rain stops coming every 5 or 6 days it won’t be such a big deal, but until then the mosquitoes are going to make my life hell. I got bitten 6 times yesterday and I am not supposed to take benadryl or use antihistamine creams or anything so I am itchy and swollen with very little relief. I mixed some water and baking soda to create a paste that I could use to try and reduce the itching but that was only partially effective. What can I do to reduce the itching and can I use Off! or other insect repellent products to prevent the bites in the first place?
The only thing that has ever helped my sciatica is NSAIDs, to reduce the inflammation, which takes the pressure off. I’m not sure if you can take them while pregnant, though. Maybe an ice pack? As for the itching, sometimes very hot water on the itchy spots can help trick the nerves into calming down.
IHNBP (I have never been pregnant), but I am also very prone to mosquito bites and their subsequent wrath. I used a product called something like itch-away which is essentially ammonia applied directly to the bite, and it seemed to help a whole lot.
I had sciatica pretty bad but then it went away on it’s own. I think it has a lot to do with the baby’s position. it may get better if the baby changes position.
Why don’t you try calamine lotion for the itching.
I had sciatica while pregnant (I get it while not pregnant as well) - depending on the bigness of your belly there’s a stretch you can to with help from hubby that will pretty well eliminate it.
First, you need to lay on your belly - you should do this on the floor, but arrange to have pillows or rolled up towels under yourself so you’re not squishing Junior.
Now, on the side that you have the sciatica, bring your knee up as high as it will go along the floor. LIke you’re climbing up a wall, but your laying on your tummy.
Then have hubby push on your lower back, beside your tailbone. He will be able to find a hard knot in the muscle - you’ll be able to feel it when he gets it too. Have him put pressure on it with both thumbs. This will feel uncomfortable for you, but just suck it up. As soon as he takes the pressure off - AHHHHHH, Sweet Relief!
If you and hubby can’t figure it out you may need to go for a preggo massage, but I had to have this done every couple of weeks which could get pricey.
I thought benadryl was considered to be ok during pregnancy? There is topical benadryl too. I’d personally choose either of those over something like deet. What about bactine (topical anesthetic)? Or a eucalyptus based or other natural repellant?
Tylenol is safer during pregnancy than NSAIDs, but my dr did approve the latter for me, in the first and second trimesters,'when I was suffering from nerve pain. It’s not advised in later pregnancy due to the risks of it closing the ductus arteriosus too early, or something like that.
I will have my husband help me with this when I get home! If this is really effective it will be fabulous!
I don’t have any in the house, unfortunately. I’ve also read that topical stuff should be avoided much the same way most medications are avoided because they do absorb into your system but calamine might be different. When my doctor calls me back I will ask about that.
Some sources say a little benadryl is fine and others say, “Oh god, NOOOOO!” when you look it up so I don’t know for sure if that would be okay. I am trying to look into some more acceptable repellents too, so if anyone knows of any that would be great.
I had terrible lower back pain come on very suddenly a couple months in (I’m not sure whether it was sciatica), and what helped me was lots of padding and pillows when I slept. Our mattress is a little firm, so I got some sheets of that egg-crate foam, and layered some thick quilts on top of that. Then - most importantly, I think - I got a body pillow, and always slept on my left side, hugging the body pillow, with it between my knees, like this. You probably don’t need the expensive Boppy pillow* pictured there - I had the $10 one in the first link, and it was great. Sometimes I would add an extra pillow between my knees. Sleeping in the same position all night took a little getting used to, but it made all the difference in the world. Totally got rid of any pain.
*I did find the Boppy nursing pillow to be totally worth the money - I ended up buying a second one so I didn’t have to carry it up and down the stairs with the baby. Still use them, still love them. Just FYI.
A reputable cite says it’s ok. I quoted them below.
To help alleviate your dry itchy abdomen, you should keep your abdomen moisturized. You can also use anti-itch cream such as calamine lotion to help provide more relief. Cholestasis can be treated with medications. To help alleviate PUPP your health care provider can prescribe oral medicine and anti-itch creams. Try taking a nice oatmeal bath to help relieve some of the discomfort.
Yes, had sciatica during my first pregnancy, and stretching/moving as much as possible is definitely a good idea (although it doesn’t feel like a particularly good idea when you first start trying to move!) Hopefully, the baby’s position will change, and quit pressing that nerve. Meanwhile (like you’re not unsteady enough on your feet!) be careful on stairs or in any spot where you’re in danger of falling any distance. When I was going through this, one of my legs would occasionally just collapse without warning. Maybe that won’t happen for you, but just be aware. (And Tylenol didn’t do a damned bit of good for me on that… NSAIDS might have helped, but the doctor advised that the improvement probably wasn’t worth the perceived risk for me. I do have some bleeding risks, though, so your doctor may advise differently. Also? Standard medical practices change a lot over the course of a couple of decades!)
As for the mosquitos and itchiness, I completely empathize. There’s one variety around here that makes me swell up and itch madly. As for topical, non-medicated relief, hot water can definitely help, as can a colloidal oatmeal bath. When I was expecting Little Miss last year, I developed PUPP, which made me recall mosquito bites fondly. The midwife gave the go-ahead for me to use medicated anti-itch creams. (In that case, I would take an oatmeal bath, and mix my anti-itch cream with an unscented moisturizing lotion and slather it on. Sweet, sweet relief!)
From my experience … for sciatica … get thee to a pool. The buoyancy of being in the water takes pressure off of the spine and seems to help unpinch those poor nerves. I took aquafit classes with each of my pregnancies (classes twice a week) and if I missed a class the sciatica was quite unbearable by the time I was next due at the pool. I imagine just going and floating around the pool would be helpful. I am also told that being in the water helps with swelling too. And you can pretend to be a whale! (sorry, I am the one one who made the whale jokes at my own expense when I was pregnant in July … I almost sewed on a whale applique on my maternity bathing suit … but I chickened out )
Other things that helped relieve it: Always raise your feet when sitting … I had a desk job and the last 2 months I used a small stool to keep my feet raised or I was in a lot of pain by the end of the day. And the body pillow (and maybe even more propping me up from behind) definitely made sleeping slightly more possible.
As to itching … if it really is mosquitoes (and not PUPPS), then get some Afterbite. it is basically ammonia and it actually neutralizes the itch producing chemicals. If you get it on quickly, the bite fades quite fast. Apparently it also works on bee stings etc … but don’t go out of your way to test that part. I would imagine that if the active ingredient is ammonia that you might even be able to spray on some windex to some effect. Of course, once the histamine reaction has been triggered it is too late, but for fresh bites it really works. For itches that you are already suffering from, I will second (third?) keeping well moisturized and taking oatmeal baths.
Congratulations and all the best for the rest of your pregnancy (and for your little one!).
Sciatica: what they said. Time, gentle stretching, massage and a belly band if you really have to. (I’m not a fan of belly bands, as there’s some suspicion they can lead to muscle atrophy, but if you’re miserable, you do what you gotta do, right?)
Bug bites: How does your doctor feel about herbs? There’s a product called Natural D-Hist*, made by Ortho-Molecular (man, it must be spring, this is the third time I’ve recommended it in a week!) that is a great antihistamine. Some docs approve it and some don’t, so it’s up to you and your doctor. The main ingredients are Nettles, Quercitin and N-Acetyl Cysteine. Dried nettles are widely considered safe for pregnancy, and has been used by pregnant women for literally centuries. (Fresh nettles may be a uterine stimulant and cause miscarriage, but it loses this property when dried.)
If he says no due to the quercitin and NAC, you can get just freeze dried nettles, which have antihistamine action all alone. They aren’t as good as Natural D-Hist, but they’re still good.
*Not to be confused with D-Hist D, which contains Dexchlorpheniramine/methscopolamine/pseudoephedrine and is pregnancy category C which means “we dunno if this is a problem in pregnancy, 'cause getting funding to study drugs on pregnant women is just not gonna happen.”
These are excellent suggestions. What really helped me when I got too ponderous to be comfortable was to get on my hands and knees. Let your belly hang down so your back is slightly curved, then bring it up so your back is level. This not only takes some pressure off your hips and lower back, it also strengthens your core.
Another good thing to do (and luckily it’s almost summer) is swimming. The feeling of weightlessness is heavenly when you’re pregnant. On preview, what Registered at Last said.
Oh, and I wish I had a solution for the itchiness, but all I can really do is sympathize and say keep using the paste of baking soda & water. Warm compresses can help, too.
Try this stretch. It always helps me with sciatica. Any pregnancy exercises that you do to strengthen your lower back and hips will help keep the pain from getting worse as your pregnancy progresses. Stretch the butt muscle before exercise and stretch then put ice on the sore spot after. Sitting for 20 minutes on an ice pack right at the highest point of pain is also wonderful.
And as mentioned above, swimming is WONDERFUL when your pregnant.
Calamine lotion is zinc oxide and ferric oxide which are both non-toxic. Also, zinc oxide is not absorbed into skin so unless you actually ingest it, there should be no way it would find its way to your baby.
I find that rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the bite helps with the itching. I know it sounds like an old wives’ method, but it’s worked for me in the past.
Did anyone else have to deal with this kind of thing and did you find a solution for it?
)