5 ways to beat back pain

Lifting, pulling, reaching, twisting, and juggling kidlets in the folds of our arms or on our waist. These are just a few of the movements a Mum does everyday - which are all bound to take its toll on your back. Especially when you consider the 'seismic activity' that your body undergoes during those nine months of growing a baby.

Funny thing is, you kinda expected when you had the baby that everything would just glue itself back together didn't you? No one really told you about pelvic instability or abdominal separation or even how just being pregnant changes the way that your back looks and behaves.

If you have a bad back, it's unlikely to be because of the changes caused by pregnancy to your posture. It's more to do with how your muscles have adapted to your changing body. The muscles of your back, belly and pelvic floor are designed to move and support the joints of your back and pelvis and as your 'baby belly' grows, it can become harder to do their job properly.

So what can I do to beat lower back pain? Try these 5 tips to avoid back pain:

1. Strengthen your core. If you're a new Mum or Mum-to-be, forget about the six-pack abdominals. Focus instead on strengthening your transverse abdominal muscles that help support your back. If you're having trouble working out how to target the right muscles, try re-connecting your core - ie. get your pelvic floor, diaphragm, abdominal and low back muscles to switch on and 'talk to each other'. [Top tip for Mums-to-be: use pelvic tilts to help protect your back. Also, coming down onto your hands and knees on the floor, and holding your belly button in to your spine to contract your abdominals helps relieve the pressure].
   
2. Keep mobile throughout the day. Move regularly and at least once every hour, by moving your arms, back and legs, or walk a few steps to loosen your back. If you do have low back pain, reduce your activity and intensity levels but try to stay active (eg. walking if it doesn't cause pain).
   
3. Stretch regularly. Holding stretches for about 30 seconds at a time, and make sure you stretch the back and hip muscles regularly, and not only after you exercise.
   
4. Reduce the load. Be conscious of picking up your baby or toddler. Avoid long periods of  balancing those kidlets on one side of your waist. Bend your knees and squat, holding your belly button in towards your spine, to pick up ANYTHING. If out and about, and you need to pick up a few groceries, use a backpack to carry to make sure you have even weight distribution.
   
5. Wear proper footwear. We all know that stilettos are not a Mum's best friend, but also make sure that your everyday 'shoe' is fit for purpose! And what about your sneakers? Even if you do a lot of walking, you should be fitted with a proper running shoe that is suitable for your foot type and the surface that you're walking/running on.

8 steps to better sleep

Forget Carpe Diem. When it comes to being a new Mum or a Mum-to-be, it's all about Carpe Siesta. 

A good nights sleep is hard to find and so you learn to sleep when you can - and where you can. A friend of mine was so desperate for sleep that she told her hubby she was going to the loo, handed him the baby, shut herself in the bathroom and napped with her head on the the sink for 20 minutes! Whilst working on a gym floor, I used to sneak off to the 'sick bay' at lunchtime to catch a 15-minute snooze on the couch. Another friend used to take her baby for a long drive to get him to sleep and when he did nod off she'd pull to the side of the road, set her watch and take a 10-minute power nap herself.  She also looked forward to her twice-weekly outing to the 'Babes in Arms' sessions at her local cinema. Who cared what movie was playing....?

It may not seem like much but creative 'napping' can be just what you need to get you through the next toddler temper-tantrum or the hourly baby breastfeeding battle through the night. And even though you may find that you're now getting far less sleep than you want - there are ways to improve the quality of sleep and general restfulness throughout the day. Try these 8 ways to get a better sleep:

 1.    Get your bedroom right. There are three things you can do to get a better sleep:

• Use your bedroom for sleeping and sex only. Don’t do homework, watch television or send emails in bed.
• Just like in your baby's room, make sure your room is pitch dark while you’re sleeping (get curtains made from heavyweight or blackout material if needed).
• Also ensure that the room is a comfortable temperature, it should be towards cool rather than warm. Do you need a new mattress, pillows or doona?  If so, making these purchases could make a real difference.

2.    Establish and try to stick to a routine
Aim to go to bed at the same time each night and follow a predictable routine leading up to bedtime ie. 60-30 minutes before you go to bed. For instance, once the baby has gone down for the night, you might listen to soothing music, read a relaxing book, shower, brush your teeth and get into your PJ's. Your body will recognise that it’s time to start winding down.

3.     Recognise and commit to managing your stress
Many people who suffer from sleep issues struggle with managing stress. If you think stress and anxiety are getting in the way of a good night’s sleep, get these issues under control. Try a little extra exercise, meditation or yoga to bring stillness to your mind or seek professional help from your GP, child health nurse or health care provider.

4.     Avoid caffeine and alcohol at night
Especially right before bedtime, they'll work against getting a good night's sleep. Try cutting them right down or out completely if your sleep is severely disturbed.  Be aware that dark chocolate contains caffeine and may also contribute to sleeplessness.

5.  Burn or apply calming essential oils
Use lavender in a bath or on pulse points or use an essential oil burner as part of your ‘before-bed- preparation-routine’.  After a while, just the smell of Lavender will trigger a sensation of ‘rest/release’ for you.  Seek advice if you are breastfeeding when applying oils to your skin as to which are safe for both you and the baby and although Lavender is a very safe oil for everyone, it’s good practice to burn oils once baby is out of the room.

6. Don't over-hydrate
Slurping too much liquid in the evening guarantees you'll be making extra trips to the loo long after midnight. Even though your body helps by naturally reducing urine production while you sleep, it's a good idea to cut off liquids at least an hour before going to bed.

7. Start Turning the Lights Down During the Early Evening

Our bodies are programmed to go to sleep with the sun and get up with the sun. Our circadian rhythms are longer than 24 hours and need the light to help us reset each day. At night, go from bright to dimmer lights as you move toward the bedtime. This simulates a time of dusk, which naturally helps our bodies prepare for sleep.  For a lot of Mums, especially in the early days, this means going to bed not long after putting the baby down (sorry - not the time to catch up on re-runs of your favourite TV program!)

8.  Swap warm milk for cherry juice
While milk does have small amounts of tryptophan, the hormone that induces sleep, it's not for everyone. Instead, you could try a morning and evening glass of tart cherry juice - which contains the sleep hormone melatonin. According to a recent British study, people who drink it regularly sleep an extra 25 minutes - and more deeply - than those who don't. That's gotta be worth a try....zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oh baby...do more for your pelvic floor

 As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm re-educating my core - getting all my front and back pelvic floor muscles to talk to each other. And keep talkin' I say, because around 80 per cent of all women will have issues with their pelvic floor at some point. Like flossing your teeth, pelvic floor exercises are health habits you know you're supposed to do. But if you had a dollar for each time you ACTUALLY did them...well, you'd probably have a dollar. According to the Continence Foundation of Australia, one in three women who have had a baby have incontinence. So it's time to do more for your pelvic floor!

So what is this pelvic floor business anyway? 

If you haven't had a baby, it's probably a muscle that you haven't given a great deal of thought about. Connecting your pubic bone and tailbone, your pelvic floor supports a swag of organs including your uterus, bladder and bowel. When it contracts, it's like a sling - lifting and supporting  those organs from underneath.

It's a little like the bottom of a plastic bag under the weight of a whole lot of groceries, and yep, that's the kind of pressure that's it's under. And just think of the added pressure to those muscles further weakened by a few extra kilos or pregnancy weight. Eeeekk! And pregnant ladies are also more susceptible to further weakness in this area due to high levels of progesterone the body produces during pregnancy. So yes, everything stretches!

And what if I haven't had kids?

Ladies - take note, it's not just during the body's time of hormonal changes (like during pregnancy and menopause) that you need to be flexing 'the muscle'. One study from the University of Utah in the US found that 10 per cent of women aged 20 to 39 will experience a pelvic floor disorder and it significantly increases with age.

It's time to toughen up

See our tip sheet on re-connecting your front and rear pelvic floor muscles. It gives some simple tips to help you switch on all parts of your core - pelvic floor, diaphragm, abdominal muscles and lower back muscles.

How to kick those constant cravings

It's not just pregnant women who run into constant food cravings - all of us are susceptible to a sudden desire for those super-rich Tim Tams, savoury crisps, or Tobasco sauce. And despite what you might think, willpower alone won't get you through. So what's behind those constant cravings and how best can you kick the habit?

Researchers are divided when it comes to what causes food urges, but agree that emotional and environmental triggers, hormones, obesity and dietary imbalances can all play a part in leading you to the junk food aisle of the supermarket. There's also some research to show that mental imagery and the brain's 'reward centre' may also have a role. In any case, it's a helluva lot more complicated that just blaming your lack of willpower.

And research hasn't proven that you're craving what your body needs. But what is clear, according to the Dietitians Association of Australia, is that we usually crave foods that lack nutritional value. And that's because when we often eat, we do so out of habit rather than hunger.
So how do you kick it? Try these top tips:

1. Distract yourself. Research shows that distracting your mind, particularly with something 'visual' can lead to a fall in cravings.
2. Eat smaller, regular meals. Cravings can occur when you go too long without food. Eating smaller and more regular meals stops you going into 'starvation' mode, which can trigger a chaotic change in hormones - and can ultimately lead to a 'feeding binge' - without the satisfaction.
3. Eat low GI, complex carbs. This helps to stabilise some of the body's hormone functions throughout the day.
4. Manage your stress load with exercise, taking regular breaks and catching up with friends. Less stress means a slower release of the stress hormone (cortisol), which is often associated with those constant cravings.
5. Sit quietly for three minutes. And focus on your breathing BEFORE making your food choice.
6. Always eat breakfast - and make it healthy. This increases the feeling of fullness throughout the day and research shows that you tend to snack and overeat less.
7. Don't go cold turkey. Gradually reduce the amount of unhealthy food and portion sizes that you eat. This will also help to cut the amount of stress and cortisol release, plus it makes it all actually achievable - and you won't feel as it you've 'failed'.

And what of Mums-to-be and cravings?

Cravings for unusual foods, or foods that you may not otherwise eat, are common during pregnancy - especially for foods that provide energy and calcium. Some women even develop a bizarre taste for paper or even soil! Food cravings in pregnancy are thought to have a protective benefit for the growing baby. So by all means, accommodate those cravings where possible, as long as you don't find yourself replacing the more important nutrients with paper or pencil shavings!!!