6 Types of Pregnancy Pain That Are Completely Normal

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When you first get pregnant, everyone is very quick to congratulate you and tell you about all the wonderful things that pregnancy can bring.

Let’s just be real for a second because there is a dark side to pregnancy too.

Pregnancy comes with its own set of aches, pains and some pregnancy complications for pregnant women.

I’m going to list out 6 pregnancy pains to be on the lookout for.

These pains are completely normal.

Just note that you may not experience every single one of them as each person’s pregnancy is completely different from the next.

6 Pregnancy pains you should know about

1. Your growing baby

As your baby begins to grow inside your uterus, you will begin to experience some discomfort, mostly in the lower abdominal area.

Some women may get worried by this and attribute it to miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.

This is not necessarily the case.

Any abdominal pain that you are experiencing could actually be from your womb expanding to accommodate your new baby.

Mild cramping during the first trimester is usually attributed to the fact that your ligaments are stretching.

Remember your uterus has to grow to roughly the size of a watermelon. It won’t happen without some level of discomfort to you.

The discomfort you experience should be mild.

If the pain is any stronger than this or comes with other symptoms such as bleeding or foul-smelling discharge then you should most definitely contact your health care provider as soon as possible.

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2. Lower back pain

Lower back pain is no stranger to pregnancy.

The pregnancy pain that you feel in your back is likely a result of one or more of the following things:

A change in posture

As your baby grows inside you it can cause your center of gravity to shift slightly.

This, in turn, can cause you to walk differently and eventually cause lower back pain.

Change in your hormones

During pregnancy, your body creates a hormone called relaxin.

Relaxin encourages your muscles and joints to relax. It does this in preparation of your upcoming childbirth.

The relaxin hormone affects the ligaments of the spine.

As your pregnancy progresses, the ligaments around your spine become more elastic and less stable causing the lower back pain you are feeling.

Weight gain

Weight gain can also be a contributing factor. As expected you will gain some additional weight being that you are pregnant.

The extra weight that you gain will have to be supported by your spine. This can again be one of the contributing factors of your lower back pain.

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3. Lightning crotch

Lightning crotch is a type of pelvic pain. It is a sharp, shooting pain that can happen in your pelvis, rectum or vagina.

Lightning crotch can occur for a number of reasons. The main ones being:

Your baby is dropping

When your baby drops lower into your pelvis the pressure from your babies head is putting additional pressure on your nerve endings.

Your baby has moved

Your baby has moved into an awkward position and is possibly laying on a nerve.

Your cervix is dilating

When your cervix starts dilating it gets thinner meaning that you will feel more of your babies movements. This can cause you to get lightning crotch.

You’re almost at the finish line

The closer you get to labor the more you will feel lightning crotch as your baby moves around trying to gain more space.

4. Braxton hicks

Braxton hicks is a funny old thing. The Braxton hicks contractions that you get are very different to the real “oh my gosh, I’m in labor” contractions.

It’s important to know and understand the difference between the two.

Braxton hicks contractions are not painful in any way, they are more uncomfortable rather than painful.

You will also notice that Braxton hicks contractions will be spaced out by about 10 minutes or longer and will not get any closer together unlike real labor.

In real labor, your contractions will become closer together over time and the pain will intensify.

Braxton hicks contractions are more likely to ease off once you move position.

5. Round ligament pregnancy pain

Round ligament pain is a sharp pain that can be felt in the groin and lower belly.

The round ligament is what connects your womb to your groin area.

As your baby grows and stretches it can cause you to experience some pain which is what we call round ligament pain.

It is important to note that there are similarities in round ligament pain and lightning crotch.

Lightning crotch is usually experienced in the third trimester of pregnancy and round ligament pain in the second trimester.

6. Acid Reflux

If you have never had acid reflux before count yourself lucky.

Acid reflux is incredibly uncomfortable and makes eating very difficult.

Acid reflux occurs when the acid in your stomach does not stay down and enters into your esophagus.

It is quite a common occurrence in pregnancy because the bigger your baby gets the more room it takes up.

This in addition to having less storage space for food can easily push your stomach acids back up giving you the heartburn/not sure if you are going to puke sensation.

If it is very uncomfortable for you, you can seek medical advice from your doctor who may be able to prescribe some medication for you to avoid the feeling of acid reflux.

The good news is that as your pregnancy progresses and you get closer to giving birth your baby will begin to drop lower into your uterus and free up more space for you to eat.

Over time the acid reflux will go away on its own.

These 6 pregnancy pains that we have just gone through are a common occurrence for most pregnant women.

However, there are times when things can get a little more serious.

If you do ever suspect that your symptoms are seemingly more serious then consult your doctor immediately especially if you see blood.

Some of the more serious conditions include:

Ectopic pregnancy
Miscarriage
Preeclampsia
Preterm labor

Its always better to check any concerns you have and get the all clear from your doctor rather than bury your head in the sand which will do you no favors.

For the most part, any potential problems that are detected early are always going to be better for you in the long run.

Anyway, I don’t want this article to end on a down note so try to enjoy your pregnancy as much as possible and continue to educate yourself about the next steps as you head towards giving birth.

Keep a look out for that pregnancy pain.