Postpartum Back Pain: 3 Changes to Make Now

Low back pain is common for moms but doesn’t have to be accepted. It’s estimated that 68% of women that have pregnancy back pain, continue to suffer postpartum, impacting daily life and even the ability to work. Hormonal shifts, joint laxity, weak core, heavier breasts, frequent lifting/bending, forward-leaning posture, and changes in your feet can all contribute to low back pain so it should go without saying there isn’t one easy fix.

Exercise, specifically core stability and strength training have been proven to improve low back pain., but exercise is only one piece of the puzzle. Here are 3 changes you can make now:

1. Update the gear. Heavier breasts mean a more supportive bra. If you’re breastfeeding you’re probably wanting to avoid compression, but a wide strap, supportive bra is key. If you’ve noticed flatter feet, wider feet, or longer feet…it’s time to update your shoes. Support starts from the ground up, so consider a new pair of shoes, or if you’re walking around barefoot a lot, you may need some supportive house shoes/slippers.

2. Better your body mechanics. We’ve all probably heard lift with your legs to prevent back pain, but the truth is that it isn’t always that simple when you’re performing the same movements day in and day out. Identify the most common movements you do throughout the day and then self-assess if you’re providing your back support with your leg muscles. If not, it’s time to make some changes. If you’re lifting the baby out of the crib, focus on support from your abs, glutes, and hamstrings similar to a deadlift. If you’re holding the baby as you get off the floor, practice standing from a kneeling lunge position. Forward leaning while feeding the baby? Get in the habit of stretching your chest muscles right after.

3. Nourish to Heal. In our superwoman society sometimes we forget that the postpartum period is more than just caring for the baby and beating the sleep deprivation. Your body has been through major changes and your tissues need to heal and hormones need to regulate. It’s important to nourish your body with enough water, sufficient nutrients, and good gut health. If this isn’t a focus, do your back a favor and begin to make simple changes.

I know it may seem overwhelming to care for your children and yourself, but healing and core function will impact your quality of life for years to come. Your child is only going to get heavier, and the physical demands of being a mom aren’t going anywhere. Let’s tackle this low back pain now. If you have access to a pelvic floor physical therapist or a postnatal fitness trainer, their support will be invaluable. You deserve to feel good, mama! If you need more guidance, try the FREE 5-Day Program to Reduce Your Risk of Back Pain.

If You Weren't Eating Enough Before, You Will Now: Protein for Moms

The amount of protein you eat is directly related to the body’s ability to build and maintain muscle, and it plays a role in hair, blood, hormones, connective tissue, and more.

Why discuss protein intake specifically for moms? The recommended daily allowance for protein (to ensure your body has the minimum to function as it should) is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight each day. However, it’s been well-researched that very active individuals benefit from consuming more protein than the recommended minimum amount to prevent muscle breakdown and promote tissue growth. I’d like to take it a step further and highlight that moms, using similar logic, also require more protein as they go through the different stages of motherhood. From conception to pregnancy, to breastfeeding, through postpartum recovery, into your return to fitness, and even to menopause, your need to build and maintain tissues goes through various stages of higher importance.

Pregnancy

During pregnancy, the expansion of blood volume and growth of your tissue and the baby’s require sufficient protein. Currently, the American Pregnancy Association states that experts recommend 75-100 grams per day. One study estimates the need for protein to be about 1.1k-1.5g/kg per day. To calculate your need you can divide your pregnancy bodyweight by 2.2 and then multiply that by 1.1 to find your daily minimum in grams. It should be noted that a pregnant person should be able to meet their daily needs through food without the need for supplementation.

Postpartum

Not as researched is the protein recommendations postpartum, however, if we use reasoning it is safe to assume that postpartum moms require higher than the average recommendation as well. During the postpartum period, you are rebuilding tissue, and re-strengthening muscle so naturally, adequate protein intake is essential. Being a new mom also involves periods of high stress. When your body is stressed it produces catabolic hormones, which are hormones that trigger the breakdown of tissue. To counteract this breakdown it’s important to have sufficient protein, specifically to maintain your lean muscle tissue. Lastly, if you’re breastfeeding your energy requirements are higher and it would make sense your protein needs are too. One study found the need to be around 1.7-1.9g/kg of body weight per day. Although recommendations fluctuate, most still remain under the recommended consumption for athletes, assuring a safe elevated range.

Fitness: Strength and Weight Loss

When you move beyond birth and return to a more rigorous exercise routine, protein needs are often increased as well. It is well documented that athletes benefit from a higher consumption of proteins, ranging from 1.8 to 2.7 grams at elite levels. This is because strength training and high intensity actually break down muscle. It is during the repair that muscle improves. If you’re putting your much limited time and energy into strength training, you better be sure that your nutrition supports your muscle recovery and development. Additionally, studies show that during periods of caloric/energy deficit, eating higher amounts of protein can prevent the loss of too much lean muscle. In other words, if you’re cutting calories to lose weight, you want to make sure most of the weight you’re losing is fat rather than lean muscle. Increased protein has been shown to help with that.

Perimenopause

Let’s not forget moms transitioning to menopause. During this period your hormones fluctuate and eventually, your estrogen levels drop. Why is this significant? Remember the term catabolism (breakdown tissue)? Well, estrogen is a hormone that triggers the opposite, anabolism (building up tissue). So if your body’s ability to build tissue (anabolism) decreases with lower levels of estrogen as you approach and go through menopause, then you want to make sure you’re doing your part to counteract that as best you can with adequate protein (and resistance training)

Protein Choices

There are plenty of sites that give examples of protein sources so no need to repeat that information here. However, I do think it would be helpful to define the term amino acid and why that’s important in your protein choice. Proteins are made up of 20 different amino acid molecules in various sequences. There are nine “essential” amino acids that your body can’t make and can only be consumed through food. When choosing your proteins you want to make sure that you’re getting all nine essential amino acids. The simple way is to make sure you’re eating a variety of protein sources. The more complex way is to ensure you’re eating “complete proteins”, meaning they contain all of the amino acids you need. Examples include poultry, fish, dairy, beef, quinoa, soy, and pork. Vegetarians and vegans have fewer choices in complete protein sources, but plenty of other options that will give your body what it needs if you’re making sure to eat a range of foods.

Protein timing

To wrap this up, my advice is to evenly spread your protein intake throughout the day. If you’re doing some serious training, following sports nutrition guidelines may be more beneficial for you. However, for most of us, aiming to have protein at most meals is a good start. If you’re a mom who tends to skip meals or graze throughout the day this will initially be challenging. In either scenario, it’s going to be hard to meet your needs. If you’re grazing, you’re probably going to fall short as most mom snacks tend to be pretty carb-heavy. If you’re skipping meals it makes it tough to hit your goal and because our body generally can’t absorb more than 25-40 grams of protein at a time, saving consuming most of your day’s requirements at one sitting isn’t beneficial. So to make adequate protein intake manageable, I suggest including protein evenly in each meal/snack.

OK, now go enjoy the benefits of protein! And if all this talk about healthy pregnancies, recovering after baby, and serious strength training has you motivated then take this time to join the Active Mom Fitness Community!