Posture During Pregnancy

Body: 

I have read that one of the reasons our bodies are out of whack during & after pregnancy is because our lumbar curve is so pronounced & given the term "swayback." How is that different than The Posture that we *want* to adapt if we are supposed to be arching our lower spine?

Am I just not understanding how it is that our posture tends to become compromised while pregnant?

~Erin

Hi Erin,

It was always thought that pregnant women kept getting more and more swayback as the months went on, as that’s what it kinda looks like when women get so big. Orthopedic doctors started seriously studying back pain-in-pregnancy in the 1980’s and were very surprised to learn that the lumbar curve actually pulls back and flattens somewhat in advanced pregnancy in order to balance the huge weight out front. Ultimate causes of common pain in and after pregnancy has since been largely attributed to slightly destabilized sacroiliac and pubic joints.

As far as maintaining the posture in pregnancy, I would say women should utilize it well during the early months. As time goes by, the lumbar curve does its own thing and will be impossible to consciously affect. However, women should still keep the upper body posture and always walk with their toes pointing straight ahead.

Christine

I would have to agree that it does flatted out during the late months. I found this site when I was about 10 weeks pregnant and started using the posture and walking a lot. By the time I got to the end, my body was doing its own thing from under my breast area down. My body prepared for birth and all the joints and ligaments in my pelvic region loosened, making the lumbar curve even more difficult to have. I think the sway back seems like it happens because we're trying to throw the upper body back instead of sticking the bottom out to consciously balance the weight. I don't know if that makes sense or not. Picture the late term pregnant woman putting hands on the lumbar region above her bottom, elbows back behind, and chest now sticking out trying to get comfortable. That looks like a sway back, but it's only affecting the top half of the back, not the lumbar area.
Jane

Ooooohhh, so it's really that the lumbar curve is *flattened* during late pregnancy! I never payed any attention to it while pregnant, but wondered how it was that pregnancy can throw off our posture & cause pain. That makes sense. SO after birth, it takes a while for our bodies to "get back into position."

Thanks, Erin

...and in early cultures women were naturally regaining that shape soon after delivery.