Pregnancies are always worth celebrating. As this is part of the miracle of life, it makes sense that people view it with all that positivity. However, while there’s a lot of good that comes with childbearing, it’s not always an experience filled with positive things.
From hearing your baby’s heartbeat for the first time to feeling them kick, there are many aspects of a pregnancy that are simply wonderful. However, there are also a number of things that come with being pregnant that aren’t exactly positive. What most mamas tend to forget is that being with a child can also come with some uncomfortable and unpleasant experiences.
A perfect example of this would be the different kinds of pain a mama would feel throughout the course of their pregnancy. Something as common as round ligament pain can be a literal and figurative pain for any expecting mama. But, if you take some time to understand how this happens and what you can do about it, you’ll be better equipped to deal with it. So, with that in mind, we’ll give you a crash course on round ligament pain and what you can do about it!
What Is The Round Ligament?
When you talk about the round ligament, you talk about the ligaments that connect your uterus to your pelvis. More specifically, these are the two ligaments that connect the left side and right side of your uterus to your pelvis.
With that in mind, you could already guess what its function is. It acts as a kind of support for your uterus. However, it’s more than just support. The round ligament also helps keep your uterus in a position that is ideal for when you give birth. More specifically, this ligament helps keep your uterus anteverted—leaning forward towards your abdomen. Having an anteverted uterus is normal and is usually one of the most ideal positions for someone that’s pregnant.
Round Ligament Pain: What Is It?
Round ligament pain takes place when these ligaments are stretched more than they’re used to. This stretching causes spasms in the round ligaments, which then end up being the stimulus for pain. Usually, this pain is felt during pregnancies and is actually a normal occurrence for many mamas.
What’s more, this pain is felt in your hips or groin area as this is where your round ligaments are connected. Typically, the pain would be described as an aching sensation. Other times, it could feel like a cramp. There are also occasions where the pain manifests as a sensation that is sharp, stabbing, or pulling.
Usually, a bout of round ligament pain would last for as little as a few seconds to as long as a couple of hours. What’s more, if you’re pregnant, you can expect this type of pain to be more prevalent in your second trimester. It can also get aggravated when you make sudden movements, laugh, sneeze, or cough—basically any movement that may put stress on your abdomen.
Managing Round Ligament Pain
While experiencing round ligament pain is almost always unavoidable when you’re pregnant, there are still ways to manage it. What’s more, you could do things to treat any symptoms you may currently be feeling or take measures to avoid them altogether.
In terms of treating the pain, you could do something like get yourself an elastic band or some form of support for your pregnant belly. Doing so can help reduce the stress applied on your round ligaments. You could also take it easy and rest. This’ll help ensure that you don’t engage in any more strenuous activity. There’s also the option of taking a painkiller such as paracetamol, which is said to be safe even during a pregnancy—though you should still ask your doctor to be sure.
Aside from treating pain that’s already there, you can also take measures to prevent the occurrence of this kind of pain. As mentioned earlier, you could do things such as rest or avoid strenuous activity. Doing so will help you avoid putting stress on your belly (and round ligaments), thus removing the cause of that pain stimulus. Stretching can also help as this can help your ligaments become stronger and make the stretch applied on the ligaments more tolerable.
Round ligament pain is one example of a factor that proves that pregnancies aren’t always pretty and trouble-free. However, this is just part of the entire pregnancy process. So, it’s something that all mamas have to face at some point. Despite this, that doesn’t mean you can’t avoid it or make things easier for yourself. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with things such as round ligament pain. All you need to do is understand this little thing a bit more. Hopefully, with the help of this article, you can do exactly that!
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