Pain in the bum!!!

At the moment, I am almost 26 weeks pregnant with my third child. Overall I feel quite energetic and healthy. In the last few weeks, I have been experiencing something that many other women who have been pregnant (including me in the past) have felt; pain on one side of the bum. After a long day on my feet or too much sitting, the muscles surrounding the pelvis are overworking and spasming due to the ligaments loosening to accomodate for the growth of the baby. The sacro-iliac joint can mis-align which can put pressure on the large sciatic nerve.

I found 3 things done in combination very effective in controlling the amount of pain and pressure on the area.

1) Stretching consistently (especially figure 4 stretch on a ball)
2) Having your alignment in your pelvis checked and adjusted by a chiropractor that focusses on pre-natal care is important. By using the Webster method/technique it is clearer to the practitioner if the pain is coming from the pelvis and if it is causing some uterine constraint as well.
3)Muscle work/ massage therapy is a very good compliment to the above two.

Oh and I better not forget another important point. Good supportive shoes is so important in decreasing the imbalances from the feet to the pelvis. Flat shoes with no arch supports can be a cause of pelvic dysfunction especially during pregnancy.

I have experienced first hand the benefits of sticking to a good regimen of the above. I am a happier camper when I am not uncomfortable. I'm sure some of you pregnant ladies out there may be able to relate and hopefully a few, atleast, can benefit from my experience.