Common Pregnancy Pains and Easy Home Remedies That Actually Work
A practical, honest guide to the aches, pains, and discomforts of pregnancy — and what you can actually do about them at home.
Let’s be real for a second. Nobody tells you how much your body changes when you’re pregnant. Sure, everyone talks about the glowing skin and the little kicks that make your heart melt — but the backaches, the swollen ankles, the heartburn that hits at 2 AM? That part somehow gets left out of the brochure.
The good news is that most pregnancy pains are completely normal, temporary, and manageable. You don’t always need a prescription or a doctor’s visit for relief. Many gentle, safe home remedies can make a real difference — the kind of tips that moms swear by and midwives quietly recommend.
This guide covers the most common pregnancy discomforts from the first trimester all the way through the third, along with practical home remedies that are safe, simple, and actually work. We’ll also flag when it’s time to stop Googling and call your doctor.
⚠️ Important Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your OB-GYN, midwife, or healthcare provider before trying any new remedy during pregnancy.
Why Does Pregnancy Cause So Much Pain in the First Place?
Before we dive into remedies, it helps to understand what’s actually going on inside your body. Pregnancy triggers one of the most dramatic physical transformations a human body can go through — and most of the pain comes down to three things:
- Hormonal shifts — especially relaxin, progesterone, and estrogen — that loosen ligaments, soften joints, and increase blood volume
- Your growing uterus putting pressure on surrounding organs, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels
- Postural and weight changes that strain the lower back, hips, pelvis, and legs
None of this is your body failing you. It’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. But knowing that doesn’t make the 3 AM back spasm any less brutal — which is why let’s talk remedies.
1. Morning Sickness and Nausea
Despite the name, morning sickness doesn’t stick to mornings. For many women, nausea shows up around weeks 6–8 and can linger well into the second trimester. About 70–80% of pregnant women experience it in some form, and it ranges from mild queasiness to full-on inability to keep food down.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Ginger — in tea, ginger chews, or even ginger ale — is one of the most well-supported natural remedies for nausea. Studies show ginger root can significantly reduce pregnancy nausea with no harm to the baby.
✓ Eat small, frequent meals rather than three large ones. An empty stomach actually makes nausea worse.
✓ Keep plain crackers or dry toast on your nightstand and eat a few bites before even getting out of bed in the morning.
✓ Peppermint tea or peppermint essential oil (inhaled, not ingested) can calm queasiness for many women.
✓ Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) at 10–25 mg three times daily is often recommended by OBs — but check with yours first on dosage.
✓ Acupressure wristbands (like Sea-Bands) apply pressure to the P6 point and provide noticeable relief for some women.
When to call your doctor: If you can’t keep any fluids down for more than 24 hours, you may have hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), which requires medical treatment. Don’t try to tough it out.
2. Lower Back Pain
This is one of the most universally experienced pregnancy complaints. As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts forward, your lower back curves more deeply, and your posture compensates in ways that put enormous strain on your lumbar spine. The hormone relaxin also loosens the ligaments supporting your spine and pelvis — helpful for childbirth, but rough day-to-day.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Warm (not hot) compresses applied to the lower back for 15–20 minutes can loosen tight muscles. Never use a heating pad directly on your abdomen.
✓ A pregnancy support belt can take pressure off your lower back and make daily activities much more comfortable — especially walking or standing for long periods.
✓ Sleep on your left side with a pillow between your knees and another supporting your belly. A full-body pregnancy pillow (like a U-shaped or C-shaped pillow) can be life-changing.
✓ Prenatal yoga and gentle stretching — particularly cat-cow stretches, child’s pose, and pelvic tilts — can significantly reduce back pain when done consistently.
✓ Swimming and water aerobics are particularly therapeutic because the buoyancy takes the weight off your joints entirely.
✓ Wear supportive, low-heeled shoes. High heels shift your center of gravity even further forward and worsen lumbar strain.
✓ Prenatal massage from a certified therapist (who is trained in pregnancy massage) can provide significant, lasting relief.
When to call your doctor: If back pain is severe, accompanied by fever, or you experience numbness/tingling down one or both legs, call immediately — this could indicate a more serious issue like a herniated disc or kidney infection.
3. Heartburn and Acid Reflux
Pregnancy heartburn is different from the occasional post-pizza burn. Progesterone relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter (the valve between your stomach and esophagus), allowing acid to creep back up. As your uterus grows, it also physically pushes up against your stomach, making the problem worse — especially in the third trimester.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Eat smaller meals more frequently. A full stomach is your worst enemy when it comes to heartburn — especially in the evening.
✓ Avoid the classic triggers: spicy food, fried food, citrus, chocolate, coffee, and carbonated drinks. Keep a food diary to figure out your personal triggers.
✓ Don’t lie down for at least 2–3 hours after eating. Gravity is your friend when it comes to keeping stomach acid where it belongs.
✓ Prop yourself up at night using a wedge pillow or by elevating the head of your bed by a few inches. Sleeping slightly inclined makes a big difference.
✓ A glass of cold milk or a small serving of yogurt can provide temporary relief, as dairy can neutralize stomach acid in the short term.
✓ Chewing gum after meals stimulates saliva production, which helps neutralize acid — a simple trick that many pregnant women find surprisingly effective.
✓ Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Tight waistbands increase abdominal pressure and worsen reflux.
When to call your doctor: If heartburn is severe, constant, or causing difficulty swallowing, your OB may recommend pregnancy-safe antacids or medications.
4. Round Ligament Pain
If you’ve ever felt a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain in your lower abdomen or groin when you move too quickly — stood up fast, sneezed, laughed, or rolled over in bed — that’s most likely round ligament pain. It’s incredibly common in the second trimester as the round ligaments that support your uterus stretch rapidly to accommodate growth.
It’s harmless, but it can be genuinely shocking the first time it happens. Many women worry it’s something serious — it’s not. It typically only lasts a few seconds to a few minutes.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Move slowly and deliberately. When you feel a sneeze or cough coming, bend forward slightly at the hips — this reduces the stretch on the ligaments and often prevents the pain entirely.
✓ A warm compress or heating pad on the low abdomen or groin area can relax the ligaments and ease the lingering ache after an episode.
✓ Wear a belly support band during physical activity — it physically supports the uterus and takes some of the strain off those ligaments.
✓ Rest in whatever position is most comfortable when pain flares. Lying on the side that hurts and flexing your hip slightly can reduce tension.
When to call your doctor: If the pain is persistent (lasting more than a few minutes), accompanied by fever, chills, or changes in urination, call your provider — it could be something other than round ligament pain.
5. Swollen Feet and Ankles (Edema)
By the third trimester, many women look down at their feet and barely recognize them. Swelling (edema) happens because your blood volume has increased by up to 50% and your body is retaining extra fluid. Your growing uterus also puts pressure on the vena cava (the large vein on your right side), which slows blood return from your lower body. Gravity does the rest.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Elevate your feet whenever you sit or rest — ideally above heart level. Even propping them up on a footstool makes a significant difference by the end of the day.
✓ Sleep on your left side. This takes pressure off the vena cava and improves circulation back to your heart from your lower body.
✓ Stay hydrated — counterintuitively, drinking more water actually helps reduce fluid retention because your kidneys can flush excess sodium more efficiently.
✓ Reduce sodium intake. Excess salt causes your body to hold onto water. You don’t need to go salt-free, but cutting back on processed and salty foods helps.
✓ Compression socks — the pregnancy-friendly kind — can make a noticeable difference, especially if you’re on your feet a lot. Put them on before you get out of bed in the morning.
✓ Gentle foot and ankle exercises like ankle circles and foot pumps stimulate circulation and help reduce swelling throughout the day.
✓ A cool water soak for your feet (not ice cold) can provide immediate comfort when swelling is at its worst.
When to call your doctor: Sudden or severe swelling, especially in the face and hands, accompanied by headache or visual changes, can be a sign of preeclampsia — a serious condition that needs immediate medical attention.
6. Pelvic Girdle Pain and SPD
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) or symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) refers to pain around the front or back of the pelvis, often described as a deep aching or shooting pain in the pubic bone, groin, hips, or inner thighs. It happens when the joints of the pelvis become unstable or misaligned — again, thanks to the hormone relaxin loosening everything up. It can be mild or debilitating.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ A pelvic support belt (specifically designed for SPD) can stabilize the pelvis and provide immediate relief during walking or standing.
✓ Keep your knees together when getting in and out of cars, rolling over in bed, or putting on pants. These movements are the most common triggers of pain in SPD.
✓ Avoid asymmetric activities like standing on one leg. Sit down to get dressed, use a shower chair if standing is painful.
✓ Sleep with a pillow between your knees and another supporting your bump. Side sleeping — particularly on your left — is generally recommended.
✓ Gentle pelvic floor exercises (Kegels) and exercises recommended by a pelvic physiotherapist can help stabilize the joint without aggravating it.
When to call your doctor: Severe PGP that affects your ability to walk or function needs professional management. A referral to a pelvic physiotherapist can be genuinely transformative.
7. Leg Cramps
The middle-of-the-night calf cramp is a pregnancy rite of passage. It’s most common in the second and third trimesters and tends to happen during sleep. The exact cause isn’t fully understood, but factors include poor circulation, dehydration, low magnesium or calcium levels, and the pressure your uterus puts on certain nerves and blood vessels.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ When a cramp strikes, immediately flex your foot upward — pull your toes toward your shin while pushing your heel away from you. This stretches the calf and typically stops the cramp quickly.
✓ Stay well-hydrated throughout the day. Dehydration is a major cramp trigger, especially in warm weather.
✓ Eat magnesium-rich foods — nuts, seeds, whole grains, leafy greens, bananas. Some studies suggest magnesium supplementation (with your doctor’s approval) reduces pregnancy leg cramps.
✓ Stretch your calves before bed: stand a few inches from a wall, press your hands against it, step one foot back and hold the stretch for 30 seconds each side.
✓ Warm (not hot) baths before bed can relax your muscles and reduce nighttime cramping.
✓ Gentle massage of the calf muscle after a cramp passes can help relax the muscle and prevent repeat cramping that night.
When to call your doctor: Persistent calf pain, warmth, redness, or swelling could be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is more common in pregnancy and requires immediate evaluation.
8. Headaches
Headaches are especially common in the first trimester, driven by the surge in hormones, increased blood volume, caffeine withdrawal, dehydration, stress, and disrupted sleep. Most pregnancy headaches are tension headaches, though migraines can also worsen in some women.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Drink water. Dehydration is one of the most common and overlooked headache triggers in pregnancy. Aim for at least 8–10 glasses daily.
✓ A cold or warm compress on your forehead or the back of your neck can provide real relief. Some people prefer cold for throbbing headaches; warm works better for tension headaches.
✓ Rest in a quiet, dark room if you’re sensitive to light and noise. Sometimes sleep is the only thing that fully clears a pregnancy headache.
✓ Gentle neck and shoulder massage, or self-massage at the temples and base of the skull, can release tension-related headaches.
✓ Peppermint oil applied to the temples (diluted in a carrier oil) is a popular natural headache remedy used safely by many pregnant women.
✓ If caffeine withdrawal is contributing, speak to your doctor about a safe level of caffeine consumption — a small amount is generally considered acceptable in pregnancy.
When to call your doctor: A sudden, severe “thunderclap” headache, or any headache accompanied by visual disturbances, swelling, or high blood pressure, requires immediate evaluation to rule out preeclampsia.
9. Constipation
Progesterone relaxes smooth muscle throughout the body — including in your digestive tract — which slows everything way down. Add in iron supplements (common in prenatal vitamins), the uterus pressing on your intestines, and reduced physical activity, and you’ve got a recipe for constipation. About half of pregnant women deal with it at some point.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Increase fiber intake through fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Aim for 25–30 grams per day. Prunes and dried figs are particularly effective natural laxatives.
✓ Drink plenty of water and warm fluids. Warm water with lemon in the morning can help stimulate bowel movements naturally.
✓ Stay active. Even a 20–30 minute walk each day helps stimulate the digestive system and reduce constipation.
✓ Don’t ignore the urge to go. Many women defer trips to the bathroom when they’re busy, which only worsens constipation.
✓ Spread your iron intake throughout the day instead of taking it all at once, and take it with food — this can reduce constipating effects.
✓ A fiber supplement like psyllium husk (Metamucil) is safe in pregnancy, but always check with your provider first and drink plenty of water with it.
When to call your doctor: If you haven’t had a bowel movement in more than 3–4 days, or if you experience severe abdominal pain or bleeding, contact your provider. Never take laxatives without medical guidance during pregnancy.
10. Sciatica
Sciatica during pregnancy is that sharp, shooting pain that travels from your lower back down through your buttock and into one leg — sometimes all the way to your foot. It happens when your growing baby or uterus puts pressure on the sciatic nerve. It can range from a dull ache to an electric, burning sensation that stops you in your tracks.
Home Remedies That Help:
✓ Alternating ice and heat on the affected area can reduce both inflammation and muscle tension. Start with 15–20 minutes of each.
✓ The pigeon pose (a yoga hip stretch) can provide significant relief by opening the hips and reducing sciatic nerve compression — do the modified, pregnancy-safe version while supporting yourself.
✓ Swimming is often the most effective exercise for sciatic pain in pregnancy because the water supports your weight and allows gentle stretching without loading the spine.
✓ Avoid sitting or standing for prolonged periods. Frequent position changes throughout the day can prevent the nerve from being compressed for too long.
✓ A pregnancy pillow that supports both your belly and your back while side sleeping can significantly reduce nighttime sciatic pain.
When to call your doctor: If sciatica becomes disabling or you experience any bowel or bladder changes alongside it, speak with your provider about physical therapy or other interventions.
General Safety Tips for Home Remedies During Pregnancy
Before trying anything new, keep these ground rules in mind:
- Always run it by your OB or midwife first — even “natural” doesn’t always mean “safe in pregnancy.” Some herbs, essential oils, and supplements are contraindicated.
- Avoid NSAIDs like ibuprofen and naproxen during pregnancy unless specifically instructed by your doctor. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the generally accepted over-the-counter pain reliever in pregnancy, but even this should be used sparingly.
- Avoid hot baths, hot tubs, and saunas — core body temperature above 102°F (39°C) can be harmful to the baby, especially in the first trimester.
- Be cautious with essential oils — many are not safe during pregnancy. Lavender and peppermint are generally considered safer options, but always dilute and avoid ingesting.
- Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, stop and call your provider. Your instincts matter.
You’ve Got This
Pregnancy is extraordinary — and extraordinarily uncomfortable at times. But most of the aches and pains your body throws at you during these nine months are signs that it’s doing what it’s supposed to do. Your body is building a whole human being. That’s remarkable, even when it hurts.
The remedies in this guide aren’t magic, but they’re tried, tested, and recommended by healthcare professionals and experienced mothers alike. Start with the simplest solutions — hydration, rest, positional changes — and layer in more specific remedies from there.
And remember: never hesitate to reach out to your healthcare provider when something feels off. Being your own advocate during pregnancy is one of the most important things you can do — for yourself and for your baby.
