Pinched Nerve & Pregnancy

I get that too, and I saw my chiropractor throughouth all 3 of my pregnancies. Looking ahead, it's a good idea to see one before the birth, since being "in line" makes for a smoother delivery.

This is common in pregnancy b/c everything can swell. It sounds more like your ulnar nerve (also known as the "funny bone" in your elbow) is bothered. This goes down to the ring and little fingers. Try to sleep with your elbow more straight than bent up. This takes the stretch off the nerve that you are holding it in at night. If you lay on the left side you can laythe right arm over a body pillow or along your side with a pillow between the arm and your body. Wrist splints may help, but that is more common if it is the median nerve (carpal tunnel area goes to the palm side of your thumb, index and middle fingers). Also, watch your posture. If youi spend a lot of time with a forward head and slouched posture it pinches the nerves as they come out of your neck. You can do shoulder blade squeezes to help. If it gets worse or you experience numbness that gets more persistent, ask your doctor at your next appt for a physical therapy script,. and they can eval youand give you gentle exercises and stretches to manage the symptoms. Likely this will go away when the baby comes. Good luck and congrats (P.S. I'm a PT and have had this same problem myself, and was able to manage withposture exercises and adjusting my arm position at night)

Hi T.,

actually sleeping on your left side is recommended during pregnancy, especially once you hit the halfway point like you have. Perhaps a full body pillow or two regular pillows would help you the way it helped me. I had one between my legs to alleviate pressure on my hips and one sort of tucked under my belly and chest that i could 'hug'. it gave support to my stomach and helped keep my chest open (I had a bit of sleep apnea) and my arm didn't dangle loosely, it was supported by a pillow.

I don't have specific info on how to 'cure' a pinched nerve, you may want to see a chiropractor...It may be related to the joints loosening during pregnancy, but be sure to see one that specializes in pregnancy.

Also, one last bit of advice. do NOT sleep on your back during pregnancy,... this will cause more problems than your pinched elbow nerve. this is sure way to cause hemorrhoids... and blood flow from your lower extremeties back to the heart can be closed off. Not to mention, it will not be very comfortable when baby gets bigger. :(

So while I can't really tell you how to fix the pinched nerve, I can share my advice on sleeping positions during pregnancy and what helped me deal with all the aches and pains of getting ginormous and trying to sleep. Ultimately, this should be the time when your sleep is best. You're past the frequent urination, and you're not so big that you feel like a beached whale when you climb into bed, and where the frequent urination starts up again.

Good luck to you.

I don't know how far you would be willing to travel, but just west of 53 and Nw Hwy in Palatine, there is a chiro that specializes in treating pg women,infants and the whole family. Dr. Tara Whiteman-Fager at Hands On Family Health. Call for an appt, she would probably be able to see you this week. I see her husband, He is working on similar problems that i have, stemming from poor posture and sleeping position. I don't have their number with me-it's in my car, but their website is http://handsonfamilyhealth.com

Sounds like you may be getting some carpel tunnel, which is very common during pregnancy. The nerve runs through the arm and will typically feel tingly fingers in the last three fingers. I had it too, I would wake up in the middle of the night wondering if I still had a hand. I slept most of my pregnancy on my right side and read a study a few years ago saying it did not matter which side you slept on (right or left) as long as you are comfortable. Definitely try some extra pillows, I did too, put on on my back where I was not lying completely on my back, but slept on an angle, which was great for me and how I slept best. I saw a chiropractor all through my pregnancy and found temporarily relief for my carpel tunnel, but it stopped as soon as I delievered my baby. Good luck to you. If you live in Chicago, I can recommend my chiropractor, she is wonderful and delivered both her kids naturally.

Have you tried the chiropractor? I had pubic bone separation during my last pregnancy, I could hardly lift my legs to walk. My OB said there was nothing that could be done. I went to my chiropractor and it worked! I was sooooo happy because I had a very active four year old and could not just sit around!

I've had friends that saw a chiropractor when prego.... i personally slept upright on seriously 8 pillows in a pile. good luck

I am 7 months PG and don't have the arm issue but do get numbness and tingling in my hand. I looked it up and sounds like carpel tunnel for me so it may be the same for you as well. You should probably put a pillow in front of your chest and rest your arm on it at night while lying on your side. When you lay on your side your arm, that you aren't sleeping on, is pulled towards the bed and is not aligned with your body and that can block blood flow as well. I suppose I should take my own advice as well:) I would also mention it to the doctor just so they know.