Who Else Wants To Know If It Is Safe To Use Icy Hot While Pregnant?
When you are expectant, pains and aches can be extreme at times. Sometimes, it is not your typical pains which include the usual backaches and sorts that are typical of pregnancies. But ligament pain, pinched nerves among other types of pain and aches can just be unbearable.
I know this because I have been in such a situation like you are. And while searching for solutions for your discomfort, you might have come across several pain relievers and ointments. These do elicit a lot of debates on the safety of their uses while pregnant.
None of these remedies will make your opinion divided than the icy hot when pregnant. There is every possibility that you have given it a try as you attempt to relieve yourself of the unimaginable muscle pain and pregnancy soreness.
Just how safe is the use of icy hot while pregnant? Well, to find out, I spent hours asking for a professional opinion, interacting with fellow moms and googling. I have therefore prepared this article to inform you of my findings.
What Is Icy Hot And How Does It Work?
For the benefit our newbie parents, or those who have not heard of Icy Hot, let us first bring them up to speed and welcome them to this amazing club of life givers and carriers.
Icy Hot is a topical pain reliever used as a treatment for muscle/joints pains and minor aches. These muscle pains include arthritis, sprains and backaches. This product uses Methyl Salicylate and Menthol as the main counterirritants.
These ingredients work by making the skin to have a cool and warm feeling (hence the name Ice Hot). In the process, these skin feelings distract your feelings of pains and aches. It is these sensations that block the pain signals from reaching the brain.
In short, the cool sensation makes the pain dull, while the warm sensation relaxes away the pain. These formulations are available for external use only, and you are required to apply it to the specific part of the body where you are feeling the pain. Ice Hot can be found in patches, cream, stick, sleeve and gel spray applications.
Is It Safe To Use Icy Hot While Pregnant?
The bad news is that Icy Hot is not recommended for use during any stage of your pregnancy. And the none usage period extends to and when you are nursing. Even their official facts page has a warning that the product should not be used when pregnant. This is unless given the go-ahead by a healthcare professional.
The reason behind this warning is that Icy Hot contains menthol as one of the ingredients that provide relief from pain. And you may be wondering “but it is applied externally?”. Yes, but small amounts of the menthol can still be absorbed through the skin into the body.
Such small levels can cause damages to the growing baby in you, and you do not want that to happen, don’t you? The working method of Icy Cold also provides another challenge.
Because it stimulates the nerve receptors to give the skin a cold and hot sensation as it eases the pain, it might lead to the irritation of the nervous system. It is this irritation that is bad for the baby’s health since the nervous system controls the baby’s development in the womb.
I Already Used It, What Do I Do?
I know there are some who have already used the product at some point when the pain was just too much. And since you now know that this topical pain reliever is not safe for use without your doctor’s approval, you are now probably wondering about what should be done next.
The first thing you need to do is not to panic. Chances are very high that everything will be alright with the both of you. The second action is to stop using it with immediate effect. After this, call your doctor and talk things through.
If your doctor deems it okay to continue using it, mostly if the benefits will be outweighing the risks, then you can continue using it, but rather sparingly. And just for a surety that everything is alright with your little buddy in you, check with your obstetrician to know how things are coming along.
Are There Any Alternative Ways Of Dealing With The Pain?
Trust me; I understand the kind of pain you are going through. I have been there many times. Fortunately for you, there are always many ways of relieving pregnancy pains without having to use medications.
1. Always Maintain Good Postures
As your unborn baby grows, your center of gravity shifts forward. This makes you a little unbalanced some of the time. What most people do is lean back to compensate for the loss of stability. However, this is what causes most of the lower back aches and pains.
Good standing posture entails:
2. Drop The High Heels
During pregnancy, wearing high heels causes a lot of imbalance and maybe what causes most of the muscle pains. Flat shoes are always the best choice or ones with low heels and a decent arch support.
3. Practice Side Sleeping
When you are pregnant, sleeping on your back adds to your discomfort and back pains. The perfect sleeping position is on your side, with your knees bent. Alternatively, you can use pregnancy support pillows for your back, neck and abdomen.
4. Continue With Your Physical Activities
If your doctor somehow allows you to, you can add fitness activities to your routines. And if you used to exercise before the pregnancy, then it is best for you to continue with the same schedule as before, unless there was heavy lifting involved. In this case, tone down the lifting.
Yoga and light stretching can be a good start for the less active version of you. Do not overload yourself with heavy exercises if you were not used to it before.
5. Try Massage Therapy
You need to look for a good massage therapist with a good understanding of prenatal massage. This helps a big deal in eliminating the back and hip pains that are common during pregnancies.
What If The Pain Persists?
If your pain still cannot go away after trying all these, then it is time to give your doctor a call immediately. It could be that your pains are one of a kind, and a different remedy is therefore needed.
You do not need to suffer because of any reason. This is more so as you near the end of the third trimester. The growing body is accommodating the growing baby, hence the pains. Otherwise, if the pain becomes too severe, abrupt and appears to be those rhythmic cramping pains, then you also need to give your doctor a call immediately.
Conclusion
Aches and pains are normal during pregnancies. While sometimes the pains might be too much to bear, do not always rush to using Icy Hot while Pregnant for relief or any other medication for that matter. Icy Hot can be dangerous to you and the baby. Alternatively, you can use the options provided, and if there seems to be no end in sight for the pain, call the doctor.