Much to the chagrin of many moms-to-be, mild pain and discomfort often accompanies pregnancy. While you could reduce many of these aches and pains with medication, you must be careful when medicating yourself while pregnant to ensure the pills you take have no adverse effect on your unborn child.

Headache Pain

Many moms find that, along with the happiness they feel over their new pregnancy, there comes a surge of first-trimester headaches. As American Pregnancy reports, women are prone to headache development during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy due to a number of factors, including hormonal changes. In addition to a hormone flux, pregnant women have more blood flowing through their bodies as their bodies work to create a new life. These headaches can range from mild to nearly debilitating and can present a challenge for newly pregnant woman who is not yet wise to what she can and cannot take to alleviate pain.

Aches and Pains

As your weight increases throughout your pregnancy, more weight is put on your joints. This increased joint pressure leads to aches and pains in many moms-to-be. Whenever possible, you should treat these pains topically, as things like ice and cold on an achy joint pose no risk to a developing baby, but when absolutely necessary, you can turn to pregnancy-safe medications to ease this discomfort. Ask your doctor.

Mystery of Medication

When you require medication for pain relief, your best bet is acetaminophen, reports MayoClinic.com. Many pain relievers that you may be used to taking, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, are not safe while pregnant. While you can likely take acetaminophen with no ill effects, it is always wise to check with your doctor before taking any medication while pregnant.

Help from Heat

Applying heat to your aches and pains could prove an easy way to remedy your woes, reports the American Pregnancy Association. If you can isolate the center of your headache pain, or your discomfort is centered in a joint, place a warm compress or heating pad on the source. You may also find that a warm shower lessens your discomfort. When using a heating pad, take care to keep the heat away from your abdomen, as you shouldn’t apply any heat on or around your pregnant belly.

Hands-On Help

If pregnancy leaves you achy, ask your partner to help out. A tender rub or gentle massage is not only an effective way to reduce the discomfort you feel, but may also give you and your partner some potentially much needed pre-baby bonding time.