If there is one thing you can expect during your pregnancy it's constant change. While you may not notice many of the changing occurring inside your body, you will notice the external changes, especially abdominal growth and pain. Back pain is extremely common during pregnancy, but there are ways to prevent the worst of the pain. Here are 3 tips to keep that back pain under control during pregnancy.

1. Skip the fancy shoes, tight clothes and teeny, tiny underwear.
   You may feel comfortable wearing that killer dress suit with four inch heels and fancy lace undergarments, but when you’re pregnant you need to think with practicality in mind. Exchange the heels for low-heeled comfortable shoes with a protective arch support. Replace those tight, fitted pieces of clothing with loose clothes that leave room for your body to cool naturally and for that growing belly. Dig in the back of your underwear drawer for support garments. For added support, choose pregnancy underwear designed to lift the belly and take pressure off the lower back. 
2. Be proud of your changing body.
   Your posture may be spot-on when you’re not pregnant, but add an extra 10 pounds or so to the front of your waistline and things get a little tricky. The more you bend forward during pregnancy, the more pressure you place on your lower back. Pull back your shoulders and sit up straight to relieve that pressure, especially when sitting for extended periods at home or work.
3. Take advantage of your increased flexibility and stretch.
   Progesterone, the female hormone responsible for those lax ligaments during pregnancy, is rushing through your veins, so why not take advantage of this loosening hormone and stretch? Early in the pregnancy, the cat stretch is ideal for lower back pain. Simply get down on your hands and knees and alternate rounding your back with your spine reaching toward the ceiling and arching your back with your tummy reaching toward the floor. Later in your pregnancy, sit up straight with your hands on your knees and arch your back until you feel a stretch. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds, release and repeat.

You don’t have to suffer back pain during pregnancy without making an effort to relieve some of the pain. All pregnant women feel added pressure on the lower back during some point in the pregnancy, but stretching, sitting tall and proud and wearing the right clothes can mean the world to your back.