Posterior Strength For Pregnancy

My wife is one of the toughest people I know. Last night while watching the NFL Draft she was prancing around the kitchen as if nothing were bothering her. She's over 40 weeks pregnant, might I add. As she was coming and going, we began discussing her ailments, and we then proceeded to talk about common areas of soreness in pregnant women.

Being the meathead I am, I asked about back pain, knowing it would lead to an exercise-related follow-up question. She said she felt none; throughout her entire pregnancy, she has had zero back issues. She proceeded to explain that it's more common than not to have these pains. My meathead-y brain then instructed me to ask, "do you think that has to do with your working out? Namely, do you think deadlifts helped?" Her reply: "Definitely!"

I had to explore some more. Here are a few things I found atamericanpregnancy.org:
*50-70% of women experience back pain
*Back pain is a result of 5 primary things:
-Increase of hormones
-Center of gravity (COG)
-Additional weight
-Posture or position
-Stress

I think she's right! The deadlifts very well could have aided to the zero-back-pain issues. Here's my hypotheses: Three of the five items listed above can be directly combated by deadlifting. Someone with a good deadlift has the strength and musculature to withstand changes in COG; someone with a good deadlift can support extra weight on the body (a/k/a the basketball protruding from the belly); and someone with a good deadlift typically has good, or better-than-normal, posture, especially compared to someone who lacks sufficient training. The deadlift creates a pillar in your posterior chain to withstand stress!

Now, this isn't scientific data, and I'm surely not a doctor telling anyone what to do. (Disclaimer: Any trainer prescribing medical or medical-like guidance is a fool. Run from these people! And always, always, ALWAYS consult with a doctor before entering into any kind of fitness routine when pregnant. Most professionals will say continue to do what you were doing; however, there are always exceptions to the rule, and each person is different.) But I am bringing in a strength-guru's perspective. The deadlift is a powerful tool! One last thing: one can't just start doing deadlifting right before or during pregnancy; like any exercise, it takes time and perseverance to build strength.

Stay strong, moms and moms-to-be!