With this pregnancy, my primary complaints have been back pain and some raging migraines. I’m banned off all the good drugs for the headaches, so I spend those days wallowing on the sofa. But my back has been killer this entire pregnancy. Like from day numero uno. KILLER. I’m sure part of that is that I have a two-year old to tote around this pregnancy, as well. It only took me twice of being so stiff and sore at night and hardly being able to move the next morning before this little baby came to light. Meet my new best friend:
Here’s the How:
1) I apologize for the lack of photos of the process, but it’s fairly self-explanatory. You will need:
-Approximately 1/4 yard of flannel
-coordinating thread
-6 cups of rice
-essential oils (optional)
2) You can make your rice bag however large you’d like. I wanted one that I could use all over my entire back all at one time, so long and skinny is what I decided to do. I folded my flannel with the right sides together and sewed together the three open sides, leaving about a three inch gap to turn and fill my bag.
3) I turned the bag right side out. This is where you fill the bag (typically) but, I had a problem. The rice in all my little bags always fell to the bottom of the bag. Thanks for that, gravity. So, I sewed a square swirl pattern onto the bag. This made tubes and ensured the rice would stay put. Here’s the downside to that: the heat pack doesn’t stay warm as long as it would if I could move the rice around in it easier. However, it still serves it’s purpose and actually helps keep the temperature low enough that I don’t overheat (being too hot makes me nauseous and it doesn’t take much when you’ve got your own little heater on board. It also works well for Little Monkey if he’s achy and sore without being too hot). If you opt to put tubes in your bag, I would suggest only sewing together two of the sides and leaving one side open. Then sew tubes down the bag and fill them through the open end. This will make step 5 WAAY easier than what I did!
4) Fill a bowl with your rice and add some essential oil to scent your rice. I used lavender and eucalyptus mint, relaxing and invigorating. This step is optional; but, it can have a slightly funky smell if you don’t scent it. Mix the rice well.
5) Fill the bag with the rice. Because I did the spiral design, filling the bag took a million years. Ok, it probably took a few hours. I had to put in just a little at a time and push it all the way to the end. Then I used straight pins to hold it in place while I put in a little bit more and repeated the process… for hours. This is why I suggested sewing tubes instead of a swirly spiral pattern.
6) After you fill the bag, sew up your fill hole. I just hand stitched it, but you could use a machine. Your bag is now ready to use. Pop it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, depending on size, and sit back and enjoy the warmth. 
This has worked wonders for my back and I know it has not seen the last of it’s useful days! Here’s to sore-no-more muscles!
