Open thread on SPD-pelvic joint instability in pregnancy

[Natt]

hi livia

i have taken 2 paracetemol 4 times a day many times through this pregnancy - and my doctor said that is perfectly safe. I know its not a fantastic drug, but it does take the edge off.

also, I have had weekly accupuncture throughout this pregnancy and have managed so much better than my first, highly recommend it.

Natt xx (I'm, nearly 38 weeks btw)

[Rosie]

Hi all

I have created a new topic for general pregnancy chat, and oved the most recents posts into there. This topic has so much good info in it on SPD in pregnancy so we'll keep this topic to that subject and use the new one for general chat. I'm a little cos I posted off subject as well



Rosie

[Nene]

Hello

I had SPD when I was pregnant! It has almost disappeared apart from the very odd twinge when I push something heavy with my foot, or cross my legs funny. It had gone within a few minutes of his birth which was a relief.

I'm hoping to get pregnant again soon and this is the one aspect I'm dreading as when it was just me and the dog we'd disappear to bed for the afternoon and watch DVDs wrapped in duvets and pillows to get comfortable! I bought myself a belt as never got to see the physio but found that made everything else hurt and I could walk even less in it! And I couldn't drive in it etc. I was lucky in that I didn't have a problem parting my legs really, not outwards anyway, just the normal stairs and turning over in bed thing. And putting knickers on!

You can take ibuprofen in the first two trimesters and that does help I found.

Helen

[Natt]

I just wanted to say that nothing other than paracetemol should be taken in pregnancy without a doctors consent and advice. Yes, ibruprofen is most dangerous in the 3rd trimester but no drug testing has ever been done on pregnant women/fetus's so it is unknown whether any drug is safe at any time.

Personally i am allergic to it anyway

Nene, its amazing how much more mobile you can be when you are chasing after a toddler every day - I swear being more active this time has really helped!!

Good luck with conceiving! xxx

[Nene]

So glad to hear its not likely to be the same the next time round!

We're trying for another baby at the moment though my parents are pushing me to not have another because my joints are so poo at the mo. I'm hoping I can get through another pregnancy without falling to bits and then I'll wait while I put myself back together again!

[Eloise]

Hi all, just like to give you some good news.

My mate who had SPD during her pregnancy (not HMS - but she did do the splits at week 10 to show off she used to be a dancer!) has had a little boy last tuesday morning. He is fit and healthy at 7lbs 14oz.

She was 4 days over and had to be induced as her water had broken 2 days earlier. It was long and painful as he was back-to-back, but she managed a normal delivery with husband and both grandmothers holding her legs to keep her pelvis OK. She said that within hours the SPD pain was 90% better and it has nearly gone now (just tired as baby doesn't sleep very long in one go)

Nene - just like to say - you are the only one that knows your body - so its your decision. None of us know how our bodies are going to be in the future - so picking the right time will always be difficult. Also, as people have already said - every pregnancy is different - sometimes problems disappear, sometimes they don't, but if we worry about all the "what ifs" we would never do anything.

[sanguine_emma]

Hello ladies.

I was really very pleasantly surprised how quickly I started feeling better after I had stephen, but my recovery seems to have slowed down and is now going backwards! I've been consciencious about my exercises (as much as I can be with a small baby) but it refuses to get any better. It's not so bad that I can't move at all, for which I am very grateful, but it's still bugging me. Pelvis clunks audibly whenever I shift position, sometimes sending an eye watering fiery pain up the front of my symphysis pubis. I still get stuck if I lie on my back, and I freeze up mid-stride when I'm walking. I've just had a really bad week of it (not helped by the fact I sung in a concert on saturday), and now I'm back using a walking stick and thinking I might have to get the crutches or (God forbid) the wheelchair out if I have to walk any sort of distance. Is this some sort of hiccup on the road to recovery, or is this what I can expect from now on? Why has it come back? Is it because I;m still breastfeeding, or is it simply that stephen's getting really heavy now and the pelvis can't handle it? any ideas?

Thanks, Emma xx

[Itigo]

Hi Emma

I haven't been on for ages and am now nearly 20 weeks with no.2! My SPD is so much worse this time (since 11 weeks) - midwife just says pelvic floor exercises, GP agrees I'm very bendy but nothing more should be investigated so............

ANYWAY! In response to your post, I think it may have to do with the Relaxin. This is only my thought, but could it be that when it finally leaves your body, everything starts to stiffen up again? And any joints and ligaments that were affected -stretched and damaged during pregnancy - start to feel the pain? I don't know though......

I dislocated my kneecap at 16 and tore the cartilege. It was repaired at the time and really caused me no problems at all until about 8 weeks after I had my daughter - I was then 31. I had been to a post natal exercise class and my knee started to sublux badly etc. It got worse and worse over time. I have now had 2 operations to help realign it/clean the joint out and fingers crossed it's ok and will last this pregnancy.

Sorry if this waffle isn't helpful - but it does worry me that I'll get worse after this pregnancy in my pelvic/knee areas so I've been thinking about it.....

Edited to say that I have realised that the reverse could also be true, that all the ligaments etc are mega stretched and never recover as well as non HMSers? I am full of ideas me!!

Itigo and Beany C x

[elliewelly]

It is unlikely to be permanent. While there's very little you can do, my midwife said it usually takes about 8 months to recover - and by 8 months I was 90% better (never been quite the same as before though). Whenever I could, I pushed Kate across the room in her Moses basket instead of carrying her, NEVER carried her in the car seat if I could help it (left it in the car) and was unable to ever use the £30 sling I bought because my recovery didn't keep pace with her weight gain (13lb at 8 weeks). I stopped lifting her completely at 18 months and she gave up the buggy at 22 months - she now walks everywhere so we keep trips to town short! I bought a cot top changer too, which was the perfect height for me. There are more practical suggestions in the problems/ solutions thread in this forum - our HMS friends are a resourceful lot! It sounds like you probably need to limit standing for long periods and heavy lifting (says she) - I know those things are impossible to avoid completely, but do read everyone else's tips - I found them really useful. It sounds like the general trend has been upward for you until now and I'm sure things will continue to improve soon.

[sanguine_emma]

Thanks ellie and itigo.

I've definitely been pushing things a little bit as far as my pelvis is concerned. I was so anxious to regain some sort of mobility that I probably did too much too soon. It was ok to begin with but now it looks like my pelvis is saying a big fat "NO!" to any more! I try to be sensible about lifting things, but as you guys know, there isn't always a lot of choice in that department. I've got a cot top changer and I've taken to putting the boy's baby gym on our bed so that I can play with him there and I don't have to get on the floor. This morning I've been down to church, I took my stick but it's really a bit useless with my wrist flipping out of joint the whole time. So it's back to the crutches for me for the time being, unless I've got the pushchair.

Ug. I've got that revolting feeling that's like toothache but inside your pelvis. I have to say I'm feeling a bit fed up. I know I'm just being really impatient, but I've got a life I want to get on with here!

[zara_roberts]

Hi ladies,
I am after some advise. I am 24 weeks pregnant and have HMS (EDS HS) and SPD and am in so much pain it is really getting me down. I am having additional scans every 4 weeks to check the length of my cervix (currently 2.9cm so a little short) and that baby is growing correctly, but the pain I am in walking (I am on two crutches) and trying to sleep at night is so bad I really dont know what to do.
Any advise from mum-2-be in the same position would be great.
Zara 24+2

[Blaadyblah]

Owch! If you read back through this topic you'll find plenty of us have had the same issues - my daughter is almost twelve and it's all still clear as crystal. For sleeping at night you want lots and lots and lots of pillows. One between your knees will help ease the pressure onn your pelvis if you sleep on your side, one rolled under the small of your back will help if you lie on your back. I made myself a pillow den in my bed, though I'm sorry to report I rarely got more than 45 minutes sleep at a time until she was born. Ask your pharmacist about tens machines though - some can be safely used in pregnancy and they can help hugely with pain relief.

Your physiotherapist may be able to provide you with a pelvic belt (effectively a huge elastic band) that will help with mobility as it supports your hips and pelvis (ask your GP to refer you if they haven't already). I was hospitalised several times between the SPD and the POTS/SVT, you need plenty of rest.

[FIN1]

Hi

I may be posting on wrong area so I apologise. I'm trying to find out if anyone else had severe spd in pregnancy first time and then went onto having another child and getting a c-section. I'm considering getting pregnant but think another labour will destroy my pelvis however I'm not sure if having a section would be worse for me.Would a section make it impossible for your ligaments to heal again around your pelvis?

My dr commented it may be as you're cutting through your ligaments as opposed to them being stretched. I know that next time the spd would be terrible as it was awful first time round and I'm still suffering 2 years later.ANother pregnancy may be a wrong idea, we just don't know as noone can give us any advice. We just want to make an informed decision.

Please help!!

[christianne]

Hi Fin1
I can give one history on this as my eldest d is 37 weeks pregnant with her second baby. She had terrible spd the 1st time round and was unable to walk for the last 10 weeks of the pregnancy and had to use a wheelchair, but this time, she has it much milder and has reached this late stage still able to walk(not far of course, but still it's even without crutches), it is painful but bearable. She also wondered if running round after number 1 child has made her stronger, or whether ti is coincidence that it isn't as bad. I suspect that it depends, and each person and each pregnancy is different, and there is no way to tell how it will be. The good thing is, like others have said, the SPD vanished after the baby was born, within hours.
She had a c section 1st time and is having another this time. She healed well after the section despite having fragile skin, so we aren't too worried this time. I think the c section versus natural birth question could rage on and on, really there is no fixed answer, but it was the right decision for her, and was for on my 4th child, compared with my 3 natural births it was much easier and I healed much better than the tearing and the bladder damage(to my bladder) caused by the births. I am a bleeder and the section meant that they got at the site of my bleeding much quicker and stopped it so i had far less of a haemorrhage than on the first 3. However for others a natural birth might be the best option, we are all so different....
good luck, Christianne.

[Laura]

My husband and I are thinking about trying for a baby next year, so in preparation for that I'm doing as much research as possible. Given that my pelvis isn't great at the best of times, SPD is something that really worries me. So I wonder whether anyone knows of anything I could in advance to try to prolong or even avoid the onset of bad SPD? Or is it just the case of trying to be as fit as possible and hope that I'm lucky?

Laura