breast feeding and PGP / hip problems

[margherita76]

Has any one had this and it not properly go til you stopped BF?

I did have it really badly at the end of pregnancy (was on crutches and wheelchair) and compared to that I am much better but I still can't quite walk properly / get a bit of hip pain. Don't plan on stopping til at least 6 months and wondering if it's just plateaued or going to get better?

I had really bad spd and dc3 is now 15w and ebf. I saw the physio twice postnatally and she straightened me out and gave me pelvic stability exercises to do. i was skipping about about after my first straightening. I'm still really stiff and inflexible but I can walk well (3 miles a day, no problems) and just feel a bit wobbly round the hips. My phyio said to get re referred if I wasn't ok when dc3 is 9m. I think you need to get a physio to check you out before consider that bf is an issue.I'm supposed to be doing postnatl pilates but i haven't been yet.

I had it badly too (ditto crutches/wheelchair) but found it went away with the birth of DD1. I left the crutches in the car and they stayed there until they had to be returned at 12 weeks pp. I did however have a flare up of pain at ovulation and at the beginning of my period. I got my period back at about 9 weeks with DD1 as she was bottle fed for first 8 weeks mainly with formula before going on to EBF.

Before getting pg with DD2 I had chiropractic care (only for back/hip issues not for woo issues) and I had some pain from 6 weeks pg but not really much (I ran for a bus pushing DD in pram at 7 months caught it too!). How ever I didn't get my period back until 11.5 months pp so was pain free until then (DD2 was EBF until 23 weeks and is nursing still at 2.11).

I had almost no pain with DD3's pg and have only had a few tinges when doing something stupid (like pushing thing side ways with my foot) but I expect I will have that for the rest of my life as I have slightly hypermobile joints. DD3 was EBF until 26 weeks and nursing still at 1 y/o.

Do you still wear a support belt? Are you still following the 'rules' re movement? Definitely go back to the physio for more help and don't be put off by anyone saying you should put up with the pain.

well I never got a belt as it never got looked at, as such. I saw an osteo who said hyper extending joints and I went to the GP who said it was NOT SPD but PGP - ie non specific hip pain blah blah. I went to the pysio who gave me some exercises to do but the exercise doesnt seem to help as much as not doing things. like stairs etc

I am going to try core stability classes but what is so weird is that no one gives me any specific diagnosis - not even the physio. I am tempted to try a pregnancy specialist osteo.

So truthsweet, and Looloo - it didn't get worse in second / subsequent pregnancies? And also, if you don't mind me asking, did it affect your deliveries? I ended up on my back being monitored because of meconium in waters and then tried moving but completely froze and tensed up, which obv compounded things.

Margherita - DD2's pg was fine just a small amount of pain, her birth was a homebirth (4 mins with no tearing). DD3's pg was fine as well with very occasional pain. Labour was a bit difficult as it started 3 weeks before I went in to proper labour (it's called pro-dromal labour and it's horrid. 2-3 hours of contracts a day but no progress). When labour did properly get going I had to transfer in to give birth as DD3 had passed mec. Still only 17 mins to get her out.

Both labours were spent as much as possible upright or on birth ball. I gave birth over the back of a bed/futon on my knees.

DD1's birth was a classic epi-synt combo in stranded beetle with a side order of ventouse not great of SPD/PGP and I vowed when pg with DD2 never to labour on my back. As it was one of the HB MW's insisted on checking my cervix whilst I was contracting - that was the only painful contraction of the whole 26hr labour. The rest were better than some periods I'd had.

It may not get better on its own and it is not connected to breastfeeding.

Get an appointment to see the physiotherapists who can teach you pelvic floor exercises which help to improve things.