SPD....I need to walk 3 miles a day.

[caley1]

Hi. I am currently 15+6 weeks pregnant with dc3. I suffered from SPD last pregnancy and at the end couldn't walk very far and had to stay at home most of the last few weeks. It worked out ok as I didn't work and my son was just at preschool so it was ok if he missed some days.
This pregnancy SPD has hit already and it looks as if it's going to get really bad again. This time my circumstances are different though. I have 2 kids in school and I have a part time job. My husband works outwith the town we live in so he uses the car and I have always just walked. It's a mile to my work and back and half a mile to school and back. So I need to walk 3 miles every day Monday to Friday.
How on earth am I going to do this??!!
Thankfully my midwife has been amazing and referred me to physio which will start this Friday. Do you think there's a chance I can be helped enough that I can still walk to work and school?
I know this question is a bit like how long is a piece of string...just wondered if anyone had any experiences which could offer any hope.
We can't afford a second car or taxis, it's not on a bus route and I don't have anyone who could help me every day with all these journeys.
Wish I had wings!

Hello!

I'm also having this. Was put on crutches at 29weeks last pregnancy. This is my 4th pregnancy so it came back really early. I'm 22 weeks now and have flutters where I'm ok then I'm not. I've just done a week with NO pain but it's come back today really hard. I walk 4 miles a day to take DD1 to school and back and have a 2 year old at home all day. I don't drive. I also work nights and spend 8 hours on my feet which can be terribly painful.

I just grin and bear it to be honest, physio should give you a belt to ease pain (I'm still waiting to hear from my referral which was made 7 weeks ago!!)

Thank you everyone for your advice. I will talk to dh once I have had physio on Friday and will have to get a plan B sorted for when it gets too bad.

Cycling can cause a lot of extra damage to SPD. I couldn't have done it.

Wheelchair is a definite option if nothing else, but ideally you'll be able to sort a car. The more waking you do the worse it can get, so please be careful.

And what if you got half way there (walking or on a bike) and couldn't get any further?

Sorry you're going through this.

Cycling would be disastrous for me as well. I wouldn't be able to get one leg over the bike, let alone pedal (and then there's the issue of enormous bump affecting centre of gravity ).

Basically, anything that involves moving one leg independently of the other is bad news for me. If I could keep my knees bound together all the time I think I would be almost pain free!

I could never have cycled, either. Even if I could be hoisted on, it would have been absolute agony for me.

I would have loved a mobility scooter! Instead I had to rely on DP to ferry me about, as even driving was too painful for me. Just being a passenger was bad enough as the sitting down for too long made it so much worse.

I had an examination by a physio who said that my SPd seemed worse at the back of the pelvis rather than the front. I think this is why I was able to cycle.

Agree with pp though in that the ideal option is doing as little as possible!

OP I'm 26 weeks pg with dc2 and had mild spd up until last week, then after a 2 mile walk whilst pushing dd1 in the buggy it ramped up to a whole new level and I've barely been able to walk ever since.

Like you I walk everywhere as DH needs the car for work, he can't take public transport.

I hobbled into a local playgroup on Friday with dd and ended up chatting to one of the other mums and she gave me the number of a local Osteopath.

It cost £50 - which I could do without having to spend - but it was the best money I've ever spent. I limped in to her and (almost!) skipped out. The difference is amazing. She realigned my hips and the pain has almost completely disappeared. It might be well worth a try.

Good luck I hope you get sorted with something. It's awful isn't, I wouldn't wish the pain on my worst enemy!

WhatHo, I couldn't do it on a normal saddle but could manage a wide spring saddle that was also gel filled. Bear in mind my SPD was horrific by any standards, so this really helped me get a bit of fresh air and exercise without knackering things further.

A recumbent saddle might be an option as well, thinking about it.
But you are right about the dangers of getting stuck. You have to be prepared to phone a taxi if it all goes tits up.

Hi. Just wanted to give an update. My pelvis has given up in that 3 joints are out of whack altogether now. 1 at the front and 2 at the back. I still have exercises which I will continue with and have been given a velcrotastic belt which is way more supportive. I cannot walk any distance at all without help now so have been given crutches. Such a difference using them to take the weight and pressure off my pelvis as I walk.
Ok so what would usually be a 7 minute half mile journey took nearly half an hour, but I still did it and I wasn't in agony at the end. It may not be the end of the nightmare but at the moment it has given me my independence back. Even if I can only keep it up for a short period of time it still feels great in the meantime. Wish me luck tomorrow though. First mile long journey to school and work, no idea how early to leave...should probably get my coat on now...

I was chronic in agony laying down, walking anything and everything, I paid out to see an osteopath and was able to stop using my crutches, worth every £.

Not all of them are pregnant woman trained so you do need to ask about that before booking an appointment.