I need your best coping with SPD/PGP tips please...

[AButterflyLightsBesideUs]

I'm almost 22 weeks and it's rapidly getting very painful, I am really stiff and jerky by the evenings - like it's all just seized up totally and am grabbing doors/furniture to get around. By afternoon everything hurts, - standing, sitting, stooping, bending, lifting. Turning from my back to my side in bed is bloody agony.

I'm seeing my consultant on Friday so will ask her for a physio referral, but whilst I am waiting for Friday and for that to actually then happen... what should I be doing to look after myself, and what should I be avoiding??

I had some pain in my past pregnancies but nothing like this and I didn't need to get advice/help.

Pilates three times a week (adapted for pregnancy) and chiropracror monthly really helped. Also get a cleaner in until end of pregnancy. No lifting, no breast stroke vut swimming generally is nice.

YY to chiropractor. Tried one at about 20 weeks.

The other advice is a bit sad. Just don't walk if you don't have to. Use lifts/escalators instead of stairs and cut out unnecessary journeys on foot. I was quite fat by the end of my second pregnancy from the laziness but I didn't suffer as much as I did in my first when I carried on walking to work in spite of it.

Prenatal yoga helped me tremendously in the second trimester, especially the downward dog position. My baby's head was trapping the sciatic nerve and it was excruciating. 5 minutes of mobility exercises 3 times a day made a huge difference.

Keep your knees together getting in and out of car. Sit on chair /bed to.put on socks and pants. Wear slippery silky/nylon pyjama bottoms to ease turning over in bed. Hold your tummy in when walking. Push for that physio referral. Try not to.push heavy supermarket trolleys.

Go up and down stairs one step at a time very carefully, keeping your pelvis as level as possible. Apply this to everything you do, even walking (waddle if you have to). Take small steps. Do not lift anything, don't empty dishwashers. Don't push anything heavy like a Hoover or full supermarket trolley. Don't pick anything up from the floor. Lay on your side with a pillow between your knees and ankles, just knees is not enough (level pelvis again)
Don't hold your breath about the physio, I was given normal Pilates exercises to do and I had done Pilates for years and they did not go into enough detail or check you were doing it correctly. As pp said you would be best starting Pilates so you would have someone to check your exercises weekly.
The nhs physio might fit you for a belt but they didn't have one that helped me. I was also too far gone as the appointment took so long to come through. Take actions now to stop it getting worse.

Also I didn't see a chiropractor or osteopath as I didn't want to spend the money if it didn't work. I would never make that choice again, get professional help.

My only positives are they say pgp means your pelvis has softened and widened too much which could make the pushing stage quicker - seemed true for me.
Also as soon as the baby was out the pain vanished as I was in less pain in the days after birth than the days before, which was blissful! I felt like I could climb a mountain, which is not the usual feeling post birth!

Overall look after yourself and find a professional!

Be as lazy as you possibly can, avoid walking at all costs.
Keep your knees together and don't twist your body. Don't stand on one leg. Carry a rucksack, not a shoulder bag, and travel light.
Get a support band to wear around your hips at night and when walking.
It's grim and it sounds like you've got it bad and early on. I feel for you.

Oh yes knees together! Most important one. Getting in and out of a car especially!

Pilates and chiropractor meant that at 39 weeks I could walk 4 miles a day in 3rd pregnancy whereas on crutches in second one. It was still always on the edge but kept in control.

Top tip though, if you borrow a mobility scooter (e.g at Tescos, B and Q, shopping centres), don't let a toddler sit on your lap when near a wall of paint .

And knees together when turning over in bed. Basically knees together at all times

Talk to your birth partner about what help you might need during the birth to support your legs

Similar to above... Don't do anything. Honestly, do as little as you can. Some days I felt like I'd achieved something if I made it down the stairs to sit and watch tv

Get a new mattress. A shit mattress is only going to cause more pain.

Don't be proud. Take help where you can. We went to ikea and I refused to sit in the wheelchair dp offered to push me round in and I was in tears by the end.

Hold on to the fact that it's going to end soon. Mine disappeared within three days of having DS. Also had a fast labour, which the MW said could have been aided by SPD.

I feel for you OP, it was one of the more miserable times of my life but absolutely, totally worth it. Thousands of bunches of for you

Argh I had a worrying feeling you were all going to say to rest up! Arse. We have builders doing stuff externally which means loads of filth and it is really hard to look at gritty/dusty/sandy floors and not do something about it! And there is some decorating which I really want to do.

I think training my 5 year old to tidy up her toys better would be an immense help, (or getting a good litter picker!) as the stooping/picking up and kneeling on the floor to tidy at the end of the day is a killer.

Sounds like investing in a monster pregnancy pillow would be wise too.

Off to google yoga/pilates/chiropracters round here. Actually I had a thought - I'm sure once in the past my community midwife (going back a few years now) talked about being able to self refer to the local physios so I will give the GP surgery a call tomorrow and find out about that, it might be quicker.

Thank you all so much. I had such a miserable night and have been thinking wistfully of ibuprofen whilst feeling frightened about having another 4 months to go and wondering how good/bad or otherwise it will all be by then.

I hate being dependent and needy, and it is only a couple of months since my godawful sickness stopped - poor DH was run ragged doing everything whilst I lay in a fog of drowsy antiemetics unable to do anything. Poor bugger, he's going to love this!

I thought walking was supposed to help, that's a bummer too.

I went to an osteopath who in one session had me crying if I had to move, almost needing crutches or a stick to being fine. It took a couple of days (I didn't walk out "healed"!) and she told me that if it wasn't ok in a week to call her. I had no need for over a month and then it started coming back so I saw here again just before the due date.

Definitely osteopath - I struggled through on crutches from about 20 weeks, but the pain didn't go away completely after DS was born. I went to the osteopath when DS was about 6 months old - he said the problem was that my pelvis had moved when everything was soft and was in the wrong place when it tightened back up! He said that wouldn't have happened if I'd gone to him when I was pregnant.

TIPS THAT WORK ON LOW BUDGET!
I've got severe PGP very early in pregnancy, around week 11. No one really believed me and no one understood the degree of pain. Except of my loving husband who witnessed my agony. The pain started gently and was getting a bit stronger day by day. The worst pain started after slouching on my comfy sofa with legs up. This started three weeks of the worst period of pain I've ever experienced in my life. Some women say labour pain is nothing in comparison with severe PGP, I'm soon about to find out, due next month. I still remember the worst moment when I was stranded in the bathroom unable to make even one step in flood of tears, standing on one leg for 10 minutes begging to be able to reach my bed 3 metres away. It was also so scary when it felt like my hip came out of my joint and I felt it wobbling while walking, making me very unstable. I was honestly disabled at that time, unable to stand or walk. As you can see my agony lasted 3 weeks - I was very lucky. And I strongly believe this is thanks to the adaptations that I've made:

• Buy satin pyjamas. This makes a world of difference when turning in bed. Remember to wear top as well, not only trousers and a t-shirt. You can also buy satin bedsheet or 'sliding sheet' used by physios (£10)

• I was very lucky that we have foam mattress in a little room. Hard orthopaedic mattress in my bedroom gave me so much pain. If you can afford it, buy memory foam mattress (our is anyway from second hand shop for peanuts)

-buy bolster pillow or use any other pillow between your legs. I bought double size but I found it way too long as I hate using it under my bump. I use mine between legs only which I wonderful. It helps so much with PGP as it stops you from turning when you're asleep Remember, the pillow has to be not only between your hips and legs but all way up between your ankles. I recommend single size

• surprisingly turning with bolster was very painful. During worst period I had to take it out from between my legs, turn and put it back on

• Get used to walking exactly like Geisha!!!! This makes a world of difference, tiny steps with legs as close together as possible. Walk very slowly.

-Climbing steps - always one step at a time with both feet being joined on each step: start with stronger leg when going up and with painful when going down (as far as I remember)

-My single visit to physio was absolutely useless, I knew more tricks and adaptations for PGP than she did

• Tight trousers (e.g. jeans) were clearly making my pelvis hurt more, start wearing maternity trousers as early as you can

-When getting into and out of the car sit on large plastic bag. Get in and out keeping both legs tight together.

-My old car is a bit higher while my husband's has low suspension. My husband's car caused agony! We started using only my car for any journey I had to make

• Start doing weekly shopping online, eliminate any walking that you can avoid

• I bought wonderful chair pillow off Amazon for drivers & coccyx pain, with a little whole at the back. I use it everywhere up to today: on the office chair, at home. Never ever sit on the sofa. Even now sitting on the sofa triggers my pain. Always sit on the chair. During the worst pain I was sitting at home on hard plastic garden chair and it was the only one that wasn't giving me pain. Now I use only office chair which height needs to allow you to have hips higher than your knees). That's what sofa can't do.

• I tried crutches. They never removed my pain but allowed me to make a few steps during those 'flood of tears' moments

• I bought birthing ball and it was sometimes the only thing I could sit on. Since the pain went away I haven't used it too much though. But highly recommended for PGP. Remember to choose correctly 65 or 65cm according to your height

• Regulate your car seat higher

• I adapted my room completely by putting a chair close so that I have something to push against when getting up and sitting down. Always get up and into bed with legs fully together, one move at a time (first sit, then lay at the back like a roll, then turn to the preferred side)

• Walk ' in squares' with tiny pause before you make a turn. Break every movement you have to make into single steps , that's the best tip I can give you. This forced me to be getting to work 30 minutes earlier than usually but it was worth it.

• Later in pregnancy I still had several spells of PGP pain, always because I made some wrong movement, e.g. once I sat on the floor - what a mistake. The same happeded during my antenatal classes - never sitting on the floor !!!! Too long standing triggered it too as well as moments of temptation to sit on the sofa next to my husband. Each time PGP came back I had to return for 2-3 days to my adaptations and the pain gradually went away. That's why I clearly now that these adaptations really work!!!!

-I love sitting with one leg under my bottom on the chair - this is a huge no no!!!! Legs always flat together

Hope this helps, I truly understand what you're going through. Best wishes