17 weeks and really sore hips...any recommendations greatly appreciated!

[Gemma0711]

So I'm only 17 weeks, but my hips are sooo sore, mostly when I sleep. I'm waking up 5 or so times a night because it hurts. I dont know what's causing it or if I should be concerned, but I didn't want to bother a midwife with it.
I've been sleeping with a pillow between my knees, and that's making no difference! Can anyone recommend anything else I can do?
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!! Thank you ❤❤❤

I'm exactly the same! Hopefully there will be some recommendations :) x

@wineaholic27 I hope so! I'm in agony this morning 😕 I'm sorry you're suffering too!

Bother your midwife with it! See what they suggest.

All antenatal care should be as normal. 17 weeks is quite early to be experiencing hip pain. As the baby gets a lot bigger this becomes common, due to the relaxing of the hips and joints to become ready to labour.

My midwife said that all your antenatal care should be fairly normal. You may struggle to get to see a physiotherapist but if you don't ask you won't have a chance of getting it.

Is it feeling like its in your hip joints? If so it could be pressure or tightness in the piriformis which is what I have.

If you can't get in to see someone, you can check online some physios suggest certain stretches, and roll outs etc to try. I use a hard tennis ball and roll that into the sore spots of the muscle and hold it for 30 seconds a few times a day. Bloody hurts but after its nice and loose.

This is a good one I do... also the guy is quite easy on the eyes 👀 😂

@selfisolatingsince2007 thanks. I plucked up the courage to phone the midwife. She thinks its SPD but the physios arent working, so shes gone off to find out what she can do to help, if anything. She helpfully added that women with SPD can end up on crutches at the end of pregnancy which is just what you want to hear with no access to physio 😭😭😭

Thanks so much for your advice, it made me actually call the midwife!!

@Gemma0711 great to hear, I really hope there is something to fix it. I expect physios are working, they're just deploying them elsewhere or limiting contact to urgent cases.

I'm not sure if physio would even help as I don't know much about it, but don't afraid to be pushy if you're in real pain. One thing I have learned after years of being "nice" is that it generally doesn't correlate with being offered the treatment you need.

Covid or not, advocate for your health and wellbeing.

Sounds like SPD, as it’s quite early for continuous pain. In the mean time whilst you’re waiting on referrals, definitely get yourself a massive pregnancy pillow to take the pressure of your hips or a rolled up duvet under you if not. I have the £18 asda pregnancy pillow which is amazing. My hips were agony at 20 weeks (20 week scan showed baby nestled in my pelvis so explains a lot!) and the pillow helps relieve some of the pressure.

I had this in my twins pregnancy. Gentle bouncing on a ball seemed to help. Also seeing an osteopath which obviously isn't an option now. It was so bad, I couldn't rest or walk and I had an 18 month old to look after 😫 It went away immediately after birth.

Hello! I had this a few weeks ago very badly (I am 20 weeks, so around 16 weeks I had it bad). I found doing prenatal yoga every couple of days or so REALLY HELPED. Try that. Stretching and stregthening, but gentle. Another thing that has helped is a pregnancy pillow! Definitely worth the money and you can get cheap ones. I have the dream genii. I also have an exercise ball and bouncing on that helps too. Try a warm bath with epsom salts (they have magensium to help muscle pain).
I went for a jog two days ago, was such a bad idea, as now my hip pain is back, after it had been so good and non-existent for a couple weeks after all my yoga etc.

Don't do jolty exercises like jogging - walking, yoga, stretching, birth balling, pregnancy pillowing, warm bathing.... all good tricks!

Oh and BTW lots of prenatal yoga vids on youtube. Also Lucy Flow does a prenatal a course which you can pay for (is relatively cheap) and has really good vids too.

@Nfblues, thank you! I'm sorry you suffered too. It's not fun is it? I've ordered a pregnancy cushion so fingers crossed that will arrive next week 🤞 Can't bloody wait haha!

@IslayBrigid that is so helpful, thank you!! I will look up the yoga (I keep saying I'd like to do some yoga because I'm really anxious at the moment so now I have even more of an excuse!). I really appreciate your advice. Have ordered a pregnancy pillow too.
You were brave going for a jog Haha, but I totally get why you did. Its killing me not being able to exercise! I used to row 6k a day on my rowing machine and I havent done it since the day I fell pregnant! I was being sick from day 2 after conception and I'd just had a miscarriage when I fell pregnant again, so I've not felt up to it. Finally got the energy to do it and my hips have given in 😭😂
Thanks so much for your recommendations, I really really appreciate it! I'm in quite a lot of pain now....and actually my back is really feeling it. The midwife said because my hips are out my back will be straining at weird angles too 🙄 Which I hadn't considered. So might even try some yoga before bed!!! Cant wait for my pillow to arrive haha!

Sacroiliac Belts are great for this pain in pregnancy, Serola is a good brand but other brands available too

Also 17 weeks, having horrible hip pain, spoken to the physio over the phone, and she emailed me some resources. It might be worth checking in with your hospital. I was told to make sure that I've something between my knees and ankles also, I wasn't supporting my ankles and it was putting my joints at an odd angle. Also sitting on a yoga ball instead of a hard chair during the day, and using a serola belt, during sleep and walking, just in general really.

@Gemma0711 Aw, you are most welcome! I hope the yoga brings you some relief! Let me know which videos you try :) Hope the pillow helps too!

Sore hip pain is not nice so always good to try what we can. And yes re jogging, was a bad idea... didn't help that I went with my partner who was trying to 'encourage me' and like keep me going and I was like, 'I can't, I'm pregnant, leave me alone' - took a while to explain that when pregnant you get short of. breath and shouldn't push yourself like you normally would haha. I do go out for a walk most days too... I just avoid other people and go to the park or along the canal. I really couldn't stay cooped up all day. Despite covid! I do avoid the supermarket now, I get my partner to go.

I was very nauseous till 16 weeks so know how you feel... it is tough, and then it lifts and we start getting aches and pains! And being in lockdown does not help because keeping active actually helps these aches and pains I think. But luckily we have online yoga :) x