SPD/pelvic girdle pain/massive baby? Help please

[dinosaur17]

Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advice but will chat with MW next week when I see her.
I’m 36 weeks with DC3, 10 years since last pregnancy (so may just be due to being older!) I’m trying to stay active although not as much as usually would be as WFH and DC homeschooling. Go for an hourish walk every few days then doing the usual housework/up and down with older DC in between.

We’re having to do our longer walk later in the day now as after getting home and the next day, I am in tatters.

If I sit down and rest for more than 10 mins I can’t walk and just end up in agony until bed time and struggling through the next day. Then it’s walk day again.

I have pain in both bum cheeks ?possibly sciatic type pain, my lower back, baby drops very low and belly is very hard and some pelvic pain. It almost feels like that whole area feels stuck and I can’t ease it.

I don’t want to stop exercising as I’m worried it’ll cause more problems, have tried shorter walks/slowing down but makes no difference to the pain after.

Just wondering if anyone has any advice or similar experiences as to what this might be? As I said I’ll discuss next week with the midwife.

Hi. The best advice would be to stop exercising really.
I know you don't want to but it will help ease the pain.
Unfortunately there isn't much that can be done.
I've been struggling for weeks and it gets worse as the week go on. The midwives only advice was to do as little as possible.
Sorry you're in pain ❤️

I feel for you OP. I'm 30 weeks with my first and having pelvic pain and sciatic pain. I am active, petite and don't have a big bump at all (just for back ground - probably irrelevant!)
Mine is worse in the morning or rolling over in bed. I have found that sleeping with a pillow between my legs helps for some reason. I'm working from home and find sitting on a birthing ball when working instead of sat on the sofa/normal chair helps.
I had a week off all types of exercise last week (not that I do loads - just walking and maybe a short jog!) and it made no difference to me. Hopefully your midwife will have some good advice!

Please stop walking and rest. I “powered through” and have ended up with permanent damage. It’s not worth it!

I had spd on my last 3 pregnancies and it's already rearing it's ugly head (I'm only 13+4). I rebuilt a lot of strength after my last in the gym so still managing to powerlift atm, squats are getting harder by the week though. Best thing I found was to limit range of motion, not stop exercising.
It was agony with my twins (they were 17lb combined at birth), I kept up all housework and looking after 3 older kids. Tbh sitting too long made everything stiff and more painful so it was good to get up and stretch often.
Try shortening your stride when walking.
Take steps 1 at a time, lead with side with least pain.
Don't climb in out car/bed with a single leg. Sit and swing both legs in/out together.

You've not got long to go so physio will be unlikely to get you on their list fast enough.

You can get a belt to support you. I ended up virtually wheel chair bound but my baby was normal sized 8lb 8, but gallons and gallons of waters! Don’t push yourself, I did and I still get pains 23 years later. Keep your knees together when you move, limit stairs and use a pregnancy pillow to sleep. Best of luck xxx

Unfortunately you will find your symptoms deteriorate as your pregnancy progresses. I was using crutches at the end of my recent pregnancy.

Please follow advice and cut down on exercise. Walk for 10 minutes instead of an hour, keep active at home to avoid stiffness. Ask for an urgent telephone appointment with physio, they can offer you lots of practical advice.

This may include using an exercise ball for specific exercises. Practical things that helped me :

1. Using a carrier bag on my car seat allowing me to swivel and not part my legs getting in and out.

1. Similarly I bought some big, cheap, sateen pajamas that allowed me to swivel when getting in and out of bed.

1. Stopping any activity that meant bracing my pelvis, pushing a shopping trolley was worst for this.

1. Again avoid heavy lifting, pushing etc. as this will usually involve force through your pelvis.

1. Massage was very helpful, DH was great with this, see if it helps.

1. Pregnancy pillow between legs at night.

Try and ask for a physio who specialises in antenatal treatment, mine was brilliant. I was seeing her weekly towards the end, her massage helped for a few days after the appointment. Unfortunately I could just about get in and out of a taxi in the end. Good luck and remember that things will improve immensely after you have your baby!

Thanks all, I wondered if I might just have to just accept that it might be a few weeks of not doing much from now on.

I’ve had a message from my midwife team, very lucky they have their own Facebook page, who have recommended self referral to the physio service, but due to covid isn’t face to face so mostly just videos.

I try to ease it using the ball, OH has a herniated disc and sciatica so we’ve been doing some of the exercises his osteopath has suggested (nothing drastic or outside my normal range of motion) but still it’s not really helping.

@User65412 I do wonder if my size is contributing. I’m small framed but my bump
Looks huge by comparison, OH is very tall and broad so think baby may be quite heavy

Another vote for stop doing as much exercise and get some rest. It’s frustrating but SPD can be really painful.

As you have other children you’ll still be moving around a lot anyway but being able to sit between movements is helpful.

If I walk for longer than 30 minutes I’m in agony for 2-3 days. I’ve got two young kids so I’m still chasing after them most of the day but if I have little rests then my back is so much better.

There's a current thread here that you may find helpful.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/4163641-hip-pain-pelvic-girdle-pain

I was on crutches from 21 weeks, you have to rest. It's boring as shit but the only way.