Experience of PGP/SPD NOT getting worse in a subsequent pregnancy?

[Enwi]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some anecdotes please from those of you have suffered with spd/ pelvic girdle pain and then gone on to manage it well in a future pregnancy?

I had my second little girl in May last year and had awful SPD. I couldn’t walk towards the end of the pregnancy, and it took a long time to get better once she was born. Even now I still can’t sleep in some positions or I pay for it the next day. Due to the pandemic, a crappy midwife and unhelpful GP, I didn’t receive any support at all. No physio, no pain meds stronger than paracetamol and no support belt etc.

I’ve recently found out I’m pregnant again and I’m incredibly hopeful that this time it will be well managed if I get support quickly. The pelvic partnership has reassured me that it doesn’t have to get worse with subsequent pregnancies. Has this been the case for anyone that it doesn’t?

Thanks in advance x

Me me!!

I was on crutches from 25 weeks first pregnancy and housebound from 31. I had physio. All they did was give me the damn crutches. So you likely didn't miss out on much.

I already knew all the hints and tips from pelvic partnership.

What I HAD missed from the pelvic partnership website was their info about treatment and list of recommended practitioners. I saw an (pregnancy trained) osteopath for hands on manipulation about 6 months post partum as my right leg was still 'giving out' at least once a day.

This pregnancy, I'm 36 weeks without a crutch in sight. I still get pain, sure. I find walking any sort of distance painful (more than a couple hundred metres). It hurts to turn over in bed or shift position - but I can still do it and the pain isn't unbearable like last time. I limit my activity and try to be sensible. But I still have an active toddler to try and keep up with. Oh and I haven't needed any opiates to help with the pain. I don't have to plan every single movement in advance. Not like last time.

I see my osteopath about every 2-3 weeks and have done since 11 weeks. It is money well-spent. I budgeted for it and it's well worth the sacrifices I make to get the regular treatment I require,

You don't need physio and exercises, you need manual manipulation from an osteopath or chiropractor trained for pregnancy. A list of recommended practitioners is on the pelvic partnership website. But my osteo isn't on that website and she is literally a genius.

Mine wasn’t as bad. I had great advice 1st time and used that.

I had it 1st with my 2nd, started at the back end of pregnancy and he was a very big baby. Had it with 3rd but earlier then our twins even earlier. It was horrendous with the twins as they were so heavy. I suffered for 2 years after their birth with hip instability and a bad back due to a weakened core an diastasis recti. I was also diagnosed with osteoarthritis so I decided that I was going to repair myself. I started weightlifting, had many injuries from pushing myself too hard in the 1st year but after learning how to listen to my body and getting form correct I started to rebuild my strength and reduce my pain.
Currently 16+1wk and still lifting heavy weight twice a week, the spd has shown early symptoms but atm it has just forced me to reduce the weight on my squats a bit sooner than I'd like, still managing 50kg though, that will slowly reduce as baby gets bigger. I don't want to end up in constant pain like I was before so will keep up training for as long as possible. I took a week off not long ago and my hips felt terrible, day after the gym they felt much better, I think my muscles get lazy with too much rest.

I had it horrendously with my first but not at all with my second. No idea why, my guess is that I had fractured my pelvis as a youngster and whatever happened in giving birth to my first and how everything settled afterwards had something to do with not having it the second time around... probably a crap theory if you are from a medical background 🤣

@physicskate

Me me!!

I was on crutches from 25 weeks first pregnancy and housebound from 31. I had physio. All they did was give me the damn crutches. So you likely didn't miss out on much.

I already knew all the hints and tips from pelvic partnership.

What I HAD missed from the pelvic partnership website was their info about treatment and list of recommended practitioners. I saw an (pregnancy trained) osteopath for hands on manipulation about 6 months post partum as my right leg was still 'giving out' at least once a day.

This pregnancy, I'm 36 weeks without a crutch in sight. I still get pain, sure. I find walking any sort of distance painful (more than a couple hundred metres). It hurts to turn over in bed or shift position - but I can still do it and the pain isn't unbearable like last time. I limit my activity and try to be sensible. But I still have an active toddler to try and keep up with. Oh and I haven't needed any opiates to help with the pain. I don't have to plan every single movement in advance. Not like last time.

I see my osteopath about every 2-3 weeks and have done since 11 weeks. It is money well-spent. I budgeted for it and it's well worth the sacrifices I make to get the regular treatment I require,

You don't need physio and exercises, you need manual manipulation from an osteopath or chiropractor trained for pregnancy. A list of recommended practitioners is on the pelvic partnership website. But my osteo isn't on that website and she is literally a genius.

This is such a reassuring comment to read, thank you so much. Could you give me an idea of how much the osteopath was? I think this is going to be the route we need to go down, but money is incredibly tight and this wasn’t a planned pregnancy.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I’m feeling much calmer!

It's £47 a go for me. I am currently going every 2 weeks. At the start, it was every 3-4 weeks. I've had two days during this pregnancy when my felt I kinda needed the crutches (but don't have any, then saw my osteo and came skipping (not literally) out).

I am not London/ SE based, and would expect costs to be slightly higher there. May also depend on the skill and training they've had.

Just look out for someone pregnancy trained, osteo or chiropractor. Or try a couple from the pelvic partnership website.

Thank you, this is really helpful. Not quite as bad as I expected so fingers crossed!

I can only help with the cost question but my osteopath charged around £60 for an initial appointment and around £45 for a follow-up. I have also seen a specialist women’s physio privately for my PGP and she charges £50 a session. That’s in the SE.

I had SPD really quite badly with my first pregnancy. It started at around 22 weeks, and 2 weeks later at 24 weeks I was on crutches. It was agony. I had to sit on a bin bag in the car so that it was easier for me to swivel to get out.

I had a support belt provided by the physio team and had weekly physio sessions (nothing helped). The pain was pretty much instantly gone once I’d had my baby.

I’d been told it could be worse in subsequent pregnancies and was terrified when I got pregnant with my second, fearing the worst.

Amazingly I didn’t get even the slightest hint of SPD that time. Again in my third pregnancy, no SPD!

I’m now pregnant with number 4 and hoping it stays away again. That first time around was pretty debilitating.

I hope you manage to have a pain free pregnancy, or at the very least to have it managed better than your previous experience!

That’s just amazing isn’t it. I have no idea how that works scientifically! I was under the impression you’re either affected or you’re not! Fingers crossed then. I think the fact that the pain did not instantly go after birth for me, and that I’m still affected 9 months later (regardless of new pregnancy) suggests I might not be as fortunate.

I didn't have it with my first aged 21.
With my second aged 29, it came on in the late second trimester, and took an absolute age to be referred to physio. I think I saw a group physio around the 8m mark and it was utterly useless.
Third pregnancy aged 30, started earlier and was worse, I'm lucky I've never been on crutches but it wasn't easy with a baby (17m gap) I thankfully was referred to 1-1 physio this time and sooner. I got a belt and a massive tuby grip plus some exercises which helped. The physio said I was hypermobile.
Fourth pregnancy aged 39, no SPD. I had a pillow between my legs from the outset just in case but it was ok. I have no idea why, I worked in a school so I spent a lot of time crouching, squatting, kneeling and on my feet. I also did yoga from 14wks to term. I assumed (wrongly) that age had improved things.
This pregnancy at 41, the SPD isn't as bad as DC3, but has started around 22wks. I'm not on my feet all day this time though. Someone in my 3rd pregnancy said it can be worse with a small gap, and that's generally been true for me as 1, 2 and 4 were after 8/9year gaps and 3 and 5 were smaller.

So in summary, they've not got worse, it's varied.