SPD 32 weeks

[MamaMolly]

Hi everyone,

I am suffering so badly with SPD which started a few days ago but seems to be getting steadily worse. I keep taking paracetamol but I may as well be eating sweets - it doesn't touch it! I will call my midwife on Monday but when I was suffering with back pain a few weeks ago all she said was to keep taking paracetamol so I'm not holding out much hope!

I know that from reading a lot of posts on here many women are prescribed stronger painkillers but it just doesn't seem to be something my midwife would ever suggest and I just don't know how I am going to get through the next 8 weeks with this pain and run around after my 4 year old daughter! Just getting off the couch or turning over in bed is absolute agony!

Any advice or help any of you could give would be much appreciated!! Thanks in advance! X

Have a look at pelvic partnership website, lots of helpful tips on there.
I'd also recommend a snoozle for turning in bed!

My midwife referred me to a women's physio who gave me a support belt and crutches. The support belt was helpful and made quite a difference when I had to walk anywhere.

If you don't want to wait for a referral you can buy the belts online. The one I had was just a basic one attatched round my pelvis and hips, quite snugly.

Somebody I know said she was prescribed cocodomol (I think it was? I may be mistaken with the name) but you'll probably have to speak to your own GP about that rather than midwife.

Sleeping with a pillow between your legs at night is also supposed to be helpful.

Whatever you do, don't sit cross legged as you'll aggravate it even more.

Remain seated when putting on socks and trousers, balancing on one leg also aggravates it.

I hope you get some relief soon. It's the pits

If you want stronger painkillers speak to your GP not your midwife. Midwives can refer you to physio and provide general advice but can’t prescribe regular analgesia. Community midwife here.

Ask your midwife to refer you to a physio to start. Get a pillow between your legs at night so your legs stay equal distance apart. If you need stronger painkillers try and get an appointment with your gp and I'd really recommend a support band for your bump, the physio will give you a tubigrip but in my experience the support bands you can buy online work better.

Ah thank you so much everyone for your advice and tips. I have a maternity belt but I've never found it makes much of a difference but I'll persevere with it. I also have a big pregnancy pillow which is a god send and definitely agree about having the pillow between my knees at night. Will see what my midwife says and I'll consider speaking to my GP. However, this same GP was reluctant to even prescribe me any anti-sickness meds when I was suffering from severe morning sickness for the first 15 weeks - despite my midwife saying I needed them. So I won't hold out much hope 🙈 thanks again everyone.

I had SPD twice in both pregnancies and I was worried about taking pain killers. The crutches were a life saver. Avoid any activities where you push from your hips, like a pushchair or shopping trolley. Keep your knees together as much as possible.

Rest as much as possible. I was offered to be induced early due to the paint.

Good luck and take it easy

@41sunnydays can I ask how far along you were when they induced you? It's bloody horrid isn't it

They offered to induce me two weeks before my due date.

Yes it's absolutely horrible and the strange thing is as soon as I went into labour the pain disappeared

See if you can find a physio or a chiropractor that is trained in treating SPD. You probably won’t get much from your GP or midwife sadly, I think it’s common to get told it’s ‘normal’ to have aches and pains in pregnancy.

If you google the pelvic partnership (as recommended by the first poster to respond to you) they have a list of practitioners by region who are known to have a good understanding of SPD. Best of luck.

I am 29 weeks and struggling with the same. Phoned midwife who gave me the number to self refer to obstetric physio. She said I should go to the GP to get what she called "decent pain relief." Found a local osteopath via the Pelvic Partnership who I've seen once so far and has been really good. They also list physios too on their site. It's agonising but all the advice I've had so far is to try and keep mobile and so gentle exercise like pregnancy yoga and swimming (but apparently not breaststroke.) I'm finding the pain comes in waves. Some days it's more acute then others. The osteopath said for most women it goes after the baby comes. Fingers crossed!