Any positive VB stories despite PGP? Sudden onset at 38 wks and very scared

[cutiepushie]

I’ve had a great pregnancy so far until I hit my 38 week mark on Friday. I had a sudden onset of pelvic girdle pain come at me out of nowhere and I can barely walk. I’m now scared of the thought of having a vaginal birth. I was genuinely looking forward to the experience but now with limited mobility I am not sure how I’ll cope 😢

Birth was nothing compared to PGP. Mine started around 15 weeks with all3 and I was on crutches and morphine. 2 home births with gas and air. One section thanks to an undiagnosed breech. I'd take the VB over a section anytime.
You've not got long left but ask to see a Women’s physio. I had acupuncture and was given exercises to help.
All the best!

Thanks for your reply. When you say birth was nothing compared to PGP, do you mean the experience is completely different or one was way more painful than the other (if so, which?)

PGP was far worse. I needed morphine to just walk. Birth was horrendously painful but nothing like months of PGP.

Sorry you are suffering. I had PGP from the first trimester onward in my pregnancies and like a PP needed crutches for a very long time (including afterward for my later pregnancies) and still have residual pain and weakness in one side which is linked to my menstrual cycle. It’s eight years since my last pregnancy and I still have to psych myself up to turn over in bed.

I loved giving birth, like you I looked forward to it and every time was an amazing high. The PGP pain during birth just kind of merged with everything else and of course it was painful but so long as I was symmetrical it was fine. I don’t know if it was related, but I have always been completely incapable or sitting down or laying down when in labour so I have no experience of doing it that way. I took paracetamol for the PGP as it was all they would give me but I didn’t use pain relief during birth because it just never really came up as a topic of conversation or there wasn’t time.

Hopefully as yours has come on so close to the end the birth will be the end point of the problem and feel even better for it! Good luck, you’ll be fine.

Sorry to hear you're suffering from PGP. As poster above said, try and see a women's health physio asap, they might be able to squeeze you in v soon if you explain you're 38 weeks. I was shocked at how well the prescribed exercises and massage helped ease my pain. All the best

I had PGP through two pregnancies, pretty much from positive test. Two VB births, one a water birth and barely even remember any PGP pain through either labours. It had no effect on me having lovely births; the second in particular in water was wonderful, the water was very helpful for pain.

Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences. This is all very reassuring and reading your experiences has lifted my mood. Since this is my first pregnancy, I just wasn’t sure how one would cope during labour given this level of pain but I am now taking comfort in the possibility that this pain could actually be worse than labour itself!

I’ve self-referred to my hospital’s obs physio in case I’m lucky enough to have them fit me in, so thanks for recommending that too.

I had PGP with my second from about 20 weeks, in absolute agony by the end. VB with him fine, I found standing was actually the best position and it disappeared completely when he was born

I had PGP with every pregnancy, but my third was the worst. In the last few weeks of pregnancy I needed two sticks to walk even a few steps.

But I managed to get in the birthing pool with a lot of help. I had a VBAC and climbed out with a little help, then walked across the room with no help! The relief when PGP eased so much, so quickly, was immense.

Hope you have the same relief.