In need of a little SPD sympathy please

[IlanaK]

I am not looking for any answers as I know there aren't any - just a little sympathy from those who have experienced it as I know you are the only ones who really understand how bad it is!

I am 31 and a half weeks into third pregnancy. SPD started this time around 24 weeks and has got progressively worse. I have seen a physio, wear a good support belt, have a husband who understands and helps out on weekends and evenings, but am feeling a bit sorry for myself the last few days.

I have bad sciatica in addition to the SPD and what relieves one tends to aggravate the other so I am in pain a lot of the time. With two other kids to look after (both active boys), a house move in 3 weeks time, and living in central London with the need to walk everywhere, I am just finding things hard. The hardest thing is wanting to do things and just having to face not being able to.

One quick question if anyone knows - are any pain killers safe in pregnancy?

Thanks for listening.

paracetamol is fine. I found an ice pack (frozen value peas tbh) and visiting an osteopath trained for treating pregnant women invaluable.

I was able to take small amounts of paracetamol after taking advice from my consultant. This was around 25 wks.
I believe this is the only thing you can take (in pain killing terms) and in small doses.

I am seeing a consultant on Monday so will ask then. I am not sure it will help either, but dh keeps pushing me to take something.

Rest doesn't always do it for me either. I find I can't stay in any one postition for too long. Upright chairs (like dining room ones) are a nightmare. They start to hurt me within a couple of minutes. My duttalier nursing chair is the most comfortable, but after a while, my sciatica gets worse. Laying down in bed with a pillow between my knees is good, but only really happens at night.

I had terrible sciatica during pg, so you have my total and utter sympathy. i could't walk for a few weeks but had a shit hot (!) physio who sorted me out. Well, helped me walk again anyway, lol.

Seriously, it is debilitating and horrible and I really hope you feel a bit better soon.

Paracetamol is fine in pg - normal dose. Not ibuprofen though or asprin - they can cause bleeding. Your gp might be able to give you a codeine based one, but don't buy a codeine one otc. there are contraindications so you need to ask. there are various herbal things but be very wary of them during pg. HTH.

I had SPD last time, aggrivated by the fact that I have crappy hips anyway and ended up with two dislocations. My GP (or might even have meen my midwife) referred me to a physiotherapist who gave me a support belt like this and it made a world of difference. I still had some residual pain, but it was a million times better, I had no more dislocations and i never left the house without it.

Also, I found that sleeping with a pillow between my knees helped, and making sure I kept my knees together when getting out of bed, into the car, etc helped.

hugs it sucks though

My belt looks like that except it doesn't have the bit going around the top of the bump. I agree, it does make a big difference and I wear it in the house as well as out. Pillow between the knees helps me too,

It's rubbish. I feel like an arthritic snail. My physio has given me exercises to do and they really do help, I notice that if I slack off and don't do them, I have a bad nights sleep. I need to see her every 2 weeks though to realign my pelvis and then it's not so bad for a while. I empathise. It's not forever though so let's grin and bear it.