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[pumpkinpureeandghostlypearls]

I am suffering SPD (for the second time) and just need to vent without driving everyone else on my pregnancy thread mental. Not that they aren't supportive but I still have 20 weeks to go and I don't want to ruin their pregnancies by talking about mine!

Please come and join me so I don't feel so alone, and feel free to share tips if you have any....

I had DS when I was living in Spain. The spanish public health system is a little different from the UK one I think, especially in the fact that you don't get home visits with the midwife. You have to go to the local 'ambulatorio' . I suffered a lot of severe pain in the hips/pelvic region towards the end of my pregnancy, and when I complained to the obstetrician he just brushed it off and told me to walk more. I laughed in his face at the time because I had hobbled into his surgery like an 80 year old.

I was a day overdue, and in agony by the time I had a show. My DH left me at the hospital and disappeared for 12 hours. I had an epidural, and was given and injection of voltaren afterwards. As we were leaving the hospital I started feeling uncomfortable in the lower back. By the time we had been home for 2 hours the pain was unbearable. Even lying in bed was painful, and when I tried to stand up a hot shooting pain in the hip region and down my leg. Eventually I was admitted to hospital due to a high fever (a bit of a mystery I think, the Docs never told me what infection I had, only that my white blood count was high, so I had an infection but they couldn't find the cause). I complained about the pain again and again. I think the nurses were fed up with me because I kept on ringing every few hours for voltaren injections. The tablets didn't work. Eventually they told me I had sciatica, which i may well have had. However, since then occasionally I notice a slight twinge in my pelvic region when I turn in bed, or walk up stairs.

Basically, I don't think my symptoms were taken seriously or diagnosed well. I asked my 'medico de cabecera' (GP) if I would be likely to have the same problem again, and he just said 'por qué quieres tener otro hijo?' (why do you want to have another child?) as if I was crazy and told me that yes, in all likelihood I would have the same problem again.

My DS is now nearly 7. I think that one day I would like to have another child, and I have been getting really broody especially this last year.

What I want to know is, does it get worse the second time round?

i know its not gaurenteed that if youve had it before you get it again, but i think the other ppl who have had it in more than one pregnancy say its worse, or at least starts earlier.

i know im not plannig on having another child after the suffering of this, but im lucky in that this is DD3, so 3 is plenty enough for me!

2am...stupid pain induced insomnia....!!

Poor you KTW, hope you managed to get some sleep eventually.How many weeks are you now, I've lost track?

Salizchap, do you still live in Spain? if you are back in the uk then you can ask to be referred to postnatal physio. I had spd with dc1 (2 months off work couldn't walk anywhere) and not so bad with dc2 (had it but I could still walk around town and do shopping) now with dc3 I'm back on the sofa, only able to walk around the house and out to the car and can't walk round big supermarkets. According to my physio pilates is the best exercise postnatally as it improves core stability.I've never done it as it seems really dull!I might do it once I've had dc3 though.

im 35 1/2, 8 months today, didnt get any sleep in the end. i think i might have gotten a total of about 4-5hrs over the last week in total, most of its in and out, waking up everytime my body tries to move!!

im close to getting DH to take me up the maternity unit today, but trying to make it thru till after tuesday when DH has his appt

So you're 3 weeks ahead of me KTW. Are you going up to the maternity unit to talk to the consultant?

still managing to struggle through just about, DH took the kids to soft play so i could get some rest, didnt work, but was worth the shot. my mums banging on about DH helping me up the stairs so i can have a shower, but i dont think theres enough painkillers in the house, im already at max dose and the prospect of being helped to slide myself up the stairs fills me with painful dread!!

trying to wait till wednesday as DHs appt with the respiratory team is tuesday afternoon and DH is off work on wednesday, ok hes at band practice but hes around in town if i need him. although i do have the midwife coming over tuesday lunchtime, but its not like they can prescribe painkillers.

truly, if it wasnt for having the kids around i would have been up the maternity unit begging for better painkillers about 2am, but im already feeling so guilty about everything my mums doing i dont want to impress the kids on her anymore, not if i can wait till wednesday. might change my mind in the middle of the night, but hey!

this weeks appts: tuesday midwife and DHs appt, and thursday is the obstetrician up the hospital

Hi ladies

Just a flying visit - scotsbaby made her way into the world on Friday weighing in at 8lb4oz, just come home with her today. SPD is still there, but only a tiny amount - even with the c section, i'm in far less pain now than I was before I had her.

The Elective was ok - a little scary as I'm needle phobic, but very calmly handled. Having done it, I think we made the right choice for us.

congrats scotsgirl im glad everything went ok with the csection and that your SPD has let up

ok girls its monday morning, a new week ahead of us.
what are everyones plans for appts and just generally getting through the week?

ive got the midwife tomorrow (tuesday) lunch time and the consultant on thursday. hoping to make it through but have a feeling i will at some point need to go and ask for stronger painkillers as the codeine just isnt cutting it

Well done scotsgirl that's great news and I hope scotsbaby lets you get some sleep.You must tell us as soon as your spd goes away!

I've got no (more) appt this week. This morning I had to go to have my ear de-waxed(yuk) and then I went to sainsburys and bought 9 sleepsuits and 14 vests. So other than taking the dc to and from school and nursery by car I'm able to get a bit more rest this week. next week i've got the mw for my birth plan and then she's visiting me a fortnight after that as I think they need to check your house out for a homebirth.I don't know what to write in my birth plan, i think very little and then if I have to go in to be induced I'll put a lot more in.By the way the pelvic partnership has some good examples of birth plans.

So who's still on the sofa, there's

ktwiltshire
LooL00
butterpie
whimsicalname
anyone else?

What about mrsS and mrsM? are you going to sit and rest for a bit?There's plenty of space now that sweetkitty and scotsgirl are recovering.

any news butterscotch?

hello everyone
Well done Scotsgirl. how lovely to have had a baby...

KT, I hope you manage to get some sleep. I'm practically narcoleptic at the moment - if I sit down I fall asleep. But then again, I got up at midnight last night and spent 2 hours cleaning the house. Really thought it might be a sign of imminent labour, but no. God only knows what the neighbours must have thought. Not that i was hoovering or anything, but one neighbour has their bedroom next to our kitchen.

In terms of the week ahead, i have one big priority: getting through tuesday! my husband has a job interview in brussels, so flying there and back from bristol. he can do it in a day, but even so, the last boy came quickly, if a week late, so i'm keeping my legs firmly crossed. Until he gets back, then I'm instigating Operation Bring On Labour. This will involve curry, pineapple, more foul raspberry leaf tea, and if he's very quick (likely) possibly even sex.

Other than that, mw and hydro on thurs. and two cakes to eat. yum.

hope you all have a good one
x

whimsicalname - dont forget the cakes, very important!!! i hope tomorrow goes well and that the baby doesnt come till your DH gets back!

your lucky with the hydro, id love to have that but the nearest hydrotherapy pool is too far for me!

sleep is a distant memory! i can only sleep for a max of an hr or two at a time, i wake up everytime i move - which in a sofa bed is too often!

ok so midwife and DHs appt tomorrow to get through, obstetrician on thursday, hoping i can make it to thursday to ask for better pain relief, see how the nights go i reckon!

I'm still here looLOO, just resting quietly in corner...

I have got my appointment with the physio through for next week but I stupidly made it for 1pm when thinking about it now I should probably have made it for the end of the day when my symptoms are a lot worse... I'm worried they'll think I'm making it up/not be able to assess the problem properly. What do you ladies think? Should I rearrange it, or will it not make any difference??

xx

PS dont be offended if it takes me ages to reply. Got loads and loads of revision that I should be doing so I am trying to ration my MN hours!?!?!

good luck for tomorrow kt fingers and toes (and legs if it didnt hurt so much) crossed for you and DH xx

mrsS - i dont think it makes much difference, the physio should give you ample oppertunity to explain what you find difficult, and your limitations, most ppls SPD gets worse the more they do/later in the day.

i'm here too. sorry i missed the roll call!

been to see GP this morning. he asked me what I wanted him to do! He's an old school friend and knows me very well and knew that I'd already have a plan for him to follow So, urgent referral to physio coming up

kt thinking of you and your DH today

hi to everyone else

fantastic mrsM! its great that you have a GP is obviously going to be willig to help you out at every step, makes the next few months seem doable now you know you have the support you need, and if nothing else, you can have your GP make phone calls when things arent going how you want them to

DH is off to the GPs later this morning to get a sick note for work, then waiting around for the midwife. hoping for a nice big fundal height measurment, as i will feel really reassured about having her earlier if i know shes bigger. then the appt this afternoon for DH. i know we wont know anything today, but we should have a plan at least.
i really want to have the baby sooner rather than later so that im not passing this stress on to her, at least so directly!

kt, i have got him well-trained
it was a little embarrassing when he first joined the surgery though... I hadn't realised who the new doctor was and I'd booked an appt for post-birth baby things! Oh we can laugh about it now. Although him giving me an update about how our mutual friends were whilst he had his finger up my bum wasn't one of the most glamourous moments of my life!

ooh, hadn't realised you had mw today as well. it really is a day of appts. You do know though that even if mw measures fundal height to be small, that that doesn't necessarily mean that baby's small. The measurements are really quite unreliable from my experience. There was a thread on here quite recently with similar experiences

Hi everyone,

hope the appt this afternoon is reassuring ktw and hope you organise some better pain relief soon. My latest strategy on moving in bed is that I don't. I just wedge myself in with pillows and a bump wedge and resist all temptation to turn over.

don't worry about seeming really bad at your physio appt mrsS, the physio will be pleased to have someone referred early enough to be able to work on. Beware that you will have to stand about in your knickers so wear your biggest!

good news that your being referred mrsM hope your appt comes through quick.

keep you legs crossed whimsi relax and do NOTHING.

Anyone else want to join us on the sofa? It's got plenty of space and is very comfy.

agree with mrsM, my friend just had a 10lb12oz baby when she was expecting an 8 pounder according to the tape measure.

i know its not a reliable measure, but im not going to get another scan at this point, so its all ive got to go off, i was 1 1/2 weeks ahead in fundal height last week, just want a little bit of reassurance is all.

lie very still and dont do anything whimsi!!!!

me again!!! just finished with my midwife, shes lovely, i LOVE her!! fundal height is on target at 36cm, so ive gorn 1/2cm in the last 2 weeks, but like i said, i know its not accurate, but im happy that ive grown at all, heart rate and everything is fine and dandy
spoke at length with her about my confusion with birth plan and worries etc about injury to me vs going up to morphine and risk to the baby if i do that etc, she said go with my gut, but talk it through with the consultant, but it would be a good idea to ask to try induction, but agree to a limit of how long to try for or a point at which i can stop and just go to csection after trying induction, which puts me at ease.

ok off to DHs appt in a little bit and then thursday is the big plan. hopefully i can make it through tomorrow without having to go and ask for morphine...i have a feeling wont make it, but i can give it a try. DHs been signed off work with his chest problems/chest for a couple of weeks, so i have DH around with me for the next 2 weeks right next to me so im much more reassured that if i need anything or taking up the maternity unit, hes right there!

hope everyone else is havving OK days and whimsi that you havent gone into labour yet!!!

Thanks for all your concern! I'm still here, no sign of a baby, and husband airborne on way back from interview. Phew.

KT, I hope your husband's appt goes well. My husband spent the early part of my pregnancy in intensive care (for which I am only just forgiving him...) which was certainly stressful. I can't imagine having done the whole thing with spd too. Don't stress about the stress though. It's one thing too many to have to worry about. Women have had babies in stressful situations for ever, and I'm sure most of them are/were fine.

It's what I tell myself btwn cups of coffee anyway.

Glad the mw was so nice KTW.Don't worry about taking morphine, they won't give it to you if it's going to do any harm, so let them worry about it.
Hope your husband gets home soon whimsi and then you can have your pineapple curry with raspberry leaf tea.