aching joints & tiredness - only 22 weeks!

[roundabout1]

I have had a busy week, don't work but are preparing for having central heating put in so loads of sorting out being done & probably more lifting than sensible. According to mw I may have spd, isn't that bad at the moment, mainly around my hips & sides rather than the front. Yesterday I was feeling really tired & achey but needed to walk a long way (I don't drive) probably 2 miles in total. Today feel absolutely shattered & my joints feel all achey & my legs feel really heavy. Seem to have lost the ability to walk normally overnight & noticed I was waddling when walking dd to school. Do you think I have just overdone it this week & just need to have a few lazy days. Can't believe I have so little energy, remember a this point when I was pregnant with my dd I had loads of energy & felt really well.

Hello, I'm 38 weeks at the moment and what you have described was exactly how my SPD started. If I can give you any advice, it's try not to do too much and rest rest rest. Waddling and losing the ability to walk properly is exactly as I would have described this when it started with me, and tbh my midwfie told me the pains/achiness/stiffness I was feeling in the pubic area were normal. I now know that this is incorrect, and due to that advice I still tried to go about my daily business as if nothing was wrong - big mistake.
See if your Dr can get you to a physio ASAP and they may be able to help you with some exercises and maybe an assessment of your pelvis. I ended up getting a support belt and crutches, BUT in all honesty the only thing that has helped me is doing nothing. I had to be signed off work since around 26weeks.
At first I thought it was better to do some walking as I felt so stiff and it did start to ease off after a few steps, however as time has gone on and in my case I feel that doing this has made me worse.

My physio said there was nothing that could be done until the birth and advised me to

1. keep knees together
2. do lots of pelvic floor ex
3. Suck tummy muscles in before getting up/moving
4. rest
5. Have pillow between legs and lay on side in bed

I ended up seeing a chiropractor who assessed me and advised that my pelvis was out of alignment and that the support belt was probably contributing to letting my pubic bones at the front overlap and this is where the discomfort was occuring. He has been adjusting me and this has been the best source of comfort to remove a lot of the pain but I believe it may not resolve until after birth, however many women do seem to have issues after aswell. So I guess it's a wait and see and in the meantime go easy on yourself.

I also found that I cannot lay on my side as this is when my bones start to click in and out. not the best. I am certainly not as bad as some women on here, but I am at the stage now where a wheelchair would be great to let me get to the shops. My OH has been doing many many things for me, and it's hard to accept - but if it has to be this way then that's the way it has to be.

Here are some links, I am sure others will come along and contribute more for you:

www.pelvicinstability.org.uk/

www.laurelalexander.co.uk/membersarticles/articlespd.php

www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/pubicpain.htm

And one long running helpful thread on here:
mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/844155-SPD-Sofa-support-and-advice-offered-at-no-extra-charge

Best of Luck xx

Thanks Indigo for all the info & links.At my last appointment I mentioned my hip pain to the mw, I'd dismissed it as I've had bursitis on the same hip although it was w hile ago & can't remember what it felt like. Mw said it could be spd, she said if it didn't improve she's refer to the physio, luckily I'm seeing her on tuesday. Have had an easier day today & feel much better for it, until I come to climb the stairs (live in a 3 story house & only one toilet!) when the stiffness & acheyness starts up again. I'm trying my best to keep my legs together now, think all my lifting I've been doing with legs wide & knees bent so probably not helped it all.

It does sound like you overdid it a little bit. Have a few lazy days if you can. with my SOD it just got worse the more I did - by 36 weeks I couldn't walk up to the local shop 5 mins away.

Has your MW given you advice on how to help the SPD (no pushing shopping trolleys/hoovering/cleaning the bath etc)?

Thanks for your reply Pure - no advice from the mw yet, am seeing her next week though. She did offer to refer me to the physio last time but as it is a long drive away & I don't drive & am already having loads of hospital appointments as I have antibodies in my blood I asked her to leave it til I was sure it wasn't my old hip problem playing up temporarily - stupid I know! I have been doing a lot of hoovering & bending but now will make sure I leave it to dp where possible!

my SPD started off quite early as aches when i moved around...and then constant aches and stiffness if i over did it, like moving around furniture and hoovering and it would take a few days rest just to feel semi normal again.

i try not to go up stairs too much and if i do slowly and 1 step and a time. I ordered a serola belt:
www.physiosupplies.com.au/acatalog/Serola_SIJ_Belt.html

and it seems to help, i wear it if ive to walk anywhere , i dont drive also, and on days around the house when ive overdone it and the aches wont go away.

I also stopped doing the weekly shop and im extra careful getting in and out of bed and DH'S car to keep knees together.

tbh it was the only positive good thing about having SPD - I'm OK with a trolley now, but DP still does the hoover and cleans the bath

Sit down when you're getting dressed too, and if you're lounging on the sofa, try and sit straight with your knees together as much as possible.

I find getting DP to kneel on the floor in front of the sofa is a great footstool substitue

also found that having a mattress topper helped (I used a piece of foam, but you could use a single duvet under the sheet. This really helped when it got really bad.

Thanks for the advice ladies, have been trying to keep my legs together as much as possible but find it really hard when sitting down. My legs just seem to naturally want to spread, I'm sure they weren't always like that! When together it hurts the insides of my thighs, when they are spread I can feel it pulling in my hip area.