How much activity is wise with SPD?

[AllCreatures]

Hello all :wave:

I suspect I may be experiencing the beginnings of SPD or PI. It started a couple of weeks ago with mild pain on the right side only of my pubic/pelvic area, and I am now finding it a bit difficult to lift my right leg and need to be very careful getting dressed, getting out of bed etc. Especially painful is turning over in bed at night.

My next ob appointment is another 9 days away but I plan to ask her about it then. I have 13 wks of pregnancy left, and seven weeks of work (still working full-time currently) and I'm getting really worried that the condition will worsen as time goes on. Work is ok but I am finding that driving there and back each day the hardest part and am having to use my arm to lift my leg between the brake and accelerator!

Anyway... my question is: how much physical activity should I be doing in the case that the pain is caused by SPD? Should I still be walking the dog for instance? I have just swept the floors and while the pain wasn't too bad - just a few twinges if I moved the wrong way - I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to be using the muscles in that area at all or not? Is it better to rest the muscles or to use them so as not to lose muscle tone in the area altogether?

Any advice greatly appreciated! TIA :)

[kirstyandmick]

I tried to do as little as possible as the morning i would be fine but by the afternoon i was in tears from the pain. I found going to physio and the chiro to help a little. In the end i stopped work at 30 weeks working in childcare was so not good for it due to sitting on the floor and little chairs all day

[troopingfairy]

same there.. was working in childcare until 2 weeks ago (stopped at 21 weeks due to SPD pain) - My GP asked me to stop work immediately for rest.

saw my midwife last week who diagnosed it as SPD and have since booked into the hospital for my first physio session for 2 weeks time.

my midwife said they will give me a belly belt which will help take the pressure off my pelvis and although physio wont cure it, it will help guide the pelvis back into a better position and ease some of the pain.

be careful though, as i get up and clean the kitchen and do the floors and although there is only minimal pain there at the time.. a few hrs later i am in agony - the pain does catch up with you, even if you do only feel slight twinges when using those muscles!

if you feel it the pain coming, no matter how mild, avoid the activity - it will save you much aggrivation and pain later in the day!

my midwife said she knows hundreds of women who end up in wheelchairs by 30 weeks it's too painful!

rest as much as you can and work on a birth plan with your midwife (if you can?) - to help avoid positions which will aggrivate and hurt your pelvis more in the long term.

[BlissedOut]

Get fitted for a belt and then do as little as possible.

I ended up causing permanent damage walking home and slipping over.

[AllCreatures]

Thanks everyone :)

That's no good blissedout :(, I hope it's not still causing too much pain. I did have a slip two nights ago getting into the shower of all things. I stepped one foot in and it slipped on the wet shower floor. My pubic/pelvic muscles immediately tightened to stop the leg slipping out any further and BAM! - pain city :eek: Since then it has been much worse and I'm so annoyed .

[BlissedOut]

Thanks everyone :)

That's no good blissedout :(, I hope it's not still causing too much pain. I did have a slip two nights ago getting into the shower of all things. I stepped one foot in and it slipped on the wet shower floor. My pubic/pelvic muscles immediately tightened to stop the leg slipping out any further and BAM! - pain city :eek: Since then it has been much worse and I'm so annoyed .

I do get pain there when exercising still.

It doesn't take much to hurt does it? :(

[Mum5]

I've hit 20 weeks this week and the SPD which has been tolerable up to now has gone into overdrive, the support belt is not helping anymore and a good nights sleep is becoming impossible with a pain that feels like someone has spent a good few hours kicking me between my legs!

I have found that a heat pack helps, as do warm baths with radox, doing some belly exercises that the physio has given me and also wearing a support stocking which holds the belly muscles together. It's like a long tube that you wear from your bra line to your bum. Everything just feels more supported when I'm wearing that, and it is a lot easier to wear under clothing than the big bulky belt.

As for exercise I am doing as little as possible, raising my legs is too painful, and walking is only good in short amounts and as long as I have the pram for support. Pushing anything heavier than the pram is not good.

Main things is keeping your hips level, your knees together when rolling or getting up, or out of vehicles and trying not to stretch that area at all. My physio has told me gentle workouts in the pool are fine, but nothing else. I'm really not looking forward to the next 18 weeks if things are feeling as bad as they are now :no:

I hope your OB sends you to a physio so they can help answer any specific questions you have and give you some tailor made exercises to do. Good luck!

[TinyLittleTootsies]

As little as possible but not strict bed rest. So you really shouldn't be walking the dog. Maybe very slow walking alone if you want to walk. Nothing that makes you use one leg over the other. Be really careful getting in and out of cars, and even bed.

tbh... if you are using your arm to lift your leg while driving (or it feels painful enough that it is hard to press the pedals) you should NOT be driving anymore.
I get this with my pregnancies and couldn't drive from about 30 weeks on I think with my last two. I am currently 22 weeks pregnant with this one and it is just starting to be more difficult when driving. You might be able to drive with no incidences in calm traffic, but would your pelvis be able to cope if you had to brake violently and suddenly?

I did a lot of lifting and doing things in my 2nd pregnancy even though I was in intense pain I would have to do things like lift my toddler out of her cot. My pain never fully went away after my 2nd pregnancy, but it did after my 1st where I did nothing as much as possible. I am trying to do as little as possible with this baby, but it is very hard with two kids.

If it gets much worse, you might need to take maternity leave from work earlier. Especially if you have no other way to get there than to drive.

[troopingfairy]

just curious.. and scared!!

DD was 7 weeks premature (reasons unknown) and with the weight i have put on with this bub (i was underweight to start with so midwife is not too worried about the weight gain in that perspective), the groin pain that i have and how i think about calling the ambulance at times when i can not walk - it feels like either someone has attacked my vejayjay and kicked it numerous times.. or that my babies head is hanging out (sorry ITM!)... my midwife is worried I may go early again...

can SPD really make me go early again??? :(

[TinyLittleTootsies]

can SPD really make me go early again??? :(

I haven't heard of SPD making a difference. I had psd at the bad end of the scale, and DD1 was induced 10 days late. DD2 was an elective c-section on time.

That doesn't mean it can't make it happen. Sorry I'm not much help, I've just never heard of it causing premature labour. Maybe someone else knows and can help you though?

as a side though... with you being so early and feeling like your babies head is falling out. You don't have prolapsed vaginal problems do you? Because I know that can put you at a higher risk.

[troopingfairy]

not that i know of :no: i am trying to find as much info as i can on SPD and premature births (to put my mind at ease basically).. one page i read said something about because SPD is from the little bit of bone at the front of the pelvis seperating it can cause the baby to engage earlier than expected etc and i know that doesn't mean 'premature birth' but i just want to get as much info as possible to put my mind at ease

[TinyLittleTootsies]

not that i know of :no: i am trying to find as much info as i can on SPD and premature births (to put my mind at ease basically).. one page i read said something about because SPD is from the little bit of bone at the front of the pelvis seperating it can cause the baby to engage earlier than expected etc and i know that doesn't mean 'premature birth' but i just want to get as much info as possible to put my mind at ease

Yep, both of mine engaged very early. I kept being told I was in labour for two weeks before they induced me with DD1, I went to hospital 3 times and they monitored my contractions, said I was in labour etc but it would always stop and I ended up being so overdue! I had braxton hicks and DD2 was engaged a lot earlier than DD1. When I say braxton hicks, they were timed contractions that felt like the real thing, the same amount of pain as contractions when I was 3cm dilated with DD1. Nothing ever happened though. If I rested it would all stop and go away, so usually about 2am every night I would start to have relief from the braxton hicks.

So maybe the baby being engaged does put pressure on your uterus. I would think you would have to have another reason to have gone into premature labour though. It might be that you have something else that, combined with psd, made you go into labour early? Maybe ask your midwife why she thinks that psd causes premature labour and ask her to print out her information source for you. It might be that it is just her opinion, but if it isn't and she as information, it would pay to ask about it so that you can feel more informed. :hugs:

[confusd]

Stop sweeping, mopping or vacuuming.
Dont try to set over things, Avoid going up and down stairs take the lift.
If you want to exercise - go swimming - but not breast stroke kick - only freestyle.
Sit on a fit ball ( i love my fit ball)

I was given a list of things i wasnt allowed to do but im not sure where i put it. Those are what i remember.

[mim1]

I had bad SPD in both pregnancies and my dd (pregnancy #2) refused to engage til a day AFTER I had gel for induction at 39+2! Yep, she was stubborn. It's not that unusual for bubs #2 & onwards not to engage til you're in labour and that was the reality here.

You should NOT be driving AT ALL if you have to use your hand to lift your leg from the brake to the accelerator. It doesn't mean driving is over this pregnancy, but it MUST be stopped until you are able to move your leg more readily - which might be after a few days rest.

I agree with the others. Go & see a physio and get fitted for a pelvic brace. It really helps, but it doesn't make the pain go away completely.

If it's already so bad that you're unable to drive, then I seriously doubt you'll get through another 7 weeks of work. I stopped work at 31 weeks, but by then I was a mess. I couldn't manage to get out of chairs without arms (and even chairs with arms were hard), I was walking about 3 times slower than usual (which made the walk to & from my car extremely long) and I was in constant pain. I couldn't walk up/down stairs from 20 weeks in either pregnancy (the pain often occurred 12 - 24 hours AFTER I walked on stairs btw) and ditto for sloped ground (eg. walking on hills).

I did Pilates during pregnancy #2 and it kept me more active for longer, but by 34 weeks I couldn't even manage Pilates - the physio said it was time for me to rest. Pregnancy #2 in the end was a heap better than #1 in terms of SPD, but I worked hard with the Physio to make it that way.

[AllCreatures]

Thanks so much everyone for all this useful info and advice.

DH keeps telling me to stop doing things too, so I guess I should really slow down now or it sounds like I'll be sorry later. Bugger, I'll have to tell him he was right haha :rolleyes:

Looking forward to my OB appt and hopefully she will recommend a brace/belt and perhaps some physio or hydrotherapy or something.

I feel for all of you who have experienced severe SPD, it sounds awful :(. Early days I think for me so will see what happens. Am a bit scared though! :freakingout:

[confusd]

I didn't get it till 30weeks in my first pregnancy but this time around It started around 12 weeks. I'm 34 weeks along and I am counting down the days of pain I have left!

It's honestly making me never want to have more kids. Spending every day and night in pain is just getting me down!

[becclesm]

I feel your pain! I have horrible SPD. Walking or standing for more than 5 minutes absolutely kills me. Like the PP I'm counting the days, with bub getting heavier its just getting worse :(

[troopingfairy]

some people think i am strange, but i honestly dont see myself carrying until full term anyway.. just a feeling i have.

i hope to make it to 36 weeks if i can though - and if i do go over i will be elated (but am sure by that stage if SPD is still worsening, i'll be begging for bub to come out!)

not so painful waking up this morning so must have gotten enough rest between doing things yesterday which is a relief as every other day for the past week i've barely been able to sit up in bed after waking up