PI/SPD sufferers birth stories?

**Little Crow** · 07-07-2011 13:25

I have been really unsure how i will cope with labour this time around and was hoping to hear how others with PI/SPD coped with their labour and birth.

I am at home on bedrest now. I'm 29wks. I have a walking stick, belt, and i go to hydro twice a week. I am going to order some SRC shorts next payday. I've been looking on ebay but cant find any in a size XS

I'd really like to be induced early, so i'll be talking to my docs about that on Monday. The thought of an epidural scares me, but i guess it will probably be necessary this time.

Any advice??

*Sent from the couch* (via my iPhone)

**BlissedOut** · 07-07-2011 13:38

I had severe SPD, but had a c-section.

A few of the mummies in my birth month group here had babies naturally with SPD (no epi), I'll post a link to this to them.

**MummyoftheMuffins** · 07-07-2011 14:03

I had a natural birth with my third daughter in April after suffering SPD from about 18 weeks onwards. My labour and birth, compared to my first VBAC with my second daughter was completely different and alot more painful. Because of my pelvic instability bub was fully engaged from about 30 weeks onwards, and during labour she sunk extremely low into my pelvis. This caused my labour pains to be more in my lower back and bottom. I couldn't sit during labour as her head was so far down, but I wouldn't say that the SPD would have stopped me from having a natural birth. I had another drug free labour, although i found the hot shower to be a godsend!! I was more upset at the fact that i went into labour at about 8pm, and didn't have her until 7am the next morning...no sleep and not being able to sit down during my entire labour really sucked. I felt like i couldn't hold myself up anymore as i was so tired.

Sorry if i haven't helped much... I would discuss all options with your doctors etc, just to see what they recommend in terms of pain relief etc during labour. Hopefully your labour and birth are a little less painful than mine was... Bottom pain is horrible!!

**Livvey** · 07-07-2011 14:19

I had SPD while pregnant with DS2 from about 16 weeks. While i wasn't on crutches or bed rest i was lucky that DS1 was sleeping in the afternoons for around 3 hours so i got to rest up then. I would find that on days when i was on my feet a lot i would be in agony by the afternoon and struggle to walk around. I saw the physio twice a week too, and had a belt to wear also.

When i went into labour, i found rocking my hips helped the pain, which on an ordinary day with SPD would have been agony. When your body goes into labour it releases all these blissed out hormones that help your ligaments relax, which i wasn't too sure about before i was in labour, but once i was there i understood it. I also found that once labour was fully established i could no longer really tell the difference between the SPD pain and contractions. I birthed in water, no pain relief (didn't really need it in the water) and it was just lovely. I honestly don't think that having SPD lessened my chances of having a natural birth. I had a wonderfully supportive midwife, she actually told me it would be less stress on my SPD to have a natural birth with no epi as i could get up moving straight away (where as when you're still for a long time with SPD the pain gets worse, like laying in bed). Read up as much as you can on epi and SPD before you go to see your care provider....if you're at all uncomfortable with it speak up!

I should also add that after the birth, it was only a matter of days before the SPD pain went away, had absolutely no trouble walking straight away, the only problem i had was sleeping position and getting out of bed, but as i said befoer, it was only a day or two then it was gone.

This is only my opinion, from my own experience. Having been there now, i am really glad i gave my own body a chance to do it without the SPD getting the better of it. I was so scared i'd end up with a c/section and an epi, but the more i read and spoke to my midwife about it the better i felt.

Good luck, SPD is a horrible thing to deal with

**BlissedOut** · 07-07-2011 14:23

It's also not recommended that you birth on your back, especially with SPD. Having an epidural I assume would mean you would need to birth on your back, so it's actually probably a thing to avoid.

**MummyoftheMuffins** · 07-07-2011 14:32

I should add as well that my pain also went away within the first few days after having her... The only real issue i had that took a few weeks was the instability in my pelvis... During pregnancy i couldn't lift one leg off the ground and stand on the other, i always had to sit first, and even then i struggled to lift one leg. The pain wasn't there after the birth but the instability was still there for at least three weeks or so, but it got better and better with each day.

Oh, and i was naughty and birthed on my back but did my whole labour on all fours or standing as like i said i couldn't sit... But the only reason i birthed on my back was because i was so tired i physically couldn't hold myself up while pushing... That resulted in having bad tears, but had nothing to do with the SPD as such.

**TinyLittleTootsies** · 07-07-2011 14:55

I agree with blissed out. Research all birth techinques and positions you can use to reduce the pressure on your pelvis. I would avoid the epidural as you can really damage your vagina from lying on your back. Midwives said silly things to me that have no truth to them, like "it won't be as painful because your pelvis will be so loose!" This is not true, and in my case, my daughters head pushed apart my pelvis instead of her head compacting as it went through, which in turn tore my vagina horribly because I had an epidural due to the pain and so I couldn't move off my back, and this put too much pressure there as I birthed. If i had known to be prepared for the pain, and how to avoid an epidural, I wouldn't have torn where/how I did.

Have you looked into a water birth? I have heard of this being one of the best options becuase you can move around freely in the water which you can hardly do on land with such a bad pelvis. When the baby moves into your pelvis, you might not have much movement at all. By being in the water, you can move to different positions as your body needs to do during labour to be comfortable. Water birth is also a way to control the pain. Does your hospital have a birthing pool that you can use?

When you say you are on bedrest, you don't mean that you are not moving as much as possible do you? You just mean resting at home? I was put on bedrest with DD1 and it made the situation so much worse. I lost tone, which was helping to hold me up, and the stiffness that set in meant that I wasn't able to walk at all in the end. When I had DD2, I had the pain as my first pregnancy symptom, but with a toddler I couldn't sit down for more than 15min. I stayed at home and didn't do any big lifting or walking, but by not being in bed/on the couch all day I never stiffened up, I was still able to walk around until my due date and I was so much better off after giving birth because I still had all of my muscle tone to support myself. It did hurt to keep getting up to my toddler and i I probably would never have been able to do it if I didn't HAVE to like that, but it ended up making my second pregnancy much better, even though the pain came faster and worse. If I had done bedrest again I would have ended up worse than in my first pregnancy, and now I know that bedrest is NOt recommened for SPD. I am glad that you are going to hydro. Are you also going to physio?

Also, I know the pain is bad right now, but being induced can be a very hard labour, with most inductions ending up in epidurals. If it is too early, the induction might also just fail and you could end up with a c-section after failing to progress. Try to hang in there and go to term, I know it is hard

I really, really can't stress enough looking at natural methods of pain relief and being mentally strong for a natural labour.

Have a look at the book written by JuJu Sundin, called "birth skills". It is about ways to manage labour and be in control and have an active birth.

**Little Crow** · 07-07-2011 15:56

I admit i know nothing about SPD - only what i've been told by my midwife and physiotherapist. But after reading your responses i am quickly losing faith in them. I was told to rest as much as possible. ie, in bed or on the couch, rest my hips, no movement. Not knowing any different, i took their advice. I'm not allowed to do any housework or anything. Luckily my 3yo is very independent. I still have to get up to prepare our lunch and to go to the toilet, but the rest of the day i spend on the couch. I don't seem to "seize up", but anytime that i overexert myself, like last week when i decided i'd tidy & vacuum the lounge room before a friend came to visit, i was unable to walk at all the following day. Absolute agony.

It scares the hell out of me how much muscle tone i must have lost already, and will continue to lose on this bedrest advice. With my daughter, i had a wonderful pregnancy: no spd, no weight gain, no negative symptoms whatsoever. I went to the gym every morning before work and swam laps a few nights a week. I had a drug-free birth (well, pain-relief free, i was induced with Syntocin when i failed to progress) i used distraction methods from the "Birth Skills" book TinyLittleTootsies mentioned. In the pushing stage i was mostly squatting which i found the most comfortable. The whole labour was actually quite enjoyable.
But i really don't think i'll have the strength to do that this time. There is no way i could squat for more than a couple of minutes let alone a few hours.
I have been told i am not allowed to have a water birth due to some other complications i have going on. But my delivery suite does have a shower and one of those big old corner spa baths and i can sit in it for pain relieve up until the actual delivery.

It is encouraging to hear your advice and experiences. Thank you to all of you

**BlissedOut** · 07-07-2011 16:08

TLT I was on 'bedrest' with my pregnancy and most likely will be again if I have another (doctors have recommended I don't), I was on crutches from about 20 weeks just to get to the bathroom, I did a bit of physio and swam a lot.

Different degrees of SPD most likely.

I've had very little trouble after baby came out, post c-section pain was mild in comparison to my SPD.

**Girl X** · 07-07-2011 16:32

I had a csection because of the SPD. (This was just in my case - I know that many with SPD have natural births).

For me most of the pain disappeared immediately. I kept racing around and forgetting to rest, as the cs recovery felt awesome compared to the pain from the SPD!

One year on I still get it occasionally, but it's mild. I can play most sports - just no lunges or horse riding yet...

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