One thing that has been much different about my current pregnancy is an increased discomfort in my whole pelvis. It especially hurts when I get out of bed after sleeping, or even lying down for a short period of time. I found a website that had some very helpful suggestions for dealing with this, what is called Pubic Symphysis Pain. Here is what they recommended (http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/pubicpain.htm#Introduction):
Although the best idea may be to resolve chronic SPD pain through realigning the pelvis girdle and soft tissues, most women have at least some residual pubic and low back pain stick around for pregnancy and the early postpartum weeks because of hormones. Therefore, tips for coping with pubic pain tend to be a focus of many SPD websites. Many of the suggestions include:
- Use a pillow between your legs when sleeping; body pillows are a great investment!
- Use a pillow under your ‘bump’ (pregnancy tummy) when sleeping
- Keep your legs and hips as parallel/symmetrical as possible when moving or turning in bed
- Some women also find it helpful to have their partners stabilize their hips and hold them ‘together’ when rolling over in bed or otherwise adjusting position
- Some women report a waterbed mattress to be helpful
- Silk/satin sheets and nighties may make it easier to turn over in bed
- Swimming may help relieve pressure on the joint (many sites recommend avoiding breaststroke but Kmom did not find it to be a problem at all for her; see what works for you)
- Deep water aerobics or deep water running may be helpful as well (there are flotation devices to help you stay afloat easily during this; you do not need to know how to swim in order to do this)
- Keep your legs close together and move symmetrically (other sources recommend a very small gap between the legs with symmetrical movement)
- When standing, stand symmetrically, with your weight evenly distributed through both legs
- Sit down to get dressed, especially when putting on underwear or pants
- Avoid ’straddle’ movements
- Swing your legs together as a unit when getting in and out of cars; use plastics or something smooth and slippery (like a garbage bag) on the car seat to help you enter car backwards and then turn your legs as a unit
- An ice pack may feel soothing and help reduce inflammation in the pubic area; painkillers may also help
- Move slowly and without sudden movements
- If sex is uncomfortable for you, use lots of pillows under your knees, or try other positions
- If bending over to pick up objects is difficult, there are devices available that can help with this
- Really severe cases may need crutches, although these should probably only be used as a last resort
- Sciatica may be helped by stretching the hamstring muscles with a stirrup around your foot (long piece of rope, two neck ties tied together, etc.) See the Elizabeth Noble book for directions (resources)
- Back pain can often be helped by resting backwards over a large gymnastic or ‘birth’ ball (see resources)
- Some women report that pelvic binders/maternity support belts are helpful for pelvic pain; brands in the U.S. include Prenatal Cradle or BabyHugger or the Reenie Belt. However, if the pelvic bones are really misaligned, some women report more pain with these. Listen to your body on whether to use these
[...] | Tags: baby, pelvis, pregnancy, psp, pubic symphysis pain, relaxin, spp Early this year I wrote this post on pubic symphysis pain after I had experienced more pelvic discomfort in my second pregnancy than [...]
By: More on Pubic Symphysis Pain « Welcome to Birth a Miracle Services weblog! on November 26, 2008
at 7:17 pm