Tips for those with SPD / PGP
I've noticed quite a few of you have SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) or PGP (Pelvic Girdle Pain) and I have no doubt that unfortunately there will probably be more to come.
Firstly - you all have my sympathy! I suffered with SPD and PGP quite badly in my last pregnancy and I firmly believe that no one truly understands just how painful it is unless they have experienced it. Throw in the natural guilty feeling of not being able to do anything and the feeling that people think you're being lazy just cos you're pregnant and it's generally a very crap and extremely distressing time!
So - I thought it might be helpful if I shared a few top tips that I learnt and thought others who have been through it or are going through it could add theirs as well. 
1) Rest as much as possible and don't push through the pain at all. If it hurts - stop
2) Keep knees together as much as you can eg when walking up stairs, take each step at a time. Getting in/out of the car..sit down and swivel lifting your feet in together. Put a carrier bag on the seat as this will help make moving easier
3) Rest
4) Bed - if possible wear silky pjs. Again the material is slippy so it makes it easier to move and limits the pain
5) Rest
6) Support pillow - I had the biggest support pillow and it was fantastic! Takers hated it cos it took up a lot of room but I was wedged in and couldn't move. This meant that instead of waking up in pain cos I'd moved in my sleep, I woke up wanting to move. I could then control how I was moving and limit the pain. Here's a link to the one I had and its great, gives you all round support -
http://r.ebay.com/z2ikN4
7) Rest
8) Take paracetamol regularly. It's safe to take (I was assured by consultant, two doctors and mws!) but only works if you take it regularly rather than just when the pain gets bad - its too late by then and won't touch the pain. If the pain gets very bad go and see your doctor as they can prescribe mild co-codamol instead.
9) Rest
10) If possible shower rather than bath - climbing in and out is bad enough without having the problem of lifting yourself up and down as well.
11) Rest
12) If you swim, don't do breast stroke under any circumstances - it pulls your legs apart too much
13) Rest
14) NO housework or anything like that - it can wait. If it can't wait - get a cleaner
15) Rest
16) Be very careful how you sit. TJ is 6mths old and I am still having physio and a lot of pain with my back and hips. It was thought that it was still the PGP, however it turns out that I damaged my lower back when I was pregnant. Basically in order to relieve the pain and pressure from my pelvis, I pretty much sat on my lower back (without realising of course!) This damaged my discs and caused an awful lot of pain at the end of my pregnancy and for the last 6mths :roll: It is fixable though, just takes a bit longer!!
17) Rest
18) Ask your doctor to refer you to a physio. They should measure your pain free gap ie how far you can open your knees before it gets too painful. This should be put in your notes for examinations and labour. They should also give you a support belt. I found the belt very uncomfortable and added to the pain, however I know many women who have found it very good.
19) Rest
20) Keep up the pelvic floor muscles - will help the recovery afterwards, plus you should be doing them anyway! 
21) Rest
22) Don't be afraid to ask for help for anything or everything. It's not forever and the less you do now, the quicker you will recover after the birth eg dinner can be takeaway to save you standing and cooking, get a cleaner, ask friends/family to do the school run/babysit if you have other children so you aren't running round after them all day, ask for lifts instead of driving yourself (the pedal work and sitting in one position doesn't help it) etc etc
REST REST REST! This is not something that gets better the more you do but that speeds things up and makes it worse. I didn't listen to advice and ended up signed off for the last 5/6mths of my pregnancy and on crutches, housebound unless my sister or Takers took me out. Not much fun!
I hope this helps a few of you and if anyone else has any tips to add please do so!
Replies
If you have to - get signed off work sick. It's not a nice condition and you need to look after your welfare now to ensure you are fit for when you are looking after a newborn baby. Trust me, nothing worse than being really bloody tired with a newborn AND being in masses of pain and struggling to walk!
Legally you can be signed off sick until your maternity leave. Your company can only make you bring forward your maternity leave if you are off sick with a pregnancy related illness in the 4 wks before your EDD
SB- The two things that worry me is No.16- I have been sitting like this for ages now! I notice myself getting a numb bum and sore back because I have basically been sitting on my lower back. Will definitley not do that again!
Also you mentioned in another post that your left hip collapsed. Could you explain a bit more if possible, it's just my left hip is what causes me the most pain so I'm hoping it's not going to happen to me. xxx
Cat 35+2
Re the back thing - my physio said either mainly lying flat or sitting up would've been ok but the half and half caused the problems. She said that if you imagine the individual discs look like an egg...the outer fibres of the disc (white of the egg) have been stretched and so allowed the fluid in the centre (the yolk) to leak out into the outer area. This causes the disc to bulge. It doesn't hurt until you then move and cos the disc has bulged your spine can't contract back properly and causes the pain which means you can't physicaly stand up or you end up stooping and shuffling (or something like that)
Labour - yes my left hip "collapsed" and I use that term loosely cos can't really think of how else to describe it. What happened was I was pushing and had my knees raised and feet on bed. My left hip clicked very loudly and I just couldn't raise my foot or leg after that, it all kinda went limp, my mw had to lift my leg for me. However - it wasn't too much of a problem and certainly wasn't painful, just a flipping nuisance! It was quite close to the end. After TJ was born, Takers and the mw helped me into a comfier position and after awhile I was able to move my leg again so it probably just caught a nerve or something - was very weird. Typically it was actually my right hip that had been worse all through my pregnancy :roll: Don't panic about it too much - I know a lot of women on here who had SPD and didn't have any problems during labour at all
Oh - apparently water birth is very good for SPD/PGP cos the water supports your weight and so eases the pain from your pelvis
thank you again xx
Would recommend asking your physio if this is an option at your local NHS.
*bump*
Good websites -
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/physicalhealth/pelvicpain/?_requestid=233069
http://www.pelvicpartnership.org.uk/
oh and apparently Bowen treatment is very good, though I didn't try it myself
sarah
It does sound like SPD, possibly a bit of sciatica as well if its shooting down your leg.
Speak to your mw asap and rest up xx
I find that I have to concentrate really hard on being symmetrical - not putting my weight on one leg, not crossing my legs when sitting etc and if I do that it doesn't get too bad. I even manage Body Pump with no problems as I'm so careful when I'm doing it. Hoovering is probably the worst thing as it involves stooping to one side - job now assigned to hubby!!
Miss Impatient - if you're getting shooting pains into one buttock then you might well have PGP - check this link to see if your symptoms match:
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/physicalhealth/pelvicgirdlepain/
Mine started a couple of weeks ago at about 17 weeks.
xxx
It has got really bad over the last 2 days. Twice I have been stuck leaning on something standing on one leg unable to put any weight on my right leg and I can't even sit down. I actually cried in pain yesterday which I have never done before. I think it was half pain and half panic that I couldn't move!
xxx
Jennifer 36 +5