When I was pregnant with my son, I experienced severe pain in my pelvis. I could hear and feel clicking in my pelvis while walking, especially if I was stepping backward. At times, the pain was so bad, I could not roll over in bed and it was very difficult to walk. I often had to lean on a counter or find peculiar ways to sit to relieve the pain. I told my husband it felt like I had the jaws of life crushing my pelvis! I did a little research and I found my my symptoms matched the description of Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). SPD is a condition where a pregnant woman experiences significant pain in her pelvis due to hormones, misalignment or both.
When a pregnant woman suffers from SPD, she may experience a wide variety of symptoms. I personally experienced pubic pain, lower back pain, difficulty and pain rolling over in bed, trouble with climbing stairs, getting in and out of cars, sitting down and standing back up, lifting heavy objects, sciatica, clicking in my pelvis, the “waddle,” difficulty moving after a period of rest, bladder dysfunction (temporary incontinence), and a lot of round ligament pain. Other women can also experience pubic tenderness to the touch, feeling like her hip is out of place or popping in and out, and knee pain.
Certain things gave me a lot of relief from my symptoms. One thing that always made me feel better was a hot bath (but not too hot, of course.) Soaking in the tub for ten minutes every morning helped ease away the stiffness and pain from the night before. I feel like it made a huge difference in how I felt for the remainder of the day. Another thing that helped was sleeping with several pillows stuffed between my knees to keep my hip joints open while I slept on my side. If I did not do this, I would wake up with pain in my hips that was so severe, I could barely move. There were a few times when I stayed home rather than going to church, for example, because I could not stand to walk. Pelvic rocks can also provide relief. (Get on all fours and shift your weight back and forth.) Swimming supposedly helps by taking pressure off the joints. Take care to move slowly and have your partner help you whenever possible. My husband would always help me roll over in bed and get in and out of the car. That was extremely helpful.
Have you experienced severe pelvic pain during pregnancy? What helped to relief your pain? How did you cope?