April 2009

PostingGetting real

Browsing through some old pregnancy books the other day I felt depressed all over again at the sight of so many glowing faces and pregnant-yet-still-sexy silhouettes in the illustrations. Not a stretchmark in sight between the lot of them. No 're-purposed' wastepaper bins in evidence. No retching at the mere whiff of a fridge door opening within a half-mile vicinity of their airtouched nostrils. And certainly nothing to indicate that any of the women were semi-disabled by pregnancy-related pelvic pain that made it hard even to turn over in bed at night, much less take part in a photo shoot. I know, I know, publishers have to sell the books, but still.....

An estimated one in five women suffer debilitating pelvic pain in pregnancy - albeit in varying degrees of intensity. But most mainstream pregnancy books, wonderful and informative though they are in many respects, simply don't carry much information about pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy. I don't know why not. My impression - I could be wrong - is that more generally - even in the medical community - there's not as much information available about the condition as there might be. The dearth of information is particularly sad, as any woman stuck at home all day in considerable pain, blaming herself for her immobility, is going to be isolated anyway, or at least limited in her social contact. The lack of information only exacerbates her difficulties. I found my lovely midwife and GP were both sympathetic and supportive, and I'm extremely grateful for all the skilled care I received from them and many others in the NHS during and after both my pregnancies, but it was only when chatting with an old schoolfriend (a physio by background) that I stumbled by accident on the vital fact that innovative physiotheraphy techniques are being pioneered that make pelvic girdle pain treatable. Up until then I'd got the impression it was just something you had to put up with, if you were unlucky enough to be afflicted in the first place. The bad news? This treatment wasn't available in the NHS - not in my part of the country, anyway.

It's good to know that  new charity PINS, which presents a compassionate and realistic picture of what pregnancy can be like for many women, is working to let more people know all about the condition, ranging from the risk factors that may make some women more likely to get pregnancy-related pelvic pain than others, to the latest treatments available. It has hints and tips for managing the condition and personal accounts from its members, so people will feel less alone in their struggles. Even better is that the charity is waiving its membership fee until its AGM next month, so if you have been affected by any issues relating to pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy you can join up for free. Benefits include the charity's quarterly newsletter and the chance to meet on-line and swap tips with others suffering the same difficulties. Even though I'm no longer pregnant (Button turns nine months this week) and luckily my joint pain has lifted, I've joined PINS, so I can support other people with the condition and make better sense of what happened to me.

Posted 21 April 2009 15:16 | Number of comments: 4 | Comments

Health workers Pelvic girdle pain/SPD

PostingEaster egg painting

Anybody who fancies a spot of Easter egg painting over the coming week can head along to St George's West Church in Edinburgh, where children over three and their carer can spend an hour every afternoon having fun painting and decorating. The event, which runs from 2-3pm daily from 13-17 April, is free, but places are limited and the organisers ask that anyone interested please call 0131 225 7001 or drop a line to mail@stgeorgeswest.com to book a place.

Other news....

I'll be announcing the winners of the draw for two free copies of Instructions Not Included over the next week.

Posted 12 April 2009 18:03 | Number of comments: 1 | Comments

Edinburgh