Despatches from a mother who started late (and is running to catch up)

Getting 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

Health workers Pelvic girdle pain/SPD

Comments

Coding Mamma (Tasha) said:

You'll hopefully be pleased/interested to know that I went for my first NHS physio session this pregancy to find someone who knew what she was doing and talking about. She did a proper assessment, hands-on manipulation, gave me exercises to do and is going to be seeing me regularly throughout the pregnancy to try to ensure that the effects this time are minimised, starting two weeks from the first appointment.

I had the number of a local private physio recommended by the Pelvic Partnersship to call if all did not go well, but was very grateful not to need to.

My symptoms (at 15 weeks) are fairly minimal so far, and I was concerned that I might be laughed out of the clinic, but she said I was absolutely right to come this early and she would, in fact, have seen me earlier before I was symptomatic to plan for management during the pregnancy.

She isolated the particular problem areas at the moment (can't rememember the technical terminology, but the top of my right leg, where it connects into the pelvis and the very bottom of my spine), but said that it's quite possible that the problem areas will change throughout the pregnancy, which is why regular appointments throughout the pregnancy are essential. [cont...]

Posted 24 April 2009 09:02

Coding Mamma (Tasha) said:

[... cont]

This could not be more different from my first pregnancy, when the physio or saw didn't know anything about pelvic pain in pregnancy and just gave me a large tubi-grip to wear, without any hands-on assessment or treatment. No follow-up appointments were made, just a suggestion to call back and make an appointment if it got worse. When that happened I was sent home with crutches, which I used until my waters broke and the pain (very fortunately for me) completely disappeared.

I wouldn't have known what to look out for in a good physio, if it hadn't been for your links. I had a list of what a good physio should do and she ticked all the boxes. Last time, I had no idea about what to look for or ask for; the thought of asking for a second opinion did not cross my mind, nor did the idea of looking for a private practitioner to help.

So, thank you.

[Sorry - had to split comment in two, as it was too long!]

Posted 24 April 2009 09:02

Helen said:

Hi Tasha,

First of all, many congratulations on your pregnancy! Great news.

So pleased you've been able to find the right help for your symptoms. Sounds like you're in good hands. Best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy. You'll enjoy it so much more if you get your pelvic girdle pain under control!

Helen

Posted 24 April 2009 19:20