In week 19 I woke up in the morning feeling like I had been horseback riding all night. My pelvic bone felt incredibly bruised and achy. It was constant in those first few moments when I get out of bed, but as I moved on with my day, the pain lessened and I forgot it had happened at all.
Then Wednesday night my husband and I sat down to watch F is for Family, and I stayed sitting for probably 2 hours without getting up.
When I got up to get ready for bed, that bone pain was back. I felt like an old lady trying to get off the couch. I just felt so much painful pressure on that same pelvic bone as I had earlier in the week.
I called my OB Thursday morning after waking up with the same pain; the nurse thought it sounded like round ligament pain.
She recommended Tylenol, ice packs, low heat, and a pregnancy belt. I had been taking Tylenol so frequently for headaches that I wasn't sure if that was helping. And I didn't feel so bad that I needed to put heat or cold on it when I am resting as at rest I don't even feel the pain. But in the days since, I have worn my pregnancy belt frequently. I have felt better and think that the pain actually worsens with constipation and lessens after bowel movements.
I felt instant relief the first time I put on the belt.
The pain has magically relieved that I felt as soon as I have put on the belt, but now it is a dull ache that I can ignore most of the time.
When the pain started, I was concerned that it is premature labor with my cervix opening already. And that still crosses my mind.
But I had my 20 week appointment with my OB and she thought this was nothing to concern myself with. It is common and normal; it does usually start later than halfway through pregnancy though. So she recommended physical therapy since it is expected to worsen as the baby grows.
I have been doing yoga and barre still and don't feel the pelvic pain during that time of the day.
I think it is not round ligament pain this time, since it feels so much more bone based than muscle based. So I looked into what this is and actually had just heard about it in yoga being a common pregnancy issue no one covers.
I found Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction.
It seems to be related to stretching, which is the feeling that I get from that part of my body, it feels like those bones are separating to deliver my sweet Baby T.
Experts believe that it happens in 1/4 of all pregnancies but is not diagnosed. SPD is only diagnosed in 1 in 300 pregnancies. With my nurse and OB mentioning thinking it is round ligament pain, I can see that.
It is caused by the same hormone, relaxin, and is quite similar to round ligament pain, but it is focused on the pubic bone more so than those ligaments holding up the uterus.
My OB confirmed this being the case today and said that it is the cartilage and bones in my pubic area opening early for delivery, but it is not a sign of premature labor or labor.
The treatment of SPD is avoiding triggers, which include stairs, heavy-lifting and getting dressed.
They recommend sitting down while getting dressed. I know I need to, but it is so painful to sit down and get back up that I have still been putting on my pants while standing up.
My main concern is just that this is happening so early. As I am just 20 weeks. My Doctor said this was abnormal but nothing to be concerned with, only noting that the pain is likely to become more severe as baby grows and starts coming back down to be birthed.
The nurse and my OB recommended physical therapy, but I think I can handle this at home and it will hopefully not get worse as my pregnancy continues.
I am thankful for not having back pain yet, though I am seeing this happens most frequently with multiples or large babies. Baby T is still tiny. We have a lot of weight to gain.
Swimming is recommended for the pain relief as well. This may be something I try later if this pain persists. Right now it is so cold out I don't even want to go to an indoor swimming location.
And I am getting so many benefits from squats, yoga poses and sitting butterfly, it just feels better to keep my legs separated and active.
I have gained less than 5 pounds since my pre-pregnancy weight still and Baby T is over 10 ounces, but she is nice and high in my belly.
I measured 21 weeks for fundal height at my appointment today, which is wonderful knowing that Baby T will be an early baby, by 39 weeks at the latest.
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