Pelvic Girdle Pain and me...

This post is about: my current discomfort thanks to PGP

#pelvicpain #pregnancypain #pelvicgirdlepain #pgp #maternitypain #pregnancy #twins #workingthroughpregnancy

So, these last two weeks have sucked in terms of the pregnancy. Although morning sickness and all the other pleasant 1st trimester symptoms have thankfully gone, I am not getting to enjoy the 2nd trimester like I had hoped. Dizzy spells and random ear popping aren't fun, but I can deal with both of those no problem. It's the pleasures of Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) that is getting me down, as it starting to have a negative effect on a number of areas of my life; work, home, exercise, and sex come to mind.

First off, for anyone reading who doesn't know what PGP is, here is a rough definition cobbled together from the various articles I've read about it: pain in your pelvis area caused by rapid expansion. Yeah, so that definition isn't very medical, but it sums it up nicely. For a proper explanation see below.

I'm very happy to say that it poses no risk to the twins, but sadly it causes many problems for me. Being sat or lying in the same position for too long hurts. Being on my feet for too long hurts. Getting up or sitting down hurts. Basically - ouch! At the moment it is actually bearable (although child birth is technically bearable too...) and I'm totally being melodramatic about it. But the truth is that I'm not enjoying being a bit of an invalid so early on, and I'm genuinely worried about what the rest of pregnancy could be like if the PGP gets worse.

So, right now I'm just shy of 19 weeks with a neat little bump that still requires a second glance to figure out if I'm pregnant or just a bit fat (at least judging by the staring...) and the PGP is varying in pain level. At the start of the day, it can be simply a mild discomfort with a feeling of stiffness but by the end of an 8 hour day at work (I'm on my feet a lot but have tried to take the weight of my feet more over the last week to varying levels of success) it gets to a definite pain. The worst of the pain isn't necessarily in the same place each day - it can be in the top of my inner thighs (for lack of a better term, my groin) as it is today, in either of my hips, or my lower back. On top of this, I'm also getting the occasional painful twinge of round ligament pain in my belly - usually when I stand up too quickly. By the time I get home from work in the evenings, I'm usually waddling around uncomfortably looking like I'm 38 weeks pregnant, not 19.

Needless to say, this is affecting my ability to do housework, helping the husband with the DIY project that is currently making our house a disaster zone, and completely ruining any chance the hubby has of a regular sex life. On Saturday afternoon, I practically pounced on him (well, actually I simply undressed and got into bed and waited for him to walk in to change - but with my husband, that's basically the same thing as there is no way he is going to resist an offer like that...) and he was wondering why I was so horny. Truth is, I wasn't. I just hadn't done much physical yet that day and knew that once I did, the chances of my being in too much discomfort to want sex was high, and he probably wouldn't get laid for another week. I try to be considerate :-)

My bump isn't as big as this at the moment!

So, what am I doing about from moaning about it and worrying if I'll be crippled before I even plan on going on maternity leave?!

Honestly? Not much. I have messaged my midwife about it but I haven't heard back yet, so I don't want to risk trying too many "home treatments" like the physio exercises I've found on Pinterest until I've checked in with her. After all, I don't know what I'm doing and don't want to risk making it worse. I have invested in a maternity belt which supports the bump and your back to improve posture and take the weight of your pelvis a little. I've only worn it once so far (yesterday when it arrived in the post, I wore it to work) but it isn't the most comfortable thing. Then again, it is a lot better than being in pain. I'm dubious about its benefits at the moment but have four more days of work to go before I'm on holidays for two weeks, so I'll give it a go and see if there is any improvement. Beyond that, I'm just trying to avoid heavy lifting or being either sat or standing for too long in one go. My boss is understanding, but there is only so much work I can do sat down and my workplace is understaffed and busy at the moment, so I'm very much looking forward to that time off coming up...