SPD giving birth!?

[leeloo]

A question related to something I posted earlier.... It seems I may have SPD, by reading online and a bit of self diagnosing.....

Taken from my other post, " I am extremely sore in my pubic area, it feels very swollen and bruised and hurts especially when i get up from lying down or a sitting position to the point where I can't walk!! Around my groin is fine and I have no pain in my hips... just the front bit!! "

I wanted to find out from those who had given birth with this condition how they went on in Labour and how they dealt with the pain... is it just going to get worse and if so, what can i do about it!! Bit worried here because its so painful and I want to have an active birth and move around as much as I can!!

Thanks
L
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[fionas]

Hi Leeloo

Don't panic. I'm obviously not a doctor but I'd say if you're 'only' experiencing SPD this late then you have a very mild case and you won't cause too much damage if you're very active. Having said that, if you're worried about the actual pain stopping you from being active (rather than aggravating the condition which is a slightly different thing), then there are other things you can do. I had SPD from Week 28 and could barely walk so bouncing on a fitball was a good option for me.

It sounds like you're already in labour, or close to, so there's no point me recommending Juju Sundin's book so I'll give you a brief rundown on stuff you can do in labour (SPD or no SPD). I presume you wanted an active labour as part of pain management. Juju Sundin recommends pain management techniques that distract the brain - based on the theory that the brain can only process one thing at a time so if you distract it with something else, it can't concentrate on the pain. Trust me, I've used it, it works.

So, if you feel you can't do active labour in terms of walking etc., here's some other things you can do:

1. Bounce on fitball.
2. Say/moan/shout "ahhhhh" (think Buddhist chant rather than agonised scream) when you have a contraction. Concentrate on what your voice is doing and on the sound you're making.
3. If you have some stress balls, or any balls (other than your DH's) bang those together, concentrating on hitting them together and what noise they're making.
4. Combine 2 & 3.
5. I used those till I was 7cm and my DD was posterior and I'd had 7 hours sleep in 3 days. So when I say they work, believe me, they work.

Juju has lots more stuff but I wanted to send you something reassuring sooner rather than later. But don't stress about this - call the hospital and ask for their advice. They are used to dealing with concerned mums-to-be. You need to focus on what you can do, not what you can't.

[leeloo]

Thanks Fiona... its only gotten worse in the past couple of days... maybe a week, but i've also felt I was going into labour, and today losing my mucus plug I figured it was just the baby descending..!! Will see what I can find in terms of balls.. DH wouldn't appreciate me using his!!

Thanks for you advice!

L.