I had severe SPD with both pregnancies, second pregnancy I had to wear a brace and could barely walk for more than 5 minutes without issues. I was seeing my phsyio on a weekly basis and had to be strapped twice and bedridden for a couple of weeks here and there so I hear ya honey...

But guess what? It didn't affect my birth at all! But I'll answer your q's

1. How far into your pregnancy did you get SPD? 12 weeks both pregnancies.

2. Before the birth, how severe (1-10, one being the lowest, 10 being the highest) would you say your SPD was? eg. 1 being a bit niggly, 3 you needed a belt, 8, you needed crutches, 10 you were wheelchair-bound. I'd say about a 7 if 8 is needing crutches. I would have been bedridden had it not been for my physio weekly. I was also having ultrasound for the pain.

3. If you had a vaginal birth, how long was your pushing stage and in what position? Did you have forceps/vacuum? My pushing stage was about 20 mins. I birthed upright kneeling over the top of the bed. No forceps or vacuum and I also gave birth to a big baby (without tears or even grazes on my tailbone - which is common with SPD)

Or

4. Did you have a caesarean? If so, how would you compare the pain recovering from a caesarean to the SPD? I would say recovering from C/S was probably as annoying and painful if not more than SPD. Also given I've had both births I'd definitely go for the Vag birth.

5. How severe was your SPD after the birth (using the same scale as before) and how long was it before you could bend, walk or stand relatively painlessly? Both pregnancies it went away relatively quickly. I'd say I recovered quicker after a vag birth than after c/s.

6. How did you manage your SPD eg. wearing a belt, regular clinical pilates etc. etc.? I had to wear a belt, was on bedrest during the bad times when I had to be strapped as even the brace wasn't good enough. I also had physio fortnightly and then weekly when it was bad. I also had ultrasound to help with pain. And when the worst bout happened I was given anti-inflammatory medication and panadeine forte. But I also have a bulging disc between L4-L5.