Clover - I can't 100% promise but I KNOW I have two, just need to find my spare. PM me your address because you'd be most welcome to it.

Heat is probably the worst thing you can do. Your pelvis is already inflamed, you need ice to cool it and settle it. I put one on once DD has gone to bed and then put another one on as I'm going to go to sleep. If I get chance before DD wakes up, I also do it in the morning. So usually three times per day. Also sleep with a pillow between your knees.

Although I'm housebound because I can't walk far and don't drive, I've been able to struggle on by getting DP to jiggle his shifts and putting DD into childcare for two days a week. BUT, a couple of BB girls have told me about a scheme through which you can get in-home for your kids for 13 weeks. I haven't got desperate enough to use it yet but with three kids, I think it's something you should consider. Will dig out the stuff and send it to you.

Yep, I hear you on the whinging thing. I didn't say much in my last pregnancy because I kept being told it would go away after the birth. So I pretty much carried on as normal despite being in A LOT of pain because I thought I was being a trooper. Even sent DP back to work after five days even though I was wheeling myself around the house in an office chair because I was so delighted to be a mum, the pain didn't matter. Well, that was dumb because six months later I still couldn't walk more than five minutes at a time and spent a lot of time in the house. Couldn't even get down comfortably on to the floor to play with DD for 12 months and ended up in tears when I had to ask another mum to take her on a bouncy castle cos I couldn't do it myself. The pain was one thing, being isolated (I don't drive) and not being able to play with my daughter was extremely upsetting.

So, I've learnt my lesson. I never, ever want to feel that way again so now I speak about it very vocally and don't give a rats if people think I'm a whinger because out of the last three years, I've been pain free for about six months. I usually find that when people ask about the pain, if you tell them that it feels like there's a guy holding each leg ripping you apart through your vagina, then people get the gist. I tell DP to imagine being kicked hard in the balls every 30 seconds and see if he'd go around with a happy smile on his face.

The good news is that if you do things to manage it, you can control the pain levels. I'm in much less pain this time around because I'm managing it much better. I'm going totally bonkers from not being able to leave the house BUT the upside is that the pain is under control.