Susie's Story

I have had 3 children in 5 years and suffered from PI. I found it worse with my first child, and much better with my third, and I think that knowledge of the condition and willingness to do what I could to manage it played a big part in this. This is my story...

After a day of traipsing up and down King’s canyon in central Australia I noticed pain in my left knee. I was 10 weeks pregnant with my first child at the time. this pain settled down as we ended our holiday, but when I returned to work (a job in which I habitually twisted my body to the right while consulting with clients) resumed my usual weekly aerobics sessions, and dancing classes the pain returned, this time on the left side of my lower back. It took me a few weeks to realize what was causing the discomfort, and that the pain was becoming progressively worse.

During this time I was in the fortunate position to have a sister who was still recovering from a severely damaged pelvis. Of course I felt very sorry for her, but, being my sister, she was able to nag me and pester me until I had my sore back seen to. and lucky for me she did. I had expected that I would ‘sail’ through pregnancy without a hiccup, and I thought back pain was normal. I wasn’t about to seek advice from anyone about it, but I’m very glad I did. When I got along to the physio my sacro iliac joints were very inflamed and unstable. Within another 2 weeks my pubic symphisis had become unstable. At this point I was 20 weeks pregnant, and walking in the slowest of shuffles. I had pelvic instability and I was terrified. my sister was far from recovered from her injury, and I had images of myself, like her, laid up on a couch for months on end, unable to function normally, unable to care for my new baby as I wanted to, and with no end in sight. I definitely didn’t want this ( I don’t think anybody wants this) My sister was the best source of motivation for me to manage my pelvis in the best way I could.

My physio (an expert in women’s health) provided a support belt, a regime of core stabilization exercises to strengthen me up, and icing to reduce the inflammation. Also a list of do’s and don’ts to prevent further injury. I couldn’t have followed that regime more closely. I had to radically change my lifestyle. I had already stopped dancing and aerobics, but now I was giving up shopping, staircases, vacuuming, and any non essential walking. I reduced my working hours to every second day, and spent the off days resting on the couch with an ice pack. The support belt was always on, and I did all my exercises and then some.

On my sister’s advice I also visited an osteopath who specializes in pregnancy. She was able to reduce tightness in my joints and assist with joint position and inflammation. She was also able to assess my muscle tone, and encouraged me to take up (non weight bearing) exercise to maintain good muscle tone in my back. That led me to start swimming twice a week. I also attended a weekly fit ball exercise class run by my physiotherapist.

I could feel my inner abdominal muscles becoming stronger after about 6-8 weeks or so of exercising. By the time my tummy had really popped I could feel a strong wall of muscle below it, and I could brace these pelvic muscles to support myself when I walked, and particularly when I used the occasional step.

By about 30 weeks my walking, while still a bit of a waddle, was better than it had been, I kept up my regime of management until the end of the pregnancy, and the pelvic pain subsided to the point that although my walking wasn’t great, I remained comfortable if I didn’t overdo it.

At 41 weeks my waters broke, and my baby (who turned out to be breech) was delivered by emergency caesarean. I had plenty of rest over the following 6 weeks, and by the time the pain from the caesar had subsided, I realized that my pelvis felt normal again.

Sixteen months later I didn’t need a pregnancy test to know that I was expecting my second child. I was out taking a long walk (how I relished walking now that I could do it again!) when I realized that my joints were moving and clicking with each step. It was the 10 week mark when I first felt that burning sensation in my pubic symphysis after climbing a flight of stairs. No more stairs for me!

settled back into my regime of physio, osteopath exercises etc, to manage this pelvis of mine. It was a bit trickier this time, having a toddler to care for, but luckily my eldest daughter has always been self sufficient and helpful, and she didn’t demand too much of me physically. From that point I stopped picking her up. With assistance she learned to climb up onto things, she climbed into the car seat, and the pram, and was delighted to be able to do more for herself.

The pain really wasn’t too bad during this pregnancy, I didn’t develop the shuffly walk this time, and I even got away with the occasional shopping trip, punctuated with sit downs though it was. That was until 27weeks, when I had the misfortune (stupidity?) to slip on a rug. I didn’t fall, it was just a matter of my right leg skidding out under me, but that was bad enough. I sprained the ligaments on the right side of my inner thigh, and I couldn’t bear any weight on my right leg. I was o the couch for 2 days solid, icing every 2 hours, willing the swelling to go down. then I started on crutches and all was going well until I slipped again (on a toy this time) 5 days later. another 2 days on the couch, more ice, then back to crutches. It took 2-3 weeks before I was able to walk without the crutches, and my baby was delivered at 37 weeks due to pregnancy complications, again by caesarean section.

6 weeks following this birth, with my caesar and pelvis feeling much better, I loaded my 2 children into my double pram and set off for the local supermarket on foot (it’s a 5 minute walk, not too far). I loaded up the pram with the usual heavy staples milk, canned food, juice, and when I returned I felt very pleased with myself. It wasn’t until that night when my pelvic joints began to ache. The next day I was due to take my new baby to the paediatrician. As I walked from the car to the practice with her over one arm, and the baby bag over my other shoulder, I could feel my back getting a little sorer. It was later that night and the next day that I realized I couldn’t weight bear on my right leg again, I had irritated the injury that I’d had when pregnant, and was unable to walk comfortably, and I couldn’t pick up my baby unless I was sitting down. I panicked, and went straight in to see the physio. Now at that point, the scar from my caesarean was not healing easily. It subsequently became infected, and I think didn’t properly close over until 12 weeks after the birth. This meant that I couldn’t wear a pelvic support belt, and couldn’t go for regular swims at this stage.

I continued to limit my activities (much harder to do when there’s a new baby though), and tried to do as much tummy strengthening as I could. I also sis some stretches to address the sore ligaments in my right thigh. It took probably 3-4 months of thinking I was better, doing too much, getting sore, resting up getting better again, before I felt like I could see light at the end of the tunnel. It was really when I got back into regular swimming that I felt my strength come back. Then the pain changed. I was getting pain all down my right leg, and it was hurting me to sit for long periods. My physio was able to alleviate this with well aimed massages, and explained that the muscles were prone to discomfort as they hadn’t been utilized properly for some time.

Six months after the birth of my second child I felt normal and strong again. My second little girl was 2 years and 4 months old when we discovered that we were having another baby. We were very nervous about this pregnancy. The prospect of another bout of pelvic instability was daunting yes, but we were also concerned for the health of our baby. I had a rare condition in which I had developed antibodies against my previous baby and was going to develop even more antibodies against this one, causing it to become anaemic. I settled into my regime of exercises, belt wearing swimming, my modified lifestyle. I began wearing compression tights (for varicose veins).

I also consulted a homeopath who had successfully treated my sister’s loose ligaments using his remedies. I began to take homeopathic remedies at approx 14 weeks into the pregnancy. This pregnancy was very smooth from a pelvis point of view. There was a little discomfort early in the second trimester, but this settled down beyond 20 weeks and really by the third trimester I was feeling pregnant, but not in any great discomfort. I was limited with my walking, but when I did need to walk, I seemed to get away with it.

I even walked on the beach one day with no pain later! so from a pelvis point of view, this was the dream pregnancy, the pelvis was the least of my worries. We did have other concerns though. our baby did become seriously anaemic at 22 weeks and required four blood transfusions in utero prior to being born at 35 weeks (again by caesarean). I developed gestational diabetes at 28 weeks, and was put onto a low GI diet, which limited my weight gain in the 3rd trimester.

So by the time I had recovered from the caesar this time, my pelvis felt absolutely normal and has remained that way. Mind you I was very cautious in my recovery this third time around, and it was months before I loaded up my double pram and took on the supermarket.

This account of my pelvic instability has been tricky to write, because I am having trouble remembering that I had difficulties in the first place. My youngest child is nearly eighteen months old now she can’t walk yet, but I can pick her up without any hassles. I can even pick up my six year old if I need to. I can wield big heavy supermarket trolleys around the shops, I can vacuum, I can walk for endless kilometres, I have taken up tap dancing. My joints just aren’t an issue anymore, and I’m really enjoying moving again!