March on TalkMum was The Motherhood Month. We’ve been discussing what it means to be a mum, and celebrating motherhood in all shapes and forms.

Here’s a round-up of all the posts from this month: Read more

Next up on Motherhood Month is a post from our pregnant TalkMum blogger Eleanor. With only three weeks to go until her due date, here she discusses her thoughts on becoming a mum, and how she’s dealt with problems in her pregnancy. Follow Eleanor on Twitter at @EleanorWi

When motherhood month on TalkMum rolled around I wondered what I might write about. In the end, I realised that although our baby isn’t safe beside me right now, it’s safe inside me instead – which, aside from a lot of support from my wonderful husband, is mostly down to me. And I’ve decided, that does make me a mother! A mother with three weeks till D-day!

The most unexpected side effect of my expectant state is that I have evolved into a machine with a purpose. You’ll hear lots of talk of labour as a ‘productive pain’ – which is an excellent way to look at it. But the productive pain started way before that, for me, which is something I have actually begun to appreciate!

As a reward for knowing how to grow a baby without having to ask for instructions, my body has given its lower half some time off for good behaviour and has cut my pelvis loose for a freestyle few months just when I needed it most. I’ve had a condition called SPD since around 25 weeks.

SPD stands for Symphysis Pubis Disfunction.  It comes in various degrees and pain levels. Mine is considered mid-range. At its mildest form, it’s a recurring pain in the pelvis, a sort of crunching feeling, and difficulty with much movement. At worst, it involves a wheelchair, bed rest and an alternative birth plan.

SPD can come on at any time from around 16-18 weeks. If you are struggling to get comfortable in bed, move from sitting to standing, or feel soreness when you walk for short periods, consult your GP. Get a physio referral, a nice Shrek-style support belt, and cut yourself some slack.

These are bad times, the pain is hard, but it’s purposeful. I like to think of it like this – your body is concentrating on supporting your baby.  Your body is making you into a mother as it creates your child.  It’s literally making you less selfish. Read more

TalkMum blogger Sonia shares her story of pelvic pain in pregnancy and how she’s overcome the difficulties she’s faced in her second pregnancy.

In terms of the usual difficulties in pregnancy, such as morning sickness and extreme tiredness, I have been very lucky with both of my pregnancies so far. I didn’t really suffer with Noah (my first) and nor have I suffered this time around. I think the worst I had with Noah was a few nights where the room would spin when I went to bed which would create a nausea feeling, but it would soon pass as I would fall asleep. I had much the same this time around, but I had the handy Gingernut biscuits in the bed side table ready this time! So when I woke up I would have a few biscuits and a cup of tea which would be the start of my day. I know I am very lucky in this respect as a lot of mummies-to-be I know had very bad sickness and some people throughout the entire pregnancy, so I do count my lucky stars.

However, not all has been so wonderful this time around! At about 24 weeks I started to get pelvic pain which made it hard for me to sleep at night and get up from a sitting position. I first noticed it at work – because I was sitting at my desk for a long period of time my pelvis must have been “comfy” and where I got up quickly I experienced sharp, shooting pains in my pelvis area and felt very stiff and uncomfortable. It was almost like I had been running a marathon and my pelvis area had just given up on me. I was surprised because I didn’t get this with Noah at all.

So what did I do about it?

At my 26 week midwife appointment I explained the feelings to the midwife – at this point the pain was getting worse and worse and each day that passed I felt more and more like I was stiffening up. Unless I was to sit down all day long (which you cannot do with a toddler and 2 dogs!) it was just going to keep on getting worse. The midwife explained that it was a condition called SPD and that I needed to be seen by a Physio who would give me a support belt and advise me on some exercises and techniques to help ease the pain.

She said I would hear back in two weeks from the Physio department with an appointment. However, it has ended up taking about six weeks to get an appointment, as I explain in my article about getting appointments during pregnancy. I really wasn’t a happy bunny and I had stopped walking the dogs and doing as much walking as I had been, which did indeed help. However, sleeping at night was still painful, getting in and out of the car was trouble and side steps were just a no-go! I am happy to say that after my 32 week check-up, (where I was not so happy to my midwife!), there has now been an appointment created for me by the midwife herself for next Monday when I will be 35 weeks.

It’s taken nearly 10 weeks of calling, moaning, hurting and waiting to finally get a Physio appointment and I just hope that it is worth it on Monday!

What would I advise?

• Whether you are not, make sure you have the phone numbers that you need: midwives/doctors/hospital, right from the start of your pregnancy.
• If there is anything that anyone says to you during pregnancy that you are not sure of, ask them to explain. Do not feel silly!
• If you feel that you are not being listened to, make sure you get a second opinion or ask to see another midwife – you have to feel respected as a new mum-to-be, especially with your first pregnancy.
• Do not wait around for 10 weeks if you are waiting for a Physio appointment because the pain does get worse, make sure to call the midwives daily until someone responds to you and you get an appointment confirmed.
• If you do suffer with SPD, purchase a maternity pillow to help with sleeping at night time, make sure you cut down on the walking and try to have a nice hot bath every night to ease the pain in your pelvis area.