Midwife Appointment - Week 29
We went to the midwife today to check-up on little Miss Annie!
The good stuff:
- For the past 2 or 3 visits, my belly has been measuring 2 weeks above what I actually am (ex: at week 24 I was measuring at 26 and at week 27 I was measuring at 29). Today, my belly measured smaller - I am 29 weeks and my belly was measuring at 28.
- The reason for the smaller belly measurement is that Annie has turned head down!!! We are praising the Lord for this!! No breech baby = home birth is a GO! Her little head is down and her feet are up... and her booty is on my right. Midwife says that she'll flip from side to side, but she should stay head down for the remainder of my pregnancy!!
- Blood pressure and her little heart rate are all good!
The ok stuff:
-I've gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks... which is still ok since I went from week 24 to 27 without any weight gain. I suppose my body is just playing catch up!
The not so ok stuff:
- I have had a lot of pain in my pubic area over the last two weeks when I stand up from sitting for a while, when I try to roll over in bed, dry my legs off after a shower, put my pants on, etc... Not only that, but there is a little swelling on the left side of my pubic area that popped up about 4 days ago that I found to be a little alarming. I talked to my midwife about it today and she described to me what was happening. Based on what I've read, it seems I have developed what is called Pubic Symphysis Diastis (I've seen this condition called other things, but that seems to be a decently common name!)
What is PSD? (I found all of this info at bandbacktogether.com)
it is moderate to severe pubic bone pain due to the spreading or separation of the ligaments in the pubic symphysis area. The reason for the swelling that I talked about is that instead of my bones being in line, one side is poking forward further than the other, which is causing irritation and inflamation. Awesome.
What causes it?
The good stuff:
- For the past 2 or 3 visits, my belly has been measuring 2 weeks above what I actually am (ex: at week 24 I was measuring at 26 and at week 27 I was measuring at 29). Today, my belly measured smaller - I am 29 weeks and my belly was measuring at 28.
- The reason for the smaller belly measurement is that Annie has turned head down!!! We are praising the Lord for this!! No breech baby = home birth is a GO! Her little head is down and her feet are up... and her booty is on my right. Midwife says that she'll flip from side to side, but she should stay head down for the remainder of my pregnancy!!
- Blood pressure and her little heart rate are all good!
The ok stuff:
-I've gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks... which is still ok since I went from week 24 to 27 without any weight gain. I suppose my body is just playing catch up!
The not so ok stuff:
- I have had a lot of pain in my pubic area over the last two weeks when I stand up from sitting for a while, when I try to roll over in bed, dry my legs off after a shower, put my pants on, etc... Not only that, but there is a little swelling on the left side of my pubic area that popped up about 4 days ago that I found to be a little alarming. I talked to my midwife about it today and she described to me what was happening. Based on what I've read, it seems I have developed what is called Pubic Symphysis Diastis (I've seen this condition called other things, but that seems to be a decently common name!)
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| Normal Pelvis |
What is PSD? (I found all of this info at bandbacktogether.com)
it is moderate to severe pubic bone pain due to the spreading or separation of the ligaments in the pubic symphysis area. The reason for the swelling that I talked about is that instead of my bones being in line, one side is poking forward further than the other, which is causing irritation and inflamation. Awesome.
What causes it?
it is thought to be caused by the excess production of the hormone relaxin during pregnancy. This hormone is important during pregnancy because it allows the ligaments and membranes that surround the pelvic joints to loosen (or relax) in order to allow a baby to pass through the pelvic opening during labor and delivery. While some separation in the pubic symphysis area is normal, pubic symphysis diastasis occurs when an excess amount of relaxin causes the ligaments in the pelvic area to separate too much.
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| Pelvis with PSD |
So what do I do about it?
Unfortunately its something that just happens sometimes so there really isnt a cure, but there are a few things I can do to help relieve the pain and prevent the bones from pulling apart even more.
-Typically pregnant women are encouraged to do squats and lunges during this part of their pregnancy to help aid in labor and birth. Since my bones are pulling apart too much, this is completely off limits for me.
- Try to avoid squatting
- I have to be very aware of where my legs are and keep them together when at all possible - when I sit, lay, roll over, I shouldnt lift a leg at a time to put my pants on, but need to sit when I do that or dry my legs when getting out of the shower, and then try to keep them together as best as possible when climbing stairs.
-See a chiropractor. They can help line the bones back up so that one isn't protruding out further than the other, and they can work to keep them pushed together. The good news with seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy too is that they can get all pelvic bones in line so that baby will have an easier time getting through the birth canal and is less likely to get stuck or have problems.
Midwife says its highly probable that I'll need to continue my visits postpartum to get the bones pushed back together. Sometimes the bones go back on their own, sometimes they need help. Worst case scenario: I'll need surgery to smush them together, but the need for this is very very rare, which is good news.
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