I had SPD during my pregnancy, I had never even heard of this before so I didn't know what to expect. From what I have gathered it seems that the symptoms vary from person to person, and can be quite mild. I have heard of people starting to suffer from it at 16 weeks, and others just before birth. For me the symptoms built up quite gradually, from a bit of discomfort in the early months, to using crutches, to being confined to a sofa on my side in the final weeks. I only feel that I fully recovered about 6 months after my daughter was born (luckily a pram makes a pretty good walking frame) I measure recovered as being able to walk a good distance without having to lean on something, and without suffering for it the next day.
I started to have lower back and hip pain at around 26 weeks, I was finding it hard to walk the dog so I told my doctor, who referred me to a physiotherapist (this took 8 weeks). I didn't think too much of it, as I knew that you could get a sore back during pregnancy, and the baby had been lying sideways causing me to over compensate in order to balance. What I didn't realise was how bad it could get.
At 32 weeks I went back to work, after the summer holidays, I found that it was suddenly very difficult to walk the distance between my classroom and the staff room. Over the weekend I cleaned the windows, this meant I stupidly stood on a ladder with one foot and on the windowsill with the other. The result was that my pelvis felt like it was splitting apart. I managed to get from my car into the front door at work the following Monday, before they sent me home, that was the last time I went to work.
The pain was best described as feeling like I had been kicked by a horse (between the legs), it was a sharp pain, at times, and a very very dull ache that never went. It left me feeling exhausted, sick and unable to move at more than a snail's pace.
I saw a different midwife for every single one of my appointments, and each of them had a different opinion on what I should do, some said I would be induced early, others said this would make it worse. They all agreed that the only cure was to have the baby & not be pregnant. The doctor wanted me to take codeine for the pain, but I really couldn't justify the possible side effects, so I only took it when I really couldn't bear it.
Luckily, I already had a physiotherapy appointment lined up, as it would have taken a further 8 weeks for one to come through. The physiotherapist was lovely, but basically could do little for me for fear of making it worse. She gave me crutches and a support belt and tubigrip and asked to see me in 4 weeks. The crutches meant I could move a bit faster, but it was still incredibly painful.
I am very lucky to have an amazing Mum and Step-Mum to help me out, and shake me out of the depression that I was sinking into. The first came over from France to help finish the cleaning/decorating of the baby's room, and the second paid for me to see a chiropractor.
The chiropractor gave me 2 more support belts to try, which gave a firmer support to my hip and pelvis. She also had a magic table which meant I could lie on my front with my bump poking through a hole, this was total bliss! She did help me to feel a bit better, and gave me little exercises to do, and I am glad I went.
Mostly, I wish I had taken more care in the early stages of pregnancy, especially when I started to feel pain. I really should not have cleaned the bedroom windows, but I didn't feel like it was a task that was beyond me.
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Monday, 6 December 2010
Friday, 3 December 2010
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (Morning sickness..)
It was Friday lunchtime on the 6th week of being pregnant that I started to feel a bit sick.
I found myself having to sit down, as if the room was spinning and I could stop it somehow. I thought "Ah ha, I had better buy some ginger biscuits!". So, off I went to Somerfield, stocking up on ginger beer, ginger biscuits and ginger crackers. If truth be told I was actually quite excited about having real-life pregnancy symptoms. By the following Tuesday I was waking up several times a night throwing up, so I went to the doctor.
They assumed I must have a urine or kidney infection as I was being sick with such force, but the results of the test that they sent off were negative (they gave me antibiotics to take whilst I was waiting 3 days for the results). I had 2 days off work, and went back in on the Thursday, but I was still being sick and had to go home. I went back to the doctor, as by this point I could not eat a thing. They gave me Metoclopramide and a sick note stating 'hyperemesis gravidarum' as the reason for absence. This was the first time I had ever hear of such a thing. I had so much work to do, and felt a real pressure to be at work: this probably stressed me out more than not being able to cope with feeling so sick and weak.
I really hoped the drugs would work, but I found they had little effect. I managed 4 days back at work, before being signed off for a further week, which ended up being 4 weeks in bed, barely able to sip water. I tried every ginger product under the sun, I tried wrist bands, preggypops, dry crackers, biscuits. I ended up with a daily diet of: a frusili bar, a carton of ribena and a lucozade energy sweet. I felt so miserable, but kept thinking it would pass by 12 weeks.
At 10 weeks we went out for a friend's birthday, I ate a few bits of bread. This was a mistake, as I threw them up in the toilet, and in the street on the way back to the car, in full view of a glass-fronted restaurant. I had to tell everyone I knew (including my boss) that I was pregnant, as it was quite obvious that I was very sick, and I lost 1st in weight.
I was given a variety of other drugs to try, but they made me very drowsy, so I ended up sticking with the metoclopramide. At 12 weeks, I was still very sick, at 14 weeks I went back to work, and felt dreadful. at 16 weeks I was still being sick. All the way to 26 weeks.
Apart from wondering how it is that your own body could make you so ill, and whether it was all worth it, I felt like other people were judging me. Everyone had an opinion, my boss, friends, family. People would say "oh yeah, I had morning sickness, you just need ginger biscuits" or "X had morning sickness and they still worked". My midwife told me to eat a bowl of cereal in the middle of the night, not listening when I said I actually couldn't eat anything at all. It was hard to describe to people how hyperemesis is different to morning sickness, and how disabling it was, as they already had an opinion about how it is just part of a normal pregnancy. I felt like they must think I was a weak person for not being able to cope with something so basic a part of pregnancy. I think this is because people don't talk about how bad it can get. I had never even heard of it myself, and would probably have had the same attitude.
Maybe I shouldn't have been so worried about what other people thought of me. I know that some people get it much worse, and much longer that I had it, and even need to stay in hospital. I just wanted to share my experience, as it is the sort of information I was looking for when I was pregnant.
I found myself having to sit down, as if the room was spinning and I could stop it somehow. I thought "Ah ha, I had better buy some ginger biscuits!". So, off I went to Somerfield, stocking up on ginger beer, ginger biscuits and ginger crackers. If truth be told I was actually quite excited about having real-life pregnancy symptoms. By the following Tuesday I was waking up several times a night throwing up, so I went to the doctor.
They assumed I must have a urine or kidney infection as I was being sick with such force, but the results of the test that they sent off were negative (they gave me antibiotics to take whilst I was waiting 3 days for the results). I had 2 days off work, and went back in on the Thursday, but I was still being sick and had to go home. I went back to the doctor, as by this point I could not eat a thing. They gave me Metoclopramide and a sick note stating 'hyperemesis gravidarum' as the reason for absence. This was the first time I had ever hear of such a thing. I had so much work to do, and felt a real pressure to be at work: this probably stressed me out more than not being able to cope with feeling so sick and weak.
I really hoped the drugs would work, but I found they had little effect. I managed 4 days back at work, before being signed off for a further week, which ended up being 4 weeks in bed, barely able to sip water. I tried every ginger product under the sun, I tried wrist bands, preggypops, dry crackers, biscuits. I ended up with a daily diet of: a frusili bar, a carton of ribena and a lucozade energy sweet. I felt so miserable, but kept thinking it would pass by 12 weeks.
At 10 weeks we went out for a friend's birthday, I ate a few bits of bread. This was a mistake, as I threw them up in the toilet, and in the street on the way back to the car, in full view of a glass-fronted restaurant. I had to tell everyone I knew (including my boss) that I was pregnant, as it was quite obvious that I was very sick, and I lost 1st in weight.
I was given a variety of other drugs to try, but they made me very drowsy, so I ended up sticking with the metoclopramide. At 12 weeks, I was still very sick, at 14 weeks I went back to work, and felt dreadful. at 16 weeks I was still being sick. All the way to 26 weeks.
Apart from wondering how it is that your own body could make you so ill, and whether it was all worth it, I felt like other people were judging me. Everyone had an opinion, my boss, friends, family. People would say "oh yeah, I had morning sickness, you just need ginger biscuits" or "X had morning sickness and they still worked". My midwife told me to eat a bowl of cereal in the middle of the night, not listening when I said I actually couldn't eat anything at all. It was hard to describe to people how hyperemesis is different to morning sickness, and how disabling it was, as they already had an opinion about how it is just part of a normal pregnancy. I felt like they must think I was a weak person for not being able to cope with something so basic a part of pregnancy. I think this is because people don't talk about how bad it can get. I had never even heard of it myself, and would probably have had the same attitude.
Maybe I shouldn't have been so worried about what other people thought of me. I know that some people get it much worse, and much longer that I had it, and even need to stay in hospital. I just wanted to share my experience, as it is the sort of information I was looking for when I was pregnant.
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