Posted by Mels on September 01, 2003 at 21:55:15:
Girls, I am searching for other SPD sufferers. It seems like every time I mention it to anyone, they say, "My god, I have never heard of such a thing."
I don't blame them. If someone told it to me, I'd think it was a crock! It is so bizarre. My pelvis separated during the birth of my son. It was 4 centimeters separated. I couldn't walk. I had a walker which I had to use for a few weeks. I had to sleep sitting up in a chair. I had to carry my baby in a Snugli around the house while I used the walker. It took me days to be able to go down 3 stairs to my yard the first time I tried.
So that's what I mean...it sounds like an old wive's tale or something out of the Enquirer or something..."I split my bones giving birth to my child..." I mean normally, when the child is to big, it simply won't come down, and then a C-section is performed. Not so with Colin. He pushed out from zero station to crowning in one push. I kept screaming about how badly it hurt, but the doctor had heard that many times before so she didn't think much of it. But the nurse did tell me later that she and the doctor heard a "pop" when I was having my son.
Is there anybody else out there who had this? I read up on it a little on the net, but none of the sites say the woman will basically be paralyzed for weeks. I couldn't lift my legs and I had some nerve damage--I still can't feel my big toe, believe it or not. I was never given medication for this. I was told to take Tylenol. Every time I took a step I could feel things grinding together down there. And that's when I could finally take steps in the first place!
It still hurts much of the time but absolutely nothing like it did. I would say by about 3 weeks postpartum I could walk with just a limp; by about 4 weeks postpartum I was able to lie down and put my legs together; and by about 7 weeks postpartum the pain started to go away. I'm now almost 9 weeks postpartum.
I lost a lot of faith in my doctor after that. I have read that a woman with SPD should give birth on all fours. Coincidentally, I begged my doctor to let me stay on all fours. It just hurt unbearably in any other position. But she demanded that I get on my back. They kept pulling my legs open. I didn't know it at the time, but they were tearing my cartilege farther & farther apart as they opened my legs. I kept trying to pull them back together. I was screaming. God, it still makes me cry to think about it. I don't want to go accusing my doctor, b/c it definitely was a "freak" sort of occurence and she didn't know I would tear like that, but, still, shouldn't she have listened to me? God, I can't even describe the pain of having your legs pulled wide apart while your cartilege tears, your bones separate and your nine-pound baby pushes through that mess of torn bone and tissue.
Sorry to gross anyone out. I guess the whole thing was pretty nightmarish to me. Up until the actual delivery, things were awesome. The contractions hardly hurt. In fact, I went to the doctor thinking I was in very early labor, and he told me I was 9 cm! An hour later, I had given birth. The labor was a breeze. But the delivery left me a cripple for weeks.
Sorry this is so long & emotional. I'm glad things are okay and I'm glad I have a healthy son. But if I ever get pregnant again this could all separate again. The only thing that could prevent it is surgery where a plate would weld my pelvis together, which would then cause pain b/c my pelvis would be TRYING to separate during the pregnancy. And it guarantees a C-section next time. So I guess I'm upset & disappointed, though very grateful my son came through it okay. What if he had gotten stuck? What if he'd been deprived of oxygen ? So I am very grateful he's fine.
Did anybody else have SPD? How severe was it? Has anybody had it, then gone on to have another baby? I really hope there is somebody out there who can relate.
P.S.: Just so you know, I'm not a weakling or anything. :) Previously I had given birth to an 8-lb., 4 oz. baby with no complications. During this pregnancy I did pregnancy aerobics about 2-3 times a week all the way up until my 8th month, and I walked daily in addition, a minimum of 5 days a week. I was strong and I should have been able to withstand birth with no problem.
Thanks for any input,
Mels
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