Pregnancy...hips Feel like They're Falling Apart!

Updated on May 18, 2012
A.G. asks from Orem, UT
9 answers

This is my 6th pregnancy...I am definitely no stranger to pregnancy pain. I have horrible varicose veins 'down there'...excrutiatingly painful...and now all of a sudden, my hips feel like they're falling apart! I recall feeling similar pain closer to my due date before...but I've got at least 2 months left :/. When I walk, or even just shift my weight from one foot to the other...something makes a popping sound. I spend most of the day painfully (and painfully embarrassingly) waddling. Seriously, I saw a 90 year old guy get out of his car the other day that moved easier that I am right now! I always have hip 'pain' during pregnancy...I can always feel them spreading and loosening up, etc...but this just feels 'different'...lifting my legs, moving, anything...is sooo painful! Any suggestions?

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So What Happened?

* It's so true...it's so much more painful after I sit for awhile. I was thinking yesterday I need to get in the pool...maybe we'll head to the rec center today :). Nice to know I'm not the only one!

** I'm looking into a belly support band...I was actually reading reviews on them the other night on amazon trying to decide which one. I suppose I should tell my midwife... :p. The longer I go in between appointments...the faster the pregnancy seems to go...lol. I'm hoping she can give me some exercises...that would be nice! Anyway...I suppose I should get up and start moving...sitting this long is generally not a good thing! Thanks again...I look forward to any more suggestions :)

Featured Answers

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

try a belly brace. with #3 my hips wouldn't stay in place. I would stand up and one side or the other would give and I would fall. It was amazing the difference with the belly brace. I wasn't in pain anymore and could actually walk again.

3 moms found this helpful

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K.H.

answers from Reno on

Been there, doing that-right down to the varicose veins in the hoo hah!!!! I'm due in august. Start taking tylenol to relieve some pain and if at all possible exercise in the pool!!!! Seriously it takes a load off our poor pregnant joints-even if you are just walking laps! Oh and as tempting as it may be to lie or sit down frequently-don't! It hurts so much worse getting up after having sat for hours. Sleep with pillows between your knees and ankles too!********
Added: I also started riding my bike-doesn't really bother the veins and I'm not putting all my weight on my hips. It's helped the veins in my lower legs and ankles too. Also watch what you eat so you aren't swelling up as much and adding more weight to your body.

2 moms found this helpful
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T.B.

answers from Miami on

Yep, this is typical for women who have had many pregnancies. That is what my doctor said when I complained of serious pain during my 4th pregnancy. It felt like I had ridden a horse with no saddle for a week. And I've never ridden a horse but that is the pain I could best compare it to. After the baby is born, it will go away.

1 mom found this helpful

K.L.

answers from Chicago on

Chiropractic is AWESOME during pregnancy. Indulge yourself! :D

1 mom found this helpful

L.L.

answers from Rochester on

I had the same thing with my last pregnancy and after being checked out by a physical therapist, was told that both my hips were "close" to being dislocated due to the general loosening of the joint during pregnancy. He gave me what I can only call a girdle, although it was soft and worn around the hips (and fully adjustable, of course!) and after wearing it for just a few days, I felt 100% better. Check into it...I don't know exactly what it's called...some sort of supportive hip pregnancy belt or something. It was very wide (probably 12 inches tall) and fit under clothes. My insurance covered it.

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J.W.

answers from San Francisco on

You are not alone! Talk to your doctor to see what your options are. Your insurance may pay for the belly band. They may also have specific exercises to help. Mine got much worse when I was put on bed rest, but the exercises helped some. I also got some sore muscle balm with cinnamon and ginger (be careful, most sore muscle rubs you should not use during pregnancy) that has helped my hips a lot.
Good luck!

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Have you asked your doctor about this?

Round ligament pain is to be expected...but this sounds like more.

Good luck!

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S.G.

answers from Cheyenne on

I had this with both of my pregnancies and in the 2nd it was so bad I had a wheelchair for a while. During the first pregnancy, when I went in for an appointment, my midwife could immediately see it with how I stood up and walked and she sent me to physical therapy and recommended a supportive band, which did help a bit, as did the exercises. The physical therapist told me absolutely no unnecessary stairs. Stairs are REALLY bad for it (they call it pelvic instability here) so I was only allowed to make ONE trip down stairs during the day. I had to make sure I had everything I needed for the day when I went downstairs and then I couldn't go back up until bedtime. Also, she said for the first 4 days after delivery, I was not allowed to do stairs at ALL. My husband had to stay home and take care of food and things like that because I wasn't allowed. She also told me to alternate periods of walking, standing, and sitting...no more than 15 minutes of walking at a time, and when you get out of bed, try to keep your knees together and roll out of bed. By the end of my pregnancy, my husband had to help me put my socks and shoes on and take them off, because I couldn't lift my left leg at all. And I don't want to scare you, but I still have problems with it when I've been sitting for a while, or walking to much. My youngest is 4 and a half. It never went away completely, and the first 6 weeks after delivery it got worse than it was during the pregnancy. So, no stairs unless you have to, roll out of bed, alternate walking, standing and sitting, and get a supportive stomach band.

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S.O.

answers from Billings on

I can totally relate. I'm 27 weeks pregnant with my second, and my pelvis and hips are KILLING ME. I talked to my doc about it, and he said some pregnancies are like this, and for some pregnant women it gets so bad they even have to use a walker. (My husband now jokes about getting me a "Rascal".) Anyhow, doc said he could send me to physical therapy where they could give me some "excercises" to do, but really, I just need to get through it. Your pelvis opens up and hip joints get all loose during pregnancy. When I get out of bed in the mornings I have to grab on to walls, furniture, whatever I can until my hips and pelvis start "working". I did get a support band - the one made by Boppy - and that seriously does help for when I'm standing, or walking. However, I discovered I can't really wear it at work because when I'm sitting at my desk all it does it cut unto me. But after work and on weekends I put that sucker on. But I completely understand. I'm also spending about half the night in the recliner, just for change of position and to relieve pain. And getting out of a car is the worst. Or walking around Costco. I feel like a waddling cripple. *hugs*

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