What pelvic pain of pregnancy taught me...about tuning in and building up

Before I was pregnant, I’d seen gravid animals galore in my veterinary work, and somehow never recognized the difference between a quadruped and a biped carrying their unborn offspring. And you know, not one of them ever complained to me about body aches and pains - so I suppose I can use that in my defence! I just didn’t realise how many tiny movements, habits, and muscle imbalances could shape the way a (human) pregnant body feels — or how sharply it can speak when something’s not well supported.

The first time I felt that sharp, lightning‑bolt pinch at the front of my pelvis, I didn’t know it had a name. I didn’t know it would become one of the defining threads woven through my pregnancies — sometimes faint, sometimes loud, sometimes disappearing entirely, only to return with a vengeance when I least expected it (even years after pregnancy). And I sure didn’t know what, if anything, I could do about it.

Like so much of matrescence, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) taught me things I didn’t know I needed to learn. About my body. About my limits. About support. About patience. And about how deeply the pelvis responds to stress, load, hormones, and life.

This post is for you if you’re newly pregnant, deep in the thick of pelvic pain, or simply wanting to understand what’s happening in your body. Because knowledge is grounding — and grounding is everything when your pelvis feels like it’s splitting in half. SPD isn’t a sign of weakness or failure. It’s simply your pelvis asking for steadiness, symmetry, and muscular support.

What SPD is (and why it hurts so much)

SPD happens when the joint at the front of the pelvis (the pubic symphysis) becomes irritated or unstable. Pregnancy hormones like relaxin soften the ligaments, which is helpful for birth — but it also means the pelvis relies more heavily on muscular support to stay steady. When that support is unbalanced, certain movements can tug, shear, or strain the joint, causing one or more of these symptoms:

• sudden sharp ‘stops-you-in-your-tracks’ pain
• grinding or clicking
• a ‘my pelvis is falling apart’ or ‘separating in half’ feeling
• ‘lightning crotch’ (though this may also be a catch-all term for other things, like baby headbutting the cervix or pudendal nerve irritation or compression by the weight of the foetus or certain movements they make)
• dull, dragging aches

Many women feel SPD during:

• Rolling in bed (knees separating, pelvis twisting)
• Walking on uneven surfaces (up and down stairs, sand, sloping ground)
• Standing on one leg (putting pants on, stepping into the car)
• Wide stances or deep asymmetrical positions (carrying a toddler on one hip, or awkwardly stepping over their toy booby-traps)
• Pushing heavy objects (trolleys, prams – especially on hills or around corners)
• Fast or uncontrolled transitions (catching yourself after a misstep, excessive or exuberant exercise especially with uneven weight distribution)
• Long duration of standing (maybe not at the time, but perhaps an ache appears later in bed, or even the next day)

SPD isn’t dangerous, but it is impactful. And it’s incredibly common*. These patterns are well‑documented in prenatal movement research and yoga safety guidelines, which emphasise avoiding positions that create instability, asymmetry, shear force or excessive abdominal/pelvic pressure during pregnancy. Tuning in to these may just become a superpower for improved prenatal comfort and function.

*as are other pregnancy-related complaints linked with the pelvis, like sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain and sciatica. I’ll also add here that many of the things that help with SPD pain will also support SIJ pain. We Mamas do love a bit of bang‑for‑buck, so if you’re dealing with either (or both), this post may give you extra benefit. Sciatica, though…that one may need its own love letter another day.

My story: four pregnancies, four very different pelvic experiences

Pregnancy one: a whisper

My first pregnancy brought only the faintest hint of SPD — a mild discomfort here and there, nothing that stopped me in my tracks. And after birth, it vanished completely. I didn’t think about it again.

Pregnancies two & three: a murmur

The next two pregnancies brought a little more intensity. Still manageable, still intermittent, still gone after birth, though perhaps lingering a little longer each time. I chalked it up to “just pregnancy things” and carried on.

Pregnancy eight (but fourth baby): a roar

My final pregnancy was different.

SPD arrived early, loudly, and with friends — namely SIJ pain. Rolling over hurt. Getting up hurt. Walking hurt. Even putting on underwear felt like a small act of bravery. And unlike the earlier pregnancies, the pain didn’t magically disappear after birth. It lingered, at times just as sharp, just as limiting, and always demanding real attention.

This was the pregnancy that taught me the most. The one that forced me to slow down, to get curious, to seek help, and to rebuild from the ground up.

It taught me how to tune in — to the tiny movements that mattered, the subtle cues my body whispered before it screamed, the difference between pushing through and supporting myself.

And it taught me how to build up — strength, stability, breath, awareness, and trust.

 Tuning in - movements to gently avoid or modify

Reputable prenatal yoga and obstetric guidance consistently recommend steering clear of movements that increase pelvic strain, especially those involving instability, deep twisting, or wide asymmetrical positions.

Here are the ones that made the biggest difference for me:

• Rolling in bed with knees apart → Place a pillow from thigh or knee to ankle. Bend the knees (keeping them together), and bring the feet flat on the bed with a little weight down into them. Next is a slight lift and shift of the hips as one unit (cup the hands under the glutes to help stabilise if needed), as you bring the knees up to centre – you’ll be momentarily on your back, which is still ok. Support both glutes while you shift the hips further to the side as you ‘log roll’ to the other side, keeping the legs ‘velcroed’ together through the whole movement.
• Stepping into the car one leg at a time → Sit first, then lift both legs in together. Same in reverse to get out!
• Stairs or steep inclines → Take them slowly, one step at a time, or reduce frequency of use where possible. On stairs, be literal about the 'one step' - left foot up, right foot onto the same step, then move to the next one.
• Wide‑leg yoga poses (deep lunges, goddess, big side steps) → Narrow the stance or swap for more symmetrical alternatives like squats.
• Single‑leg balance poses → Use the wall or skip them entirely during a flare. And even when you're doing simple everyday tasks like the washing up, check if you've taken to resting more on one foot, and consider evening the weight out over both again.

Avoiding these isn’t about fear or restriction — it’s about giving your pelvis a chance to settle while you build the muscular support that makes movement feel safer again.

You can also explore pelvic support bands to help make everyday movements feel more comfortable. During my pregnancies, the hospital gave me a simple tubi‑grip for bump and pelvic support. It helped, but I often wonder now whether a more specialised option might have offered even better stability.

My Serola belt has been incredible postpartum — and it’s pregnancy‑safe according to the packaging — but with my low Bump in late pregnancy, I suspect it might have felt a little too compressive. It’s still worth discussing options like this, or alternatives such as Belly Bands or the Bubba Bump pregnancy support belt, with your healthcare team if you’re curious. The right support can make a noticeable difference, especially while you’re building strength and stability through movement (and you can't help your ligament laxity).

Building up - the muscles that provide the most stability

Physios often focus on strengthening the muscles that provide dynamic stability — the kind of muscular support that helps the pelvis feel secure as you move.

These include:

• Transversus abdominis (deepest abdominal layer, commonly referred to as part of the ‘deep core’ group)
• Pelvic floor (made up of multiple muscles that suspend the pelvic organs, and another component of ‘deep core’)
• Gluteus medius (‘side hip’ stabiliser)
• Gluteus maximus (hip extensor, stabiliser for ‘back of hip’ and posture)
• Adductors (inner thighs)
• Deep hip rotators (small stabilisers that keep the hip centred and reduce strain)

When these muscles work together, the pelvis feels less wobbly, less painful, and more capable of carrying you through daily life with ease.

The yoga poses that helped me the most

These are the exact movements I used — gentle, supportive, and physiotherapist‑aligned — woven into my own practice during my final pregnancy and postpartum recovery.

1. Supported Bridge (with a block)

Laying on your back, feet hip‑width, around a hand length away from the buttocks. A small lift, block between the thighs, another under the hips if needed. This pose helped me re‑engage my glutes and inner thighs without flaring symptoms. It also offered a gentle chest opening without the risks of deep backbends, which are discouraged in pregnancy due to abdominal strain.

I did it up to the birth with my third child but only up to around 30 weeks with my fourth, because it felt uncomfortable and hard to breathe with excess fluid retention in that pregnancy. After birthing I typically did pelvic tilts to prepare for the lift. I worked my way up to gentle and brief ‘mini-lifts’ from around 2-4 weeks after vaginal birth** but and waited 6-8 weeks,  or even longer, for a full lift. Staying tuned in to how my body was feeling — and building up as slowly as it needed — helped me avoid the kind of strain that can set recovery back.

**or 6-8 weeks for c-section

2. Wall Squat (with a block) 

Back against the wall, block between the knees, sinking down only to where comfortable on a slow exhale. This was my go-to for building strength in the quads, glutes (especially medius), and adductors — the trio that holds the pelvis steady during everyday movement.

It also helped retrain my brain: This is what stable feels like.

It’s great for labour prep too, if you can hold until you start to get some muscle fatigue, letting your mind get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Fine up to birthing if comfortable and not compressing Bump, and fine after birthing if gentle and slow (sinking just a whisper at first) to avoid abdominal or pelvic floor strain, and working up to a deeper squat from 6 weeks on

3. Split‑Stance Hip Hinge

Not strictly a yoga pose, but a gem taught to me by a physio. I know it sounds like it might increase shear, but done gently and with awareness it’s unlikely to exacerbate symptoms. And as always, if it doesn’t feel right for you, just skip this one!

Step the right foot back about 2–3 foot lengths (alter as needed for comfort), keeping the heel lifted. Ground the left foot fully and take about 80% of the weight. Draw the lower belly in gently and hinge forward a little at the hips.

Hold onto a chair for support as you learn the movement. Slowly lift and lower the right femur — think of the right buttock rising slightly, then the right knee lowering — while keeping the left femur completely still. Switch sides and repeat.

This helped reposition my femur, reduce pelvic floor gripping, and restore a more optimal load‑sharing pattern through the pelvis. When the pelvic floor can stop clenching for dear life, everything downstream works better.

Safe in pregnancy if you can leave room for Bump and use furniture to reduce fall risk. Any compression or discomfort means you should ease out of it. Safe after pregnancy too, though consider continuing to use the furniture in the early days and avoid abdominal or pelvic floor strain for at least the first 6-8 weeks.

If this isn’t for you right now, consider a side lying clamshell for glutes (especially medius) and deep hip rotators, but keep the knee lift minimal and hips stacked to avoid exacerbating SPD and SIJ pain. If wanting to add those adductors, squeeze a pillow between the knees before you lift.

4. Gentle Rib‑Mobility Work

For rib mobility, I used a combination of 360‑degree breathing (there’s a full walkthrough on my YouTube channel — it has more nuance than you might expect, but essentially you imagine the torso as a cylindrical container and guide the breath into all sides, top and bottom), straw breathing, lateral stretches, and soft twists (open twists only — closed twists are contraindicated in pregnancy due to abdominal compression). These helped “unstick” the tight, protective patterns my body had developed around pain.

5. Constructive rest

Sometimes, your body really just needs a break. Getting in water may help provide temporary relief of ache, especially something you can float in like a pool if one is available. I did find breaststroke was a terrible idea, so there's one you can take away if you had laps in mind! Maybe stick with freestyle. Or if I was at home and just had 5 minutes, I'd try to get some weight off my hips while remaining stable and supported - coming down onto all fours was always a welcome relief. A bit of cat-cow, or a gentle and careful inversion like puppy pose, or a supported child's pose could ease many of my aches in one fell swoop, not just the SPD.

The holistic support that made a difference

Alongside yoga and physio, I worked with:

• Chiropractors
• Osteopaths
• Acupuncturists

Not as a magic fix, and not constantly, but as part of a strategic wider web of care that helped my body feel safe enough to heal. Each offered something different, and together they helped calm the system enough that the strengthening work could actually take hold.

And slowly — gently — the sharp pain softened. The dull ache faded. My pelvis felt like mine again. Most days anyway (it’s still teaching me more of that tuning-in stuff sometimes).

Please speak with a qualified healthcare professional if you’re struggling with SPD and symptoms are persistent or worsening — I’d suggest starting with one-on-one help from a women’s health physio. They can help assess what’s contributing to your pain and offer guidance tailored to your situation.

What I wish I knew earlier

SPD isn’t a sign that your body is failing you. It’s a sign that your body is communicating with you, asking for support.

And with the right help — movement, breath, awareness, self-compassion, slowing down, and a few simple adjustments — you can feel steadier, stronger, and far more comfortable.

Your body is asking for these things not because you’re weak, but because pregnancy changes everything — your ligaments, your posture, your centre of gravity, your sleep, your stress, your responsibilities.

Your pelvis is doing its best with what it has.

You don’t have to push through pain. You don’t have to figure it out alone. And you certainly don’t have to wait until postpartum to feel better.

If you’re reading this and feeling seen…

That’s intentional. Please know this:

You’re not broken. You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re not alone.

Your body is adapting to the enormous task of growing a human. My own story(ies) have, at times, cracked me open – but I’ve found that these intense challenges always made room for something new (and improved, I hope). Maybe yours will too. And at worst, pregnancy isn’t forever, and you will not always feel like this.

My work — whether through yoga, education, or the quiet conversations that happen in between — is rooted in helping women feel informed, supported, and empowered in their ever-changing bodies.

If you’re navigating SPD or other pelvic pain, or simply want to feel more confident and connected in your pregnancy, I’m here to support you and you’re always welcome to reach out. Find out how on my contact page.

Remember: Your pelvis is wise. Your body is capable. And you deserve to feel held every step of the way.