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• exercises in water
• advice and suggestions, including positions for labour and birth, looking after your
baby and positions for sex

• pain relief, such as TENS
• equipment, if necessary, such as crutches or pelvic support belts

Coping with pelvic pain in pregnancy
Your physiotherapist may recommend a pelvic support belt to help ease your pain, or
crutches to help you get around.
It can help to plan your day so that you avoid activities that cause you pain. For example,

don't go up or down stairs more often than you have to.

Other advice:

• Be as active as possible within your pain limits, and avoid activities that make the
pain worse.

• Rest when you can.
• Get help with household chores from your partner, family and friends.
• Wear flat, supportive shoes.
• Sit down to get dressed – for example, don't stand on one leg when putting on
jeans.
• Keep your knees together when getting in and out of the car – a plastic bag on the
seat can help you swivel.
• Sleep in a comfortable position – for example, on your side with a pillow between

your legs.
• Try different ways of turning over in bed – for example, turning over with your knees
together and squeezing your buttocks.
• Take the stairs one at a time, or go upstairs backwards or on your bottom.
• If you're using crutches, have a small backpack to carry things in.

• If you want to have sex, consider different positions, such as kneeling on all fours.

Avoid

• standing on one leg
• bending and twisting to lift, or carrying a baby on one hip
• crossing your legs
• sitting on the floor, or sitting twisted

• sitting or standing for long periods
• lifting heavy weights, such as shopping bags, wet washing or a toddler
• vacuuming
• pushing heavy objects, such as a supermarket trolley
• carrying anything in only one hand (try using a small backpack)