Broken Tailbone During Pregnancy

A broken bone is never a good thing when you are pregnant. But, alas, each one of my pregnancies has included a broken bone.

When I was younger, probably around 10 years old, I broke my tailbone at a friend's house. We were spending the day by the pool. I decided to jump off of the diving board. Well, instead of landing in the water, I landed on the board. I spent the rest of the day swimming and thinking my rear end was only bruised.

That night, the pain kept getting worse and worse until it was hard for me to function. I couldn't lie down, sit up or stand. My Mom took me to the emergency room where I had x-rays and was informed that my tailbone was broken.

Anyone who has ever had a broken tailbone knows that there isn't any real treatment for it. I got some pain medicine and had to sit on a 'donut' that is usually used for hemorrhoid patients. After six weeks, I went to the doctor where my tailbone was checked and was told it healed. Well, no one warned me that it could, and probably would, break again each time I get pregnant.

During my first pregnancy, when I was about six months, I began to have a lot of pain in my tailbone. I called my doctor to ask about it. He promptly informed me that my tailbone was probably fractured. I decided to skip the x-rays and just use heat and ice to help manage the pain. At my next appointment, the doctor told me that each time I get pregnant, I will probably fracture my tailbone and that each delivery will probably make the fracture worse or cause the tailbone to break again. He was correct.

Now, with each pregnancy, as soon as I start to feel pain in the area, I start alternating heat and ice on the area. I have discovered that sitting on the 'donut' or on a hard surface while pregnant exacerbates the pain, so now I sit on a pillow to help the pain. I use over-the-counter acetaminophen at night only if the pain is so bad that I can't sleep. I also limit how much I wear high heeled shoes because heels throw the spine out of whack, which can make the tailbone pain worse.

I am currently 32 weeks into my sixth pregnancy and sure enough, each pregnancy has resulted in severe tailbone pain. Luckily, I have learned to manage the pain without prescription medications.