Pain In The Bump
Hello, my name is Abby and I am a Physiotherapist. I qualified as a Physiotherapist in the UK in 2005 and have since gone on to specialise in Musculoskeletal conditions (diagnosis and treatment), but have a special interest in Women’s health and pre / postnatal rehabilitation.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was blissfully unaware of what little help or guidance I would receive postnatally. The day came when my son arrived and he had his usual check-ups, there was a lot of fuss about his weight and his feeding habits etc, but I kept waiting eagerly for that magic six week date to come when I could finally get a full check over and be given advice on MY rehabilitation…..but of course, that date came and went and was….well….pretty uneventful. I saw my GP (as advised) and they asked if I was ‘ok’ and I thought I was, so that was it, box ticked and off I went. This sparked a little fire inside me to make this process better!! The care for my baby felt good, the care for me was non-existent.
As a Physiotherapist I became very interested in what I could do to help women pre and postnatally. My moto became ‘Symptoms might be common but that doesn’t mean that they are normal‘. If I had £1 for every time I heard the sentence ‘Well, you have given birth to a baby, so that’s pretty normal‘….. I’d be very rich by now! I’m on a mission to put the record straight!
Common Questions We Get Asked Are:
Why does my thumb hurt all the time after having my baby?
This is more common than you might think. Thumb pain arises due to the sudden change in lifestyle that comes with a new baby. You might have gone from sitting at a desk several hours a day, to lifting a baby several times a day, its very different and your thumbs are not prepared. Check out our section on thumb pain or De Quervain’s syndrome for the answers.
Why are my heels sore every morning?
Another common complaint and we can blame change in lifestyle again. You have gone from sitting at a desk or walking around in your shoes all day, to walking around the house (often) in bare feet and you’re now carrying a growing baby in your arms most of the time, the impact through the heels is huge. Check out or section on foot pain and plantar-fasciitis for the answers to this problem.
Why do I have pins and needles in my hands at certain times and not others?
You may or may not have heard of carpal tunnel syndrome. Anybody can get it (although it is more common in women) but it is especially common in pregnancy. Increased fluid in the body can cause increased pressure on the wrists where the nerves pass through and this can give you pins and needles in the hands. It might wake you up at night because your circulation slows down as your heart rate slows, allowing that extra fluid to accumulate. Check out our hand and wrist advice section for what treatments can help relieve these symptoms.
Why do I have pain in my groin when I get out of bed?
The pain can be just when getting out of bed but it can also be associated with other movements like getting out of the car and going upstairs. The pain is sometimes referred to as ‘lightening’ crotch as it can be a really sudden / sharp pain. It is all to do with the pelvic girdle (the area responsible is referred to as the pubic symphysis joint). Check out our Pelvic girdle pain or SPD sections for more information on what can help these symptoms.
Why did I set up Pain In The Bump?
As a Physiotherapist you always get asked a lot of questions, “what works best for ‘this’” and “what should I do about ‘that’” and “why have I got pain ‘here’”. Over the years I noticed that the same questions kept arising from the maternity community. They were either questions regarding their current pregnancy or following the birth of their baby but often they were related to difficulties caring for their new baby (or babies) because of the change in lifestyle that came with it. Things like; pains in their upper back when feeding the baby, pains in their wrists when lifting the baby, new low back pain that they’d never suffered with before, pain in the neck when trying to sleep, the list is long!
When we asked what they had been advised so far, the answers were always the same…..
“It’ll get better once the baby arrives”.
“Don’t worry, once the baby is up and moving around that will improve”.
“Just avoid doing that until the baby is born”.
“There’s not a lot that can be done while you’re pregnant”.
So, this was the motivation behind setting up ‘Pain in the Bump’. It is a site to help you answer all of the questions that regularly arise during and after pregnancy, that are not related to the baby itself (it can’t all be about the baby!!).
Mission Statement
Our mission is to change the way that pregnant ladies and mothers of young children seek medical advice online. We want to give women more time to focus on their pregnancy and their baby than on their pain or discomfort, by providing reliable, up to date information and advice, 24 hours a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately I cannot give personalised advice because answers very much depends on a persons full medical history / background, and therefore would need a full and confidential assessment. If you are concerned about anything in particular then please use this site to give you the tools to take with you to your appointments and to help you to ask questions.
I use the biggest and most popular online medical research databases such as Pubmed, Cinahl, Medline, Embase and Cochrane Library. Some of this information is free to the public but some is for members only..
No, I am a Physiotherapist and my expertise lies with treating adults. When it comes to your baby or related pregnancy conditions such as preeclampsia, always speak to your midwife or paediatrician.
Probably one of two reasons; either it is not something I can advise on as it needs to be treated in person by a healthcare professional OR it hasn’t been brought to my attention yet, in which case, please drop me a message so I can add it to the website.
No. Always consult with your GP regarding any medical concerns you have. I have provided treatment options on our site based on the most recent research available. These are things that you could speak to your GP or midwife about trying, but not all treatments are suitable for everyone due to their own individual past medical history.
Absolutely, we are in the process of setting up a Facebook page where women can discuss anything and everything pre and postnatal, but strictly NO baby talk! I love babies and I love to talk about how hard they make things for me, but this is about YOU and it’s one of the only times you get to talk about yourself and not the baby!