Natural Birth and Baby Care.com

How Will a Broken Tailbone (Coccyx) Effect My Labor?

by Christy
(VA)

Almost a year ago I broke my tail bone. It still hurts when I sit down on it after a couple minutes.

It is even hard to sleep at night with the pain. I was wondering if this will make my labor more painful or more difficult?

Thanks,
Christy

Answer:

Hi Christy,

I did some reading for you and it does appear pretty common to have lasting pain after breaking your tailbone.

It can also cause you pain during labor. I've read differing opinions - it appears some doctors recommend a c-section, while others feel that a vaginal delivery is fine as long as the tailbone is healed.

I read the experiences of several mothers and most of those that wanted a vaginal delivery had it, including one who broke her tailbone just a few weeks before giving birth.

Many of the mothers did opt for an epidural, which took away the tailbone pain as well as much of the labor pain.

The book Birthing from Within discusses the compassionate use of labor pain medication, and I think this would be a case where it might be a good consideration. If you found that labor was rough but you really want a vaginal delivery, an epidural may allow that.

On the other hand, many women experience intense back labor, which is concentrated around that region, and they are still able to use their childbirth skills to work through it without medication. So there's a good chance that if you want to labor without drugs you will be able to.

I would highly recommend you look into the Pink Kit childbirth method. One of the Pink Kit's strengths, and what makes it so unique among childbirth methods, is that it really focuses on helping you get to know your body - specifically your pelvic region.

You also work to loosen and limber up the muscles of your pelvic areas. I had lasting pain after the birth of my third baby, and working through the Pink Kit actually helped me stop that pain.

There is also a strong focus on working with your baby to help him or her be born smoothly - lots of video instruction on different positions and techniques to help the baby move down. This could be especially helpful to you. You can learn how to help your baby turn and move smoothly to minimize the amount of pressure his or her head places on your pelvis.

If you'd like to learn more about the Pink Kit you can read my Pink Kit Review.

Best of luck to you Christy!