# For those who have given birth after a previous "broken" tailbone...



## Phoebe (Jun 12, 2003)

Question:
If you have experienced a broken tailbone due to childbirth (I am told that term is incorrect as your tailbone is not actually broken, but moved) and then given birth again, did it re-break/move?

My assumption is that 100% of the time you'll have the same trauma as the first time around.

Ds2 (a VBAC) did a number on my tailbone and basically straightened it out (of course it should be curved) when he exited. It was pretty aweful...not when it happend, I didn't realize it until about 5 days later when the swelling went down and things were healing up down below. I was not able to sit down at all. Only lay down. It hurt like hell. I saw a chiro and that pretty much did the trick but it was a long time healing and I can still feel it sore from time to time from sitting wrong or for too long. That was 19 months ago.

If you have experience with this please share. Even if your story is not a feel good one! I need to know what to expect. Basically I forsee an exact repeat. At least this time I can visit the chiro right away.

Thanks.
Amy


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## guestmama9904 (Jul 6, 2002)

this didnt happen to me but I was re-reading Peggy Vincent's book Babycatcher and she describes her own first birth and her tailbone "breaking". definitly a book worth reading, not only for this birth story but for all the other birth stories.


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## queenjulie (Oct 26, 2007)

I don't know if this helps at all, but I fractured my coccyx in high school during a bad fall, and it wasn't affected at all during my two births. I feel your pain, though--mine hurt for probably a year after the fracture healed. It was awful.


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## doctorjen (May 29, 2003)

I've attended a couple of women birthing babies after having the same thing with previous babes. We were careful to make sure they stayed off their tailbones - especially semi-sitting for pushing, and neither had an issue the second time at all, despite being pretty incapacitated the first time.
One client chose an epidural for her second birth, and we were worried that she'd not be able to realize she was putting pressure on her tailbone, so we were especially careful to keep her off it. She pushed her baby out on her hands and knees and had no tailbone pain at all after.


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

Something bad happened to my tailbone during my first birth - not sure if it was broken, bruised, moved, or what. It hurt a lot right afterwards, and took a long time to heal completely. But I had no problems at all with it during my second birth.


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## Phoebe (Jun 12, 2003)

Very interesting. I thought for sure It was 100% chance of repeat.

Thinking about drjen's response, with this past experience I birthed him (and I'm pretty sure I know at what point this happened eventhough there was no pain) squatting...off my tail bone.

Well, it is what it is I guess.
It really is sucky when it happens though.


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## MommaLauraRN (May 14, 2007)

I broke mine with my first. He had a really short cord apparently and with my first push his HR dropped to 60 and stayed there...he became a fast a furious forceps delivery. I literally pushed with 7 contractions over 18 minutes, the last push was the one and only pull with the forceps, so nothing had time to stretch! I remember as his head was coming out feeling and hearing a pop and thinking "I just broke my tailbone". I had a 4th degree and that was seriously nothing compared to the tailbone pain. It hurt to sit for months, I was always tilted on one butt cheek. I was so afraid of it being an issue the next time because I didn't hear of it happening to anyone else (patients or friends) I had an epidural the second time, with a great top off during the end. He had the perma-crown at the end because the scar tissue would not give and I was pretty numb, so he literally sat on my tailbone for over an hour...all 9lbs 4 oz of him. My tailbone was a little achy for like 2 days then it was a non-issue.


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## Phoebe (Jun 12, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MommaLauraRN* 
I broke mine with my first. He had a really short cord apparently and with my first push his HR dropped to 60 and stayed there...he became a fast a furious forceps delivery. I literally pushed with 7 contractions over 18 minutes, the last push was the one and only pull with the forceps, so nothing had time to stretch! I remember as his head was coming out feeling and hearing a pop and thinking "I just broke my tailbone". I had a 4th degree and that was seriously nothing compared to the tailbone pain. It hurt to sit for months, I was always tilted on one butt cheek. I was so afraid of it being an issue the next time because I didn't hear of it happening to anyone else (patients or friends) I had an epidural the second time, with a great top off during the end. He had the perma-crown at the end because the scar tissue would not give and I was pretty numb, so he literally sat on my tailbone for over an hour...all 9lbs 4 oz of him. My tailbone was a little achy for like 2 days then it was a non-issue.


Wow. Thanks for sharing that!


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## KingsDaughter76 (May 25, 2004)

My tailbone did actually crack- not just move with my last child's birth (before this current birth)- it hurt like hell and took a full year to get better- but I still feel achy there when I sit in a chair for too long... to answer your question- I just gave birth again 8 weeks ago and it did not get re-injured at all...I had an easy birth with no issues with the tailbone , although that was a HUGE mental fear of mine. HTH!


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