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What Is This Odd Pelvic Sensation?

QUESTION

Dear Midwife,
I'm hoping you can help me with this seemingly odd question. I am just about 23 weeks pregnant and have started to experience a strange feeling in my pelvic floor - the best way I can describe it is a vibration that lasts for about 5-10 seconds (as if someone were running a vacuum cleaner near me). I've searched the Internet and have come up with nothing. Other symptoms I've noticed are lower back pain -- similar to menstrual cramps and some pain in my side and lower abdomen.

ANSWER

Some babies have pronounced startle reflexes, and they shake when startled (they can startle themselves, of course), which might account for the pelvic floor sensations. Your other pains should be reported to your practitioner--they may be just due to fatigue, but they might also be a mild urinary tract infection or the like.

-- Cynthia, CNM

Cynthia Flynn

Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, is the General Director of the Family Health and Birth Center which provides prenatal, birth, postnatal, gynecological and primary health care to underserved women and their families in Washington, D.C. Recently Cynthia served as Associate Professor of Nursing at Seattle University. There she not only taught, but remained in full scope clinical midwifery practice at Valley Medical Center where she cared for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.