Tailbone Pain Pregnancy: Why It Happens and What Helps

Tailbone pain in pregnancy is common, and it's usually your body making room for your baby. Pregnancy hormones loosen the joints around your pelvis, and as your baby grows, the small bone at the bottom of your spine (the coccyx) takes more pressure, especially when you sit. It's uncomfortable, but for most moms it's not a sign that anything is wrong, and there's a lot you can do to ease it.

Here's what causes it, what helps at home, when to call your OB first, and where gentle prenatal chiropractic care can fit in.

Tailbone pain pregnancy symptoms: what it feels like

Your tailbone sits right at the base of your spine, just above the crease of your buttocks. When it's sore, you'll usually feel it in one small spot rather than across your whole lower back.

Moms tend to describe tailbone pain during pregnancy like this:

• A sharp or aching pain right at the bottom of the spine
• Pain that's worst when you sit for a while, especially on hard chairs or leaning back on a couch
• A jolt of pain when you stand up from sitting
• Soreness that flares with bowel movements or long car rides
• Pain that feels deep, almost like a bruise, even though you haven't fallen

It can start any time, but many women notice it in the second half of pregnancy, when the baby is heavier and lower.

Why your tailbone hurts in pregnancy

Hormones loosen your pelvis

Your body makes a hormone called relaxin that softens the ligaments around your pelvis so it can open for birth. That's a good thing, but it also means the joints that hold your tailbone and sacrum move more than usual. A little extra movement can turn into a lot of tenderness.

Your baby is pressing back

As your baby grows and settles lower, their weight can push back against your sacrum and tailbone. Some moms feel it more depending on how the baby is lying.

Your posture shifts

A growing bump pulls your center of gravity forward. To stay upright, most women arch their lower back and tip the pelvis forward. That changes how weight lands on the base of the spine, and it adds load to the tailbone when you sit back.

Constipation and pelvic floor tension

Constipation is very common in pregnancy, and straining puts pressure right on the coccyx. Tight pelvic floor muscles, which attach to the tailbone, can add to the ache too.

An old injury

If you fell on your tailbone years ago, or had a hard first delivery, that area can be the first to complain when pregnancy adds pressure.

When to call your OB first

Most tailbone pain in pregnancy is a nuisance, not an emergency. Still, check with your OB or midwife before anything else if you notice:

• Pain after a fall or a hit to your bottom or belly
• Cramping, tightening or pain that comes and goes in a regular pattern, or low back pressure that feels like period cramps (these can be signs of preterm labor)
• Bleeding, leaking fluid, or a fever
• Numbness in your groin or inner thighs, or any new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels
• Pain that keeps getting worse, wakes you every night, or comes with burning when you pee

Even if it seems minor, mention tailbone pain at your next prenatal visit. Your OB knows your full history and can rule out anything that needs more attention.

What helps at home

Small changes through the day can take a lot of pressure off your tailbone:

• Sit on a wedge cushion with a cut-out at the back, so your tailbone hangs free instead of taking your weight.
• Lean slightly forward when you sit. Sitting tall or tipped forward puts weight on your sit bones rather than your coccyx.
• Get up every 30 to 45 minutes. Long stretches of sitting are the biggest trigger for most moms.
• Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees to keep your pelvis level.
• Try a warm (not hot) compress on the area for 15 minutes in the evening.
• Keep things moving: plenty of water, fiber and gentle walks can help with constipation. Ask your OB before taking a stool softener.
• Gentle movement such as pelvic tilts or cat-cow on your hands and knees can ease tension. Get your OB's OK before starting any new exercise.

Check with your OB before taking any pain reliever while you're pregnant.

How a prenatal chiropractor may help

Chiropractic care is a gentle, drug-free option some moms add alongside their OB's care when tailbone pain in pregnancy makes sitting, driving or sleeping hard. It doesn't replace your prenatal care, and research on chiropractic for tailbone pain specifically is still limited. What we can do is look at how your pelvis, sacrum and lower spine are moving as your body changes.

At Trinity Life Chiropractic in Allen, Dr. Colton O'Brien is Webster certified, which means he's trained in a specific chiropractic analysis for the pelvis and sacrum during pregnancy. He's also neurologically focused, so INSiGHT nervous-system scans give him a measured starting point, not just a guess based on where it hurts.

Care is sized to pregnancy. You'll rest on a pregnancy-friendly table, and the adjustments are gentle and focused on helping your pelvis move evenly. Many moms tell us sitting feels easier and they sleep better as their pelvis and lower back move more freely. Everyone is different, and Dr. O'Brien will tell you honestly what he finds. You can read more about prenatal chiropractic care in Allen, or see how gentle care may support pelvic pain during pregnancy, which often shows up alongside a sore tailbone.

Will tailbone pain go away after birth?

For many moms, tailbone pain in pregnancy eases in the weeks after delivery, once the baby's weight is off the pelvis and hormones settle. Some find the tailbone stays sore for a while postpartum, especially after a long pushing stage, since the coccyx moves back to make room as the baby comes through.

If it's still bothering you a couple of months after birth, or it gets worse, tell your doctor. They can check for a bruise or other injury and point you to next steps.

Ready to sit comfortably again?

If tailbone pain is making every chair a problem, you don't have to just push through it. Our $150 new-patient visit includes a consultation with Dr. O'Brien, INSiGHT nervous-system scans, a gentle exam and your first adjustment if it's right for you. Prefer to talk first? Call the office at (214) 509-7744. We're at 301 N Allen Dr in Allen, and our families have left 253 Google reviews.