Tailbone Injury & Pregnancy: Risks & What to Expect

Question
My husband and I are trying to get pregnant with our second child. Apparently, I injured my tailbone during my first childbirth (10 months ago). I still have difficulty sitting on hard surfaces for any length of time. I never reported this to my Obgyn because I did not know it could be related to my first childbirth until recently. Also, it became more of a discomfort and annoyance than an unbearable pain. If I become pregnant will this be an issue during my next childbirth and pregnancy? Will I need to have a C-section if it is not completely healed? Thanks for your time.

Answer
During birth, the tailbone, or coccyx, gets flattened out as the baby moves through the pelvic outlet. This is normal. But in some births, the tailbone can get over stretched and more rarely fractured.

Ater birth, because the bones don't not curl under as much, it can be easy to unintentionally bear weight on the tip when sitting. A lot of nerve ending are in the tailbone, and it's really uncomfortable to put any pressure on it.

If you sit up very tall on your hips, your body weight will be on the lowest pelvic bones, the ishium, or "sit" bones. Many people unknowingly  roll back off the ishium when sitting (like sitting in a pelvic tilt) and this causes the weight to be on the tailbone or sacroiliac. While not good alignment at any time, this habit is particularly problematic after childbirth.

Because you are still feeling pain at 10 mos. pp, (which is not typical) I'd suggest that you get a referral to either a PT or chiropractor who specializes in pre and post natal problems, to get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy.

I don't think that this problem will necessarily occur in a subsequent delivery, and won't worry about needing a C.