If sitting down, standing up, or shifting in your chair sets off a sharp or aching pain right at the base of your spine, you're dealing with one of pregnancy's more specific frustrations: tailbone pain. Low back pain is one of the most common complaints in pregnancy - reported by somewhere between half and four in five women - and the tailbone often sits right at the center of it. The good news: it's one of the more fixable discomforts of pregnancy.
Key Takeaways
- Tailbone pain (coccydynia) is common in pregnancy, especially the second and third trimesters, and is rarely dangerous.
- It's driven by pregnancy hormones loosening the pelvic ligaments, your shifting center of gravity, and pressure from your growing baby.
- What helps most: changing position often, sitting on a supportive cushion, applying heat, and building deep core and glute strength.
- Call your provider if the pain follows a fall, comes with fever, or includes numbness or pain shooting down your leg.
What Tailbone Pain in Pregnancy Feels Like
Your tailbone - the coccyx - is the small, triangular bone at the very bottom of your spine. It helps stabilize you when you sit, and it's an anchor point for several pelvic floor muscles.
When it's unhappy, you'll usually feel it as pain or tenderness right at the base of the spine, just above the buttocks. It might be dull and achy or sharp and pointed. A few patterns are typical:
- It's worse after sitting for a long stretch, especially on a hard surface.
- It flares in the moment you move from sitting to standing.
- It can radiate into your lower back or buttocks.
- It shows up during everyday things that put pressure on the area - climbing stairs, bowel movements, or sex.
- The spot feels tender or bruised if you press on it.
If that sounds like what you're feeling, you're in the right place - and you're far from alone.
Why Tailbone Pain Happens in Pregnancy
A few specific changes of pregnancy stack up here, each adding more load to a bone that doesn't usually carry much.
Hormones loosen the ligaments
Early in pregnancy, your body starts releasing relaxin, a hormone that softens the ligaments around your pelvis to make room for your baby and prepare for birth. That's necessary and normal - but looser ligaments mean more movement around the coccyx, and more movement can mean more irritation.
Your center of gravity shifts
As your belly grows, your weight moves forward and up. To compensate, most people unconsciously lean back. That subtle shift loads the lower back and tailbone in a way they're not built for, day after day.
Your baby presses on it directly
In the later weeks, your baby sits just in front of the coccyx. Depending on their position, they can press right against it - which is why the pain often gets more noticeable as you move through the third trimester.
Sitting too long, on the wrong surface
Long stretches of sitting - especially slumped, or on a hard chair - concentrate pressure on the tailbone. If pregnancy has made you less active or more desk-bound, this alone can be enough to set it off.
A previous tailbone injury
If you've bruised or injured your coccyx in the past, pregnancy's added load and looser ligaments can wake that old pain back up.
When Does Tailbone Pain Usually Start?
There's no fixed timeline, and plenty of people never get it at all. When it does show up, it's most common in the second and third trimesters, as the weight gain, posture shifts, and pressure from your baby all become more pronounced. Research on pregnancy back pain backs this up - prevalence tends to climb as pregnancy progresses, with the highest rates in the third trimester.
Some people notice it earlier, particularly if they've had tailbone trouble before. Either way, the timing varies person to person - there's no week you're "supposed" to start feeling it.
What Actually Helps: Relief When You're In It
When you want to relieve tailbone pain in the moment, most advice throws everything at you at once. Here's what tends to make the biggest difference, roughly in order - start at the top and work down.
Change position often
The single most reliable fix is also the simplest: don't stay in one position too long. Set a loose reminder to get up, walk, and shift every 30 to 45 minutes. When you sit, sit back on your "sit bones" rather than slumping onto your tailbone.
Use a supportive cushion
A wedge cushion with a cutout at the back takes direct pressure off the coccyx. Many people find this more comfortable than a classic donut cushion, which can sometimes push pressure into other spots - though either is worth trying. An exercise ball is another good option for shorter sits.
Apply heat or ice
A warm compress or heating pad on the area for around 15-20 minutes can ease the muscle tension that builds up around a sore tailbone. Some people prefer an ice pack, which can help settle inflammation - try either and see what your body responds to. Keep heat or ice on your lower back and tailbone rather than your belly, and skip anything that raises your core temperature in pregnancy - so a warm (not hot) bath rather than a hot one, and no saunas or hot tubs.
Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees
Side-sleeping takes the pressure off your tailbone, and a pillow between your knees keeps your hips and pelvis in a more neutral, comfortable line.
Keep moving - gently
Gentle mobility for the hips, lower back, and pelvis can relieve the tension that feeds tailbone pain. Easy walking counts too. The goal is comfortable movement, not deep or forced stretching.
Try gentle self-massage
Gently rolling a firm ball - a tennis or lacrosse ball - over the muscles between your tailbone and sit-bones can release tension that builds up after sitting. Keep the pressure light and comfortable, and work the muscle around the area rather than pressing directly on the tailbone itself.
Ask your provider about pain relief
If the pain is wearing you down, ask your provider what's safe for you specifically. It's worth a direct conversation rather than guessing - they can point you to the right option for your stage of pregnancy.
How to Stop It Coming Back: Prevention
The relief tips above help when you're in it. If you want to reduce how often the pain returns - or get ahead of it before it starts - this is where to put your energy. None of this is about having "done something wrong." It's simply where you have the most leverage.
Build deep core function
Your deep core muscles help support your pelvis and tailbone. Gentle, pregnancy-appropriate core work - the kind centered on breathing and controlled activation rather than crunches - gives the whole area more support. If you're not sure where to start, a prenatal-focused practitioner can guide you.
Strengthen your glutes
Your glutes work alongside your core to stabilize your pelvis. Keeping them strong with gentle, cleared-by-your-provider movement takes some of the load off the tailbone.
Train neutral alignment
Practice sitting and standing in neutral alignment - weight balanced evenly, not tipped back onto your tailbone or slumped forward. Done consistently, it's one of the most effective habits for keeping pressure off the coccyx.
Fix your sitting setup
If you sit for work, sort out your chair: lumbar support, feet flat, and a cushion if you need one. Small environmental changes compound over a long pregnancy.
When to Call Your Provider
Tailbone pain is usually uncomfortable rather than dangerous. But a few signs are worth a same-day call. Reach out to your provider if:
- The pain started after a fall or direct injury.
- It comes with a fever, or pain elsewhere in your body.
- You feel numbness, tingling, or pain shooting down one leg.
- The pain doesn't ease with any change in position and is intensifying.
- It's severe enough to stop you doing everyday things.
Trust your instinct here. If something feels off rather than just sore, it's always reasonable to check.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tailbone pain normal during pregnancy?
Yes - it's a common discomfort, especially in the second and third trimesters. Common doesn't mean inevitable, though, and it doesn't mean you have to just put up with it. The strategies above help most people reduce it.
When does tailbone pain start in pregnancy?
There's no set timeline, and some people never get it. When it does appear, it's most often in the second and third trimesters, as weight gain, posture changes, and pressure from your baby increase.
Does tailbone pain mean labor is coming?
Not on its own. Tailbone discomfort is common throughout pregnancy. Lower back or tailbone pain that comes in waves, builds in intensity, and doesn't ease when you change position can be a different signal - if you're near your due date and unsure, check with your provider.
Can I prevent tailbone pain in pregnancy?
You can often reduce it. Building deep core and glute strength, sitting in neutral alignment, and avoiding long stretches of sitting all lower the load on your tailbone. Some causes - like your baby's position - aren't in your control, so think of it as stacking the odds in your favor rather than a guarantee.
How do you relieve tailbone pain in pregnancy?
The most effective steps are changing position often so you're not sitting in one spot too long, sitting on a supportive wedge or cushion that takes pressure off the coccyx, applying heat or ice to the area, and sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees. Gentle movement and light self-massage around the area help too. If the pain is wearing you down, ask your provider what pain relief is safe for you.
Will tailbone pain improve after childbirth?
For most people, the tailbone pain that built up during pregnancy fades within a few weeks of giving birth, as hormone levels return to normal and the pressure of carrying your baby is gone.
Sometimes it sticks around, though. The loosened ligaments of pregnancy combined with the strain of delivery can leave the coccyx unstable or, less commonly, bruised or injured during birth - and that can mean tailbone pain that lingers into the postpartum months. In one study of women with tailbone pain after childbirth, a difficult or forceps-assisted delivery was a common thread.
If the pain is hanging on, it's worth seeing someone rather than waiting it out. A pelvic health physiotherapist is usually the right first stop, and they can work with you on the muscles and joints around the tailbone. Where pain is persistent and conservative steps haven't helped, a provider can talk you through other options. The point is that ongoing tailbone pain is treatable - there's no need to just live with it.
References
- Sabino, J., & Grauer, J. N. (2008). Pregnancy and low back pain. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine, 1(2), 137-141. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2684210/
- Salari, N., Mohammadi, A., Hemmati, M., Hasheminezhad, R., Kani, S., Shohaimi, S., & Mohammadi, M. (2023). The global prevalence of low back pain in pregnancy: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 23, 830. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-023-06151-x
- Maigne, J.-Y., Rusakiewicz, F., & Diouf, M. (2012). Postpartum coccydynia: A case series study of 57 women. European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, 48(3), 387-392. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22820826/