lightning crotch

English

Noun

lightning crotch (uncountable)

1. The condition, late in pregnancy, of having intense pain shoot through one's pelvic region, especially due to the baby's head lowering and bumping into one's pelvis.
   • 2019 October 8, Samantha Seneviratne, The Joys of Baking: Recipes and Stories for a Sweet Life, Running Press Adult, →ISBN:

     Wondering if and when lightning crotch might strike was not at all helpful. Mamas-to-be, don't read that stuff.

   • 2020 February 4, Beth Newell, Jacqueline Ann May, There's No Manual: Honest and Gory Wisdom About Having a Baby, Penguin, →ISBN, page 59:

     YOU HAVE "LIGHTNING CROTCH"! In the last days of pregnancy, particularly as your baby's head lowers into your pelvis, you may find yourself experiencing a new and specific crotch ache, especially after periods of standing, walking, […]

   • 2020 December 15, Amanda Shapin Michelson, Pregnancy Hacks: 350+ Easy Hacks for a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy!, Adams Media, →ISBN, page 112:

     Lightning crotch is a sharp or shooting pain that you may feel in your vagina, rectum, or pelvis. The sudden pain is normal and may indicate that you are getting close to delivery (though it may occur at any time leading up to labor).

   • 2021 September 21, Amy Hammer, How to Grow a Baby: A Science-Based Guide to Nurturing New Life, from Pregnancy to Childbirth and Beyond, Shambhala Publications, →ISBN, page 31:

     Pelvic pain during pregnancy is called lightning crotch because it feels like your pelvis has been struck by lightning. As much as I love heeled shoes, I hate lightning crotch more, and it was worth taking a break from my favorite [heels].

Further reading

Further reading

• 2019 July 15, Lauren Dubois, You Will (Probably) Survive: and other things they don't tell you about motherhood, Allen & Unwin, →ISBN:

  Lightning crotch. All the nerves jangling around near your cervix are in a right state of panic as they get ready to evict the person inside you. As they fuss about, they might fire off stray electrical pulses that feel like a bolt of […]

• 2021 September 21, Nicole E. Williams, MD, This is How You Vagina: All About Your Vajayjay and Why You Probably Shouldn't Call it That, Greenleaf Book Group, →ISBN:

  Your vagina may feel like it's in peril if you start to feel what the internet calls “lightning crotch.” The medical term is called round ligament pain. The round ligament is found on both sides of the uterus and helps to hold it in […]