Pregnant ladies and mamas already? Have any of you experienced this?
For a few months now I have been experiencing a mild stabbing pain kind of in the spot indicated on the photo. Initially, it only came in the evening after I had been at work (where I sit at a desk) all day. I would find relief when I laid down or stood up, but sitting hurt. Early on I could change my position slightly and it would help. In the last week or so it has drastically increased. Within an hour of being at work I start to ache, and by lunch I am very very uncomfortable at my desk. I had to lay down for much of our drive to and from Tucson. I feel great after yoga, but the relief is temporary. I can get up and take a walk or stretch while I am at work (or lay down in my cubicle and hope no one walks in!), but the pain is back as soon as I sit back down. Does anyone have any experience with somethin' like this? I have a good 8 weeks of desk sitting ahead of me... :O
Maybe a ligament problem? My ligaments are so painful (for me, it is more in the middle of my belly) that I will stop working two weeks earlier (only one week and 1/2 to go!!!). After a few hours at the office I want to cry and can't do much work!!! When is your next appointment with your doctor/midwife?
ReplyDeleteoh yes, it might be ligament pain. i had it really bad (i actually referred to it as a "stabbing pain" when i mentioned it to joe) in months 5 and 6. sometimes, it would be so painful that i would momentarily become debilitated. i felt mine in my lower abdomen, and it would get really bad when i was washing dishes. i know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true. my doctor said that it was just from my abdomen growing and my stomach muscles (what stomach muscles?) separating. i had a pretty serious growth spurt during that time, so it does make sense. not that any of this will make you feel any better. definitely talk to your midwife about it though. :(
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like ligament or intercostal muscle pain. Does it kind of feel like something might get "stuck" between the ribs there? I get it when I'm not pregnant, too.
ReplyDeleteI second all the above.
ReplyDeleteIf it gets too uncomfortable, you can always talk to your care provider about putting you on pregnancy disability. In CA, you will get your disability pay through the state (the same rate you get for unemployment) and it doesn't interfere w/ your 6 wks paid post-partum disability OR your 6 wks paid family bonding. Or even working a shorter schedule each day.
I had to do both when I was pregnant (I was carrying twins). I changed to 3/4 time at 29-ish weeks and then went on full disability at 31 weeks.
Those last weeks can be sooooo uncomfortable, but they are so very important. Even those last two or so weeks that some birth professionals often try to talk mamas in to "skipping" by having an induction, saying that 37 weeks counts as full-term so you may as well go for it. Just food for thought :)
sounds like you guys are saying not much i can do about it, huh? ;)
ReplyDeletelindsey- unfortunately i work for the federal governenent, and we do NOT pay into california state disability (for reasons i will never understand) and so i am not eligible for ANY disability pay. (nor maternity leave) :/ any time i take off work before will take away from the time i get to take off after. so, i just need to be extra cautious. sigh.
Yes I had exactly the same, it drove me crazy. It didn't stop until my bump dropped down right near the end, 37/38 weeks I think.
ReplyDeleteI was just planning to do a post about ligament pain. I've just started experiencing the joy of this and it's not much fun. I'm getting the round ligament pains in my lower abdomen, almost into my crotch. {sorry to be blunt!} they really hurt!!! I guess it's our way of our bodies preparing us for labor.
ReplyDeletehave you tried a warm bath? or there is this stretch where you clasp your hands together behind your back and kind of bend forward as far as possible, it always helps with my shoulders but when I just did it, I felt a little release in my chest below my ribs too.
I meant bend backwards, not forwards... kind of sticking your chest out.
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest that it might be intercostal/diaphragm pain, especially if it gets better with yoga. One "solution" you could try is changing chairs (especially if early maternity leave isn't an option). Sitting on the front of your chair and making sure you keep a straight back or using one of the bouncey balls as a seat is supposed to be very good and keep you sitting up straight and not "leaning" over your belly.
ReplyDeleteHey Jamie -
ReplyDeleteYes had the same thing here too. I also had severe back pain. I say severe b/c I have never had back pain before in my life, and I feel so bad for those that do on a consistent basis. It was awful. I did acupuncture - and just like with the yoga I would feel better for awhile and then right back. Maybe just taking more time to stand for a few mins throughout the day, or change positions in your chair (as mentioned above) will carry you through to the end. There would be times I would just stand and work. Sucks, I know. You are getting very close now though!
I had the same pain but on the right side. It felt like muscles being torn and didn't go away completely until a couple weeks after the babe came. My Dr had no explanation except it might have to with where the babe's feet were. For some reason he didn't think it was ligament pain. Eight will go quicker than you can imagine!
ReplyDeleteyes. i had this. ugh. i very carefully did upward facing dog (kinda) and it would help stretch it a bit. i remember that it lasted about 5 weeks of my pregnancy and then suddenly went away. hope it does for you too!!!
ReplyDeletewhen you posted this the other day I read and empathised with you as I'd had some ligament pains in my pelvic area early on in my pregnancy. every time I sneezed it was a sharp pain, but it wasn't ongoing.
ReplyDeletethen, yesterday afternoon I started getting a pain in the exact same spot as you indicated and I thought it was heartburn or something, but it gradually got worse and worse till 2am the pain woke me from my sleep. if I hadn't read this post I would have for sure made my husband drag me to the hospital in the early hours... it hurts like a mother!
now I can literally feel your pain... and just wanted to say thanks for posting about this :)
Hi, I am back with another explanation of this pain, which my nurse suggested and makes more sense in my situation than ligament pain. Basically the baby was up under my ribs so that everything was compressed which gave me the pain. It happened twice over the weekend and by massaging the baby down and laying on the side that was hurting, I was able to fix it. not sure if this is relevant in your case, but worth the try if you're in as much pain as I was :)
ReplyDelete