Experiencing Constant Sideache Pain During Pregnancy

I suffered with the same thing the last 2 months -it was horrible. It was just the baby growing and pushing up there. I only had one baby and it was very painful so you must be miserable. I used a heating pad a few times that helped a little but really nothing really worked. I just suffered through it and once she was born, I noticed the relief right away. You can try to shift and maybe they will move but they run out of room. Hang in there - you are almost there!

My midwife told me that putting a bag of frozen peas (or frozen veggie of your choice) in the area where you feel the pain will not only ease the pain, but if it's a baby's foot or something, it may cause the baby to move away from that area for awhile, giving you some relief. I tried it myself and it seemed to work pretty well.

Hi L.:
I had a lot of rib pain during my pregnancy with my son. I had a long baby and I am very short. The doctor said he was wedging a little foot between my ribs. I found that if I stretched my hands over my head and leaned(carefully) sideways, away from the painful side, I could catch a decent breath and get some pain relief. It also helped me to get down on all fours for a few minutes. That seemed to move the baby away from my sore ribs. Check with your doctor to make sure these are okay with twins. My pregnancy was a single.

I had this with both pregnancies. I asked the Dr about it and she just said the baby was pushing on my ribs causing this pain. I was very uncomfortable the last few weeks but the pain was gone when they were born.

congratulations on twins!!! You are blessed, twice. This happend to me with my daughter, i think we figured out she was hooking her feet in my rib cage. If I raised my arm up and leaned to the opposite side she would move. She had more room though as it was just her in there. I hope this helps you. Good Luck!!!

I'm prego with #2 and have noticed alot more stretching pains, and with this pregnancy, the baby seems to be resting on my lungs alot because I feel like when I get winded, I can't get that full breath of air that is so comforting. Sometimes I get it when I'm in the car or sleeping too. I can't imagine how hard breathing would be with 2 in there. All I can say is...Rest, Rest, Rest. Try not to overdo anything. If you can't breathe, don't do anything at all, or stop what you're doing and catch your breath. I find if I sleep at a bit of an angle upright, I can breathe a tiny bit better, at least enough to catch that full breath.

Congrats and good luck!

Have you tried ice? I am 27 weeks along and have significant rib pain as well. I believe my pain is due to an old injury from a car accident and now the scar tissue just doesn't like opening up and stretching to accomodate. I had this with my first pregnancy as well- about the same time. Sometimes I use heat---there are some heat wraps made by thermacare that you can buy at Target, walmart etc that heat up and keep things from getting too irritated. Otherwise, once it has flared up, I find great relief from ice. It sounds uncomfortable, but it feels so good! Last pregnancy I asked my doctor about heat and she said as long as I was farther along and not applying the heat directly where the baby was, it was ok. So occasionally, I use a heating pad up on my ribs too. If you are sleeping on your side, a softer mattress will help too. I put an old worn out one on the floor and slept there at the end of my last pregnancy--much more comfortable to have a mushy mattress at that point! Hope this helps---- if you get some pain relief, your breathing will be more comfortable too. I know how you feel- it hurts to inhale!!! Good luck!

Congratulations! I had a single pregnancy and had lots of discomfort in my left side from early on. It is related to the rib area. My husband is a Physical Therapist and he was able to use a tape on me that helped ease the discomfort.

The biggest suggestion I have is to talk to your doctor about it and ask for a referral. Some clinics have Physical Therapists they will recommend. Personally, I would be very cautious with Chiropractors. My own experince with them is that their short term solutions to ease pain have caused me chronic instability. However, not all Chiroprators or Therapists are the same. Whatever you do, you need to see someone who specializes in pregnancy. Good luck!

Hello,
I had what sounds like the same problem with all 3 of my pregnancies. The pain was on my right side up under my ribcage. I found out I had Gallbladder Dysfunction. There really isn't anything you can do about it, besides removing your gallbladder (which docs won't do unless it gives you problems even when your not pregnant). For my first pregnancy, they prescribed me pain meds. I found a better way to help the pain though. I ate tons of applesauce. I read that the pectin in apples helps to clean your gallbladder. It really helped relieve the pain. Hopefully this might help you too!

Well, I only made it to 32 weeks 6 days with our twins, but my only advice is hang in there! Drink lots and lots of water, and try to relax the best you can. It's hard carrying around that much baby.

Congratulations! My twin girls are now 15 months old. My oldest (by 1 minute) was the culprit in my situation. Both of my girls were head down the entire pregnancy and it was Reagan's foot that constantly pushed on my left rib cage. She would stretch all of the time and I thought she would puncture my lung or break my ribs. I don't have any other advice than what everyone else has written. I know it can be very uncomfortable, but keep trying different positions. The end result (2 healthy babies!) is well worth the pain and discomfort you are experiencing now. Get lots of rest and take it easy! Good Luck!!!

Check with your doctor, but if that does not get you anywhere, check out chiropractic adjustments. There are Chiropractors who specialized in pregnancy pain, and most of them would have tables with a drop out center section for "larger people." It helps protect the baby, but still makes you easier to adjust. Adjustments can help pain anywhere in your body. Pain in one place may be from a misalignment somewhere else.

Hi L.. Like you said, it can be expected that there will be some rib discomfort as the babies continue to grow and your ribs become more horizontal, but you may have a rib that has slipped out of place or something out in your middle-back. I got that at the end of pregnancy and got adjusted by a chiropractor and that really seemed to give me some relief. Lying on my side over an exercise ball and stretching with my arm over my head helped some too.

Hi L.- Congrat's on the twins! No twins here, but lots of pain and very uncomfortable during both my pregnancies. Both of my kids were 9lbs and I am under 5ft tall. So I had lots of baby and no place to carry them. I had chiropractic adjustments during both pregnancies. It was super helpful and even helped stop the pregnancy waddle-walk. Just make sure that your chiropractic has done pregnancy adjustments before! Good luck!!

I also experienced that pain in my ribcage and I only had one child at a time! The only thing I could do that would help me was to put a pillow behind me when I was sitting to help it stretch out further rather than my ribs pushing down. Mine hurt a lot when I was driving so I needed a pillow in the car too. I told my midwife about my ribs hurting and she didn't really have anything to say about it so it must but fairly common and not much you can do about it. Good Luck!

Hi L.,
I know exactly how you feel. I gave birth to twin girls 7 months ago. I was on strict bedrest so was unable to get much relief. I agree with the suggestion on massage, I was getting reagular massages before my bedrest. I also used a heating pad which gave some relief. You could move your hips in a clockwise and counter clockwise motion to help move the babies in a different position to give you some relief. Good luck you are almost full term for twins. I delivered at 38 weeks and 5 days. I wish you the best with the arrival of your twins.
Jen

Get a massage L. - interview them directly and ask for someone who really understands pregnancy (prenatal massage).

Your stomach muscles are stretched so your back muscles are over-compensating. This is causing your diaphram to spasm - which is why you are experiencing pain under your ribcage.

A good massage therapist will release the back muscles for you so that your diaphram can stop spasming.

Get as many massages as you can before giving birth - then get several after while your stomach muscles regain their strength. This will make it easier to carry your baby around without pain.