I was wondering if any other pregnant women out there had experienced severe pain at the top of the uterus (think of the area directly below the middle of your boobs) when you were sick. I've had some virus since last Saturday and it got worse on Wednesday. I've been coughing, sneezing, and blowing my nose non-stop and each time I do it the pain seems to get worse. It sort of feels like a really horrible bruising as if someone punched me. I'm worried that all the rather violent motion of sneezing and blowing my nose has done something bad to my uterus or if it is just muscle strain. My doctor is not in today and just wanted to get some advice. Thanks!
Belated update but it turns out that I had pneumonia AND a torn ab muscle. Yikes! I ended up in the hospital for a day and after X-rays and tests they figured out what was wrong. Boy....I messed myself up good but at least the baby is ok! Thanks for all the support and advice. My pneumonia is getting better but I just have to live with the torn ab muscle. We'll see how it heals after my little lady is born!
When I was about 30 weeks pregnant with my first baby my top abdominal muscle split. It felt like what you are describing- horrible bruising and whatnot. There was nothing that could be done about it and until my daughter was born I had to learn to deal with it. After she was born my midwife gave me some exercises to "knit" the muscles back together for proper function. Good luck and I hope everything else goes well!
Hi J.! Congrats on the little girl. Mine is now 8 months old! I suffered, exactly what you are feeling when I was sick. I too had bruised ribs/muscle strain from coughing so hard, and it turned out I had pneumonia. I had an xray done, at my husband's insisting at Good Sam ER, the ob/gyn there seemed to think I was just over reacting to my pain in my ribs and sides. Thank goodness for hubby! Got some antibiotics that are safe, and I was like the same 7 months preg at this time, so go see your dr, mine recommended to go to Good Sam if the pain got worse. I am glad I did, because he listened to my lungs, and did not detect pneumonia!!!
Good luck, and I feel your pain. Hold that pillow tight when you cough too! That helps! And rest, rest, rest. I tried sleeping lying down, and would just cough. I sat up most of the time! That was my hubby's clue I had pneumonia or some kind of fluid in my lungs.
Happy New year! email me if you want to talk:
____@____.com
L.
I was fortunate not to catch a cold while I was pregnant, however I have had some awful colds where the coughing made me feel as though I'd been punched in the ribs/stomach. If the cough is deep, you should definitely talk to the Dr. about possible bronchitis.
JenniferS--If you haven't already done so, I would strongly suggest you get to a doctor! If your doctor is not in, there is another on-call---or get checked out at the nearest ER room. This doesn't sound like anything you should wait on! Good luck! N.
i would for sure get it checked out...there is a syndrome called HELP that is very serious...call your doc to be on the safe side.
Its really easy to pull something when pregnant; the hormones in your body make everything loose; so you may have just pulled a muscle but anytime there is pain you should see your doctor. Even if he's not in today, you should leave a message to see what he recommends. Its good to be precautious. I pulled a muscle in my back when pregnant and my midwives wanted me to have a test for kidney infection just to be careful. Hope you feel better!!
Pancreatitis is a horrible pain that can rear it's ugly head when you are not digesting your food properly. I don't know if there is anything they can do about it when you are pregnant, I had it, but didn't know it until my baby was about 10 weeks old. I collapsed on the kitchen floor from the pain. After determining that it wasn't food poisoning, the ER diagnosed pancreatitis. It was no fun, and meant an extended stay in the hospital. It turns out to be common in alcoholics (I an not) and pregnant women. Good luck, and if it continues, make sure your dr. tests you for various things.
Hi :)
I had these cramps my whole pregnancy. I would double check with your doctor to make sure.
You poor thing. I would reccommend going to the ER and getting checked out. I agree with some of the other responses that you may have more than just a common cold. Another thing to think about (please don't worry too much) is a possible blood clot. I am 26 weeks pregnant with my second and had some pain in my chest. The advice nurses had me go into the ER right away to be sure everything was ok. Mine turned out to be skeletal/muscular pain and went away in a few days. Thank goodness. Also with the hard coughing and sneezing/nose blowing you could have damaged or herniated your diaphram. It is worth the piece of mind to know what is going on. Don't let anyone tell you you are over reacting about the pain you feel. It is your body and your baby's health that sould be your main concerns. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.
J.,
I feel your pain. I am pregnant with my second, and have been sick as well. When I was pregnant with my 1st son, I got bronchitis and then chostocondritis (inflamation of the ribs) etc. from coughing so hard. I even dislocated a couple ribs from coughing so hard! Maybe you have bronchitis? What helped me is to hold a pillow as tight as I could each time I needed to cough and I had my husband wrap my chest with an ace bandage for extra support. Its also really easy to bruise the sternum from coughing. Lay on your side as much as you can to help relieve the pressure.Also, Tylenol is safe during pregnancy so maybe you could take some to help with the pain. I hope that you feel better really soon!
Take care,
Molly
I was thinking the same as a couple others who've posted. Sounds like it may be pneumonia or another bacteria infection.
Hi J.,
Congrats on your soon to be new arrival! I hope everything goes well. First of all, there really isn't any way to tell for sure what exactly is hurting when you cough. From what you're explaining, it sounds more like epigastric pain instead of uterine pain. Epigastric pain is pain to the area directly below your sternum (the bone that connects all your ribs right in the middle of your chest). However, because everything is so shuffled around and squished in your belly, it's not a surprise to feel like you're getting beat up when you cough a lot. That also is the area heartburn rears it's ugly head. You may want to try Maalox/Mylanta/Pepcid Complete and see if that makes any difference. However, if at any time you cough up blood, or you start feeling like you are cramping or start having any vaginal bleeding, or feel dizzy or pass out, definitely get in to see your doctor right away or go to any ER that has OBGYN services to get checked out. Is your blood pressure running high? That definitely could account for the pain in that area. I don't know what you're blood pressure generally runs, but you should get checked for preeclampsia. It's very common and includes things like high blood pressure, chest pressure, fluid retention etc. If it's bad enough it can be very bad for your baby and even worse for you. Take care and I would recommend you get in to your OB as soon as you can to get his/her feedback.
Hi J.,
You are probably going to have a BIG girl, and she's moving around inside kicking the daylights out of you. I'm a small woman (under five feet) who had a big boy (8 pounds) and ran out of room, so he used my rib cage to bounce off of. I use to just kind of massage my side when it hurt. He was full term. I also had problems driving because my stomach was huge and my legs were short. It will all be worth it...drink lots of fluids and eat right. Ask your doc if he can give you something for pain?
Blessings.....
PS...My labor and delivery were really easy....I had done lots of walking and reading about the steps of labor and delivery. In at 10 AM, delivered at 6 PM
I would go to the hospital if your doctor is not in his office. Chances are you are fine, but you never know.
:) S.
