Rib Pain

I had something similar when I was preggers. However, mine was on the left side and it felt like whichever organ was being squished up into my rib cage was going to explode when I took a breath. It wasn't constant, I felt it a few times a day and especially while laying down. I told my doctor about it and she just kind of blew up off saying it was normal. It was VERY painful. Here's the weird thing... my son was born ten months ago and I had that same exact feeling again the other day. All of a sudden I couldn't take a breath, it felt exactly like it did when I was pregnant. Now I'm freaked out!

It could also be gallstones. The area that you described sounds about right and the pain usually gets bad at night. It seems to be somewhat common in pregnancy. They can sometimes see them with ultrasound, but from what I know, there's not much they can do for them while you are pregnant and the common solution is to remove the gallbladder. There are alternative treatments that you can find with a little research.

Maybe the baby is pushing on your ribs. I can still point to the spot my son would always put his foot and push when I was pregnant with him. I used to massage it a lot. Good luck.

Hi S.,

Ask your doctor to do an ultrasound and see if the baby is pushing against your rib. If he/she is, then you know what's causing the pain. If the ultrasound shows nothing like that, get an x-ray and rule out heart or broken rib issues. There's no reason to have to wonder and worry about what's wrong. It's just dismissive of your doctor, lumping you in with the "general crowd" of pregnant women, to not do any diagnostic tests, which are easy to do. You have a right to know for sure.
Good luck - D.

very soon, that baby will drop, causing less strain to the ribs (which is a plus) BUT more strain to your BACK :) I did have quite a bit of rib pain with my 2nd, I really thought (as far as pain) the 2nd was worse than the 1st, Especially the sciatic (sp?) nerve down the left side of my back! First time, I barely felt back pain, but that nerve was in so much pain 2nd time around, in the 3rd trimester, I was in tears at 8 months. Pregnancy is beautiful in so many ways, but physically exhausting :) good luck to you!
Have you tried to "pop a tums?" It might be indigestion or heartburn. Tums were my best friend in the 2nd 3rd trimester, but check with your Dr. to find out the suggested maximum in one day, you may be having one of those "heartburn pregnancies," starts in the second trimester and ends at birth! My first, I had zero heartburn problems, my 2nd (even though I ate so well and stayed fit) was AWFUL for heartburn. It all started with pain under my breasts in the 2nd trimester, too.

Sorry to tell you, but I've been dealing with it for about 2.5 months now. some days are ok, and others it feels like someone is stabbing my there and twisting the knife. My dr told me that the baby has decided to rearrange my insides and my bowel has been pushed up there and is being pinched. The good news is it will supposedly go away after delivery. The bad news is there is nothing we can do for it til then.

it may be baby kicking you that hard. have you tried getting baby to rotate to a new position. lay on the bed with your bottom in the air, and your head down on a pillow, rock your hips back and forth and all around. this is the best way to get baby to find a new position. hope it helps.

the baby probably has a foot or knee or elbo or some other body part wedged into your rib cage. some times gently tapping on the area or changing positions can get the baby to move and dislodge said appendage from your ribs.

I feel for you! I was due in Jan, and had rib pain that started in Oct. It woke me from sleep and was on my right, too. Also, when it was more intense there was a numb patch on my skin, about the size of my palm; my baby must have been pinching a nerve. At first, the pain happened only if I sat in one position for too long, but then gradually it was always there unless I was standing up.

Sorry to say it did not get better until I was in labor and she moved down enough to relieve the pressure. (The epidural didn't reach high enough to numb my ribs.) Until then, things that helped: standing as much as possible, trying different positions for sitting and lying, massaging the area, distracting myself with other things. Sometimes sitting and bouncing on a birth ball seemed to jiggle her into a more comfortable position.

Some positives: Since my baby was so high up, it seemed like I had fewer pelvic discomforts (like bladder pressure) as compared to other women. Also, my baby likes to stand (with help of course) -- I like to think that's because she had so much practice pushing up on my ribs. :-)

Are you having shortness of breath, swelling and high blood pressure? If all of these symptoms are combined, ask for a chest x ray immediatly. I had all these symptoms, and my doc dismissed me as "pregnant and normal." Turned out I had been in heart failure for 2 months. Please if you know something is wrong, make them find it.

Unfortunately the doctor is right. The baby is pushing up on your ribs and making them and everything around them sore and bruised feeling. Your thoracic cavity is also smaller just to make room for baby so any little kick here and there you are going to feel it. Sorry, wish I could give you better news!