Sharp rib pain at night

[CatherineAnn]

I've been waking up in the middle of the night with severe pain right at the edge of my left rib cage (just the left!). My doctor's office has 4 rotating midwives- one of them said take Tylenol and the other laughed and said Tylenol does nothing just grin and bear it. It's almost impossible to get back to sleep when you wake up feeling like your abdominal muscles have just been torn from your ribs! Does anyone have experience with this kind of pain? Are there any exercises or stretches that can strengthen these muscles without making it worse?

 

[mummybear2]

Do you use a pregnancy pillow? Or can you use some normal pillows to cushion yourself a bit?
I had this a few times. Not consistently, thankfully but pillows helped me.

 

[EmilyMaria]

Look up a pre natal yoga video and go through a relaxing stretching session followed by some deep breathing before bed.

Ask you midwife for a physio referral if you woukd like some stretches catered more specifically for you.

 

[Kitana]

I had this too! It was excruciating! I thought I had appendicitis and nearly went to hospital twice due to the pain.
It's a stuck nerve in your back somewhere and it's called ACNES. Paracetamol doesn't help with nerve pain but stretching could. My oh would stand on my feet and pull my arms while I would lean back, which "opened" the vertebrae. It didn't always work though. I hope it isn't that because it was debilitating, I could barely stand breathing.x