Constant Discomfort?

I had two horrible pregnancies. Abdominal pains so severe that on multiple occasions caused trips to the ER and once caused a 6 week hospital stay. They were "unexplained" for a long time, my uterus protesting one doctor said, another said I just had such toned abdominal muscles it was difficult for them to stretch. None of that made me feel better or answered the question.

It turns out that after having an appedectomy 13 years prior to being pregnant caused some very serious scar tissue in my abdomine. It had attached itself to my surgery scar and to my uterus (I had a ruptured appendix) and as my uterus grew with each pregnancy the tissue stretched and tore.

There wasn't much they could do about it, except to know my limits and listen to my body about how much to push it.

I know that doesn't help and won't make you feel better but if you've had any previous abdominal surgery that could be the cause.

The only thing I can tell you is if you don't like the answer one doctor has given you seek another opinion. Keep going until someone can tell you what you need to know.

Good luck!

HI M.,
during my 2nd pregnancy I was having abdominal pains on one side, then as I got bigger it was both sides. I was not uncomfrtable in my first pregnancy. It was not until after the birth that I found out that I had at least 3 fibroids and one was 6 cm. I did measure to be 3 weeks bigger than I should have been the entire time. My midwife thought I might have fibroids and my dr. changed the date thinking I conceived earlier than 1st thought . At the end I was having contractions everytime I drove my car.It was horrible. The most I could walk was for about 20 minutes. I took it slow. My girl arrived here 2 weeks earlier than expected not quite ready to come out but there was no more room in there with all those fibroids. and a ultrsound did not find them @20wks .
congratulations and ggod luck

Dear M.,
My second pregnancy was really tough on me, for a multitude of reasons. It started out pretty badly, as yours did, with the doctor not expecting the pregnancy to last due to bleeding and cramping. And, I had so much scar tissue from years of endometriosis, the whole "stretching" thing made me really uncomfortable.
It's very common for pregnant women to have gall bladder episodes and hopefully you can get through that with medication and/or diet changes.
It's really hard when you have a rough beginning in a pregnancy not to be frightened by every little twinge and cramp. I got shingles, of all things, with my second baby and that was a nightmare, BUT, I had a fabulous doctor who I really trusted and he got both me and my baby through it. My baby is now 14 years old and way bigger than I am!
If you really feel that your doctor isn't taking you seriously, you can get a second opinion. In the meantime, be sure you are getting plenty of rest, eating a healthy diet, and staying as calm as humanly possible because worrying is not good for you or your baby.
Are you in too much pain to walk or just afraid to walk because of your pains. You might find that leisurely strolls actually make you feel better, unless, of course, your doctor has advised against it. Like I said, I really trusted my doctor and I looked at things the same way I do over my terrible fear of flying. I watch the flight attendants and if they're not rattled by some turbulence, I won't start crying and freaking out and expecting the worst. I knew my doctor would tell me if there was something I really needed to be concerned about and there were a few times he did have to tell me that. So, if he wasn't worried about a particular thing, I didn't worry about it. It's easier said than done, but I knew he truly cared about me and we had the same goal....a healthy baby.
Now, to lighten the mood a little bit....
After the initial scare with my second baby, I found that my appetite was insane. I didn't weigh very much so I wasn't worried about it except for the fact that I just couldn't help myself. I wasn't eating any junk, but I was drinking a gallon of milk, eating 12 oranges, plums, a whole head of broccoli, cauliflower, a pound of brussel sprouts by myself A DAY. And I craved fish. At first my doctor was happy to see me gaining weight because I was so tiny, but one day he sat me down and said, "We're going to have to do something about your weight." Fist I was too little, then I was too big? I was confused. He said I wasn't too big, but I had been steadily gaining 7 pounds per week.
He said, "Honey...do you have any idea what 7 pounds times 40 weeks equals?" I could have fainted right on the spot. I'd never thought of it that way. I hadn't thought of it at all. I just knew I couldn't help myself. Strangely enough, my body knew what it was doing because when I got shingles, I couldn't eat and lost weight. But my baby had that really good jump start, all that healthy stuff I devoured. And guess who came into the world weighing 7 pounds? My perfect baby. And thankfully, I didn't gain 200 pounds!
Listen to your body, have a doctor you truly trust and realize you are almost halfway there.

Blessings and best wishes!

Hi M.,

I had similar pains during my pregnancy and it was due to a large fibroid (13 cm). Maybe your doctor can order an ultrasound to check for that.

Good luck!

Have you thought about the gall bladder symptoms could have been the cause from the start, but you just didn't know the gall bladder was acting up?
I'm also thinking this is a different baby and may be just causing different reactions in your body, or that there is some left over "something" from your first delivery that this baby is now triggering in your system that is causing the pain.
These are questions you might want to pose with your doctor.

Hi M.,

I had more cramps and pains with my 5th child than with any of the others. Dr said it may be stretching of ligaments or uterus and to drink water. I found that making sure I drank enough water really did help. Walking helped too. :)

R.