Is it normal to get a cramp during pregnancy?

[Jzee]

I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have a slight ache on my lower left hand side, similar to a stitch feeling,should I be concerned?

[Joe1]

I too had lots of little stitch feelings, more so with pregnancy no2. Wait till you get the leg cramps

Like sobernow says if at all worried then talk to your midwife thats what they are there for, I was always on to mine and she didnt mind one bit.

[Jzee]

Thanks for the advice and and I now feel more confident about phoning my midwife. This is my first time so of course every little pang makes me worry.

[mum2toby]

I got those too at around 20 weeks. If I walked more than a few metres. It's apparently your tummy muscles starting to stretch and it's perfectly normal, if not annoying and painful! You're supposed just stop what you are doing, have a seat and wait for it to pass.

It'll stop happening soon. Don't worry too much, but let us know what the midwife says.

Congratulations on your pg too.

[Moomin]

I wish the books/mags/midwives had warned me of this when I was pg. Periody-type pains, stitch & cramps are really common - and bloomin obvious when you think about how much our wombs are stretching and changing. It's important to check things out, of course, but it's very common and hardly ever mentioned.

[sliverx2]

I had crap in both legs and back from 20w pg till birth (with both DS's), for some reson always at night. Sometimes i use to wake up and cry with it. My MW always use to say take some mid painkills and said that it was normal.

hope this helps!!!!!!!!

[Katherine]

silverx2 - I think I would cry too.

[Tamz77]

I'm 17 wks and have exactly the same thing, only on my right side. It started when I was redecorating so I'd been thinking I'd overdone it and may have pulled a muscle. It certainly seems to improve when I rest for a bit, like a pull or a stitch. I've had no other associated pain (touch wood) so am taking things easy, and keeping an eye on it, if it gets worse I'll see my GP. Hope this helps, everything is terrifying when it's your first time isn't it?

Tamara xx

[Moomin]

Actually, I should add a warning to my contribution. In EARLY pregnancy, I had cramps/stitch, etc. and that was what I was talking about earlier on. However, I started getting very achey and sore around my bump as it got bigger, and I too, thought I'd pulled a muscle. Anyway, it got worse until it was really painful. It turned out I had SPD, a condition where your muscles slacken too quickly and I had to give up work and then use crutches. The only time it stopped hurting was when I was hospitalised for something completely different and I had complete rest. DO check any persistent pains out with your MW.

[Tamz77]

Thanks Moomin, that's something I've never even heard of. Am seeing midwife on Friday so will mention it if pain persists!

[Wills]

I'm 19 weeks pregnant and just today started getting really sharp cramp/being stabbed by a needle like pains in my lower rhs, just above my bladder. Are these common this late. During the first 3 months I got them all the time, but I've not suffered from these pains for quite some time and certainly not so sharp. If anyone else had these sort of pains low down I've love to know because I could really do with some reasurrance or I shall find a midwife drop in centre tomorrow if not.

Thanks

[mum2toby]

Wills I had this at about 20 weeks and was reassured that it's perfectly normal. It's your muscles stretching and it passes after a couple of weeks - once the musckes are stretched beyond repair . It felt a bit like a stitch and usually went away after i'd sat down for a while.

Speak to you mw anyway just to be sure.

HTH

[Marina]

Wills, snap - quite painful, isn't it. Luckily, someone is also jigging around reassuringly as I type. Thanks for the reassurance Mum2Toby, sitting down doing Mumsnet instead of tidying the kitchen does seem to have worked.

[Wills]

Oh Marina, how funny. Thanks Mum2Toby its really great to find out things are normal without having to visit midwives who look at you as though you're crazy! Went shopping this morning to get dd shoes. Found 1 pair of open sandles now just need to find closed for rainy days (like the next few if the weather forecast is right).

[jessi]

Wills,yes, I have had it too and with both my pregnancies. It alarmed me abit I must say and I really felt I had to hold my tummy if I sneezed or coughed. Once that passed , a new symptom appeared shortly afterwards..am onto heartburn extravaganza currently... bleughh!