Pain/ache around lower ribs, especially across back - 28 weeks

[Missingcaffeine]

Just the last week or so, I've started to get this. Today it was so bad I couldn't concentrate on work - made me feel very tearful. I called the midwife who as I expected told me it didn't sound serious. It comes and goes, but generally seems to be worse as the day goes on, but then today was really bad at 4pm, but when off by about 5pm.
It feels like my ribs are bruised and that its muscular or caused by pressure. But then it doesn't really improve when I stretch out, and I would expect it to. I've taken Paracetamol this-evening. First time I've taken any painkillers but it's driving me nuts.

Could be ribs stretching out at 28 weeks, your womb is moving up so everything else is too, and ribs expand (and hurt!) to accommodate this . You might find your bra is a bit tight. Or at 28 weeks I think the baby could maybe be getting up there? I think I was about 28 when I got quite breathless as baby was starting to compress diaphragm and lung area.

I had terrible pain at the samw gestation with ds - his head was right up under my ribs causing me jip. I used to have to take my bra off on the commute home (it was quite a skill to do it relatively discreetly). My ribs spread massively at this stage but it all settled when he turned head down at 32 weeks

I had this with all 3 of my pregnancies, but worst of all with my first. I went on holiday at 27-28 weeks, and it was agony on the flight. I had to lean forward over a cushion to relieve the pain at all. Also found wearing a bra really hurt after a couple of hours.

A MW told me it was the intracostal muscles (the ones between the ribs) stretching - I did have quite a narrow rib cage. Now, it is an inch and a half wider than it was pre-children.

I found the best way to deal with it was to pile pillows up on the bed and kind of kneel/lie over them (pillows under my chest). It stretched out my back and gave some relief. I remember a friend's BF walked in on me doing this (they were staying with us, and he opened the wrong door coming back from the bathroom in the night). He was completely freaked out (don't really see why tbh).

Thank you!

nodemere it does feel like it might be the intercostal muscles.

redling I'm starting to feel a bit breathless at times too. Midwife told me baby shouldn't be that high at 28 weeks though. I have a feeling my baby is big.

I've wore my new bigger bra today and ache not so bad, but whether that is coincidence I'm not sure. Still been achy, but not like yesterday which made me want to cry.

I also had this around 23-28 weeks, and still get it sometimes now at 32 weeks. Midwife pretty unsympathetic - told me I would soon have lower back pain too and that I should try swimming and yoga. Whenever I got home from work I whipped off my bra immediately for some relief. Lying down helped too. The worst cause of it for me seemed to be sitting in the car - there is just something about the shape of the seat that put pressure on my upper back/ribs. However, I found a rolled up sweater placed just below my shoulder blades really really helped.

I've had this for a few weeks (now at 32) - it is really annoying. I also find it's getting in the way of work and making journeys a nightmare. I'm sure it's tight ribs - I have a high, forward bump that sort of bulges out under my ribcage as if it would like to be wider at the ribs too!

Things that I find help: lying down (think this is why it feels better in the morning), kneeling on the floor with my chest on a gym ball, and standing about 40cm in front of a wall, folding my arms and sliding them as high up the wall as they can comfortably go.

Really hoping it goes away soon for all of us!