upper abdomen pain

[alovelycuppatea]

Hello...am 31+4 and for the last month or so I have had an irritating pain down the center of my upper abdomen...about 6 cm line from just above my belly button upwards. I thought it would wear off after a few days as was maybe muscle stretching but it's annoyingly persistent! Seems to be worse in afternoon and nighttime and feels like burning sensation. Once I feel it, I have it the rest of the day. Midwife looked baffled and suggested it was just the way the baby was lying...hmmm....anyone else had similar? Stretching makes it worse and hot/ cold compress offer no relief. Any ideas?

I have a burning pain in my rib - could it be referred rib pain?

Could it be access stomach acid?

What you describe is pretty much identical to what I get. I tend to produce a lot of stomach acid, particularly when pregnant and I rarely feel the typical heartburn feeling in my throat. I just get a horrible burning pain at the top of my stomach, just bellow where my ribs meet (diaphragm?) sitting upright or stretching my stomach out makes the pain much worse too.

The only thing I find that helps is avoiding acidy foods and trying to neutralise the acid with plenty of water and gaviscon/renee.

Does it get worse with bending and feel quite sharp, then bruised? If so it could be what myself and a few others have been suffering with: abdominal muscles separating. If so, nothing much can be done other than avoid bending over :-/ When I raised this with my GP, she looked fairly blank and then said it was probably muscles separating. Goodbye (non-existent) six-pack!

Thanks all....I think all three could apply! I have certainly had terrible heartburn all through pregnancy and it definitely does get worse with bending and feels like it could be muscular....ah well! The joys :)

Can you feel a gap or indent like a triangle wider at the belly button going to a point as you feel up the abdomen and does it go into a cone shape it you tense you sit up from a laying position?
I have had this since about 25 wks and it's getting bigger, was told it was the muscles and there isn't anything that can be done and it's likely to get worse as baby gets bigger.
Avoid lifting anything that will put a strain on it, roll onto your side when getting up don't sit straight up as it will push it further apart.

After birth one of the worst things you can do it anything like sit up's or crunch apparently, not that most will have the time or energy to be doing anything like that too soon!