Lots of pain in late pregnancy - doesn't go away. Help!

[LJay]

I'm 37 weeks pregnant (second time around) and for the last few days I have had a significant amount of pain in my lower abdomen. When the baby moves it gets worse and spreads to my back. I am finding it more difficult to move / stand up / walk etc. because it is so painful. I don't think it is Braxton Hicks because this pain does not go! Any ideas?
My doctor said that it was probably ligaments stretching, but this has been going on for days. When do they stop! Don't remember any of this with my first pregancy. Can anyone help?

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Got to say agree with edgarcat. Why don't you try talking to your midwife, she could to an exam, but if it get worse I would phone the delivery suite of I was you.

Hope you're feeling better soon xxx

Ok that should have said IF I was you....

And DO an exam - damn really should preview

I was the same for the last few weeks. My pain was because ds was op (spine to spine, instead of spine to belly - sorry if you already knew that!) I was in agony, and couldn't walk very far at all. Nights were horrible because I could never get comfortable.

Having said that, if your doctor says it is stretching, it probably is. I take it that s/he has checked that the head is not engaged? You might not have felt this last time because your muscles were stronger. For the second, they are shot to bits, which is why the second child always shows so much earlier in the pregnancy! My bump was so huge in the last few weeks that I felt like I needed a crane to hoist it around!

Have to say that I can't quite believe I can be in labour yet - but only because the pains don't feel like contractions and the fact that my first was 5 days late. But you may be right.

It may be spine to spine - I know this can be painful - but I asked the doctor (only saw her on Thursday) and she said that the head was now 2/5 engaged and I'm sure she said she could feel the spine.

Think I will see how I go today and if it continues I will have to call the midwife, as you've said. It does get worse during the day so maybe it is muscle pain. Just hope it doesn't last for weeks on end because I will be exhausted by the time baby finally arrives.

LJay - you have my total sympathy. The memories of my horrendous pregnancy are one of the things stopping me wanting another baby. Well, I want a baby, but not to be pregnant again.

could it be that the baby is sitting on a nerve? do you get electric shock type feelings?

Haven't got electric shock feelings - it is more like a constant pressure (feels like I am about to burst) and this turns into a sharp pain when I stand or walk. Doesn't help that I have a cold and if I sneeze or cough it is like someone stabbed me! If the baby moves I get the sharp pains as well, and sometimes I get them just sitting.

Having said all that I feel a bit better this afternoon, so hopefully it won't be something that lasts.

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LJay - very probably the pain is there just because the head is so low (and 2/5th palpable is very low) - probably grating around in your pelvis. When you say the pain is in your lower abdomen, is it like period pain, or lower, around the pubic bone? Could be pressure on this area causing pain - symphysis pubis dysfunction, Causes lots of pain/difficulty getting up/down/walking etc.
Wouldn't think it is ligaments stretching, as they've already done a significant amt of stretching, and yet you're only just experiencing the pain. I would take an educated guess, and bet that the pain stems from the babys head being so low. Doesn't sound like labour. Could also be that the baby is lying back to back like chinchilla said, but that would result more in persistant back pain - and you sound like the pain originates lower abdominally, radiating to your back. Can be difficult to diagnose a baby in the back to back (posterior) position on palpation alone, so the GP could be forgiven for getting it wrong if this was the case.
Whatever, it does all sound quite normal - hope it alleviates for you soon

LJay, I had terrible pains at the end of my second pregnancy that I did not have in my first. They varied from shooting pains down my legs, to lower back period type pains to just general throbbing pain. My 2nd was 2/5 engaged by 37 weeks too. And first time around I was 10 days late and my ds wasn't ever engaged.
All I can say is that the best part of labor was that moment when my dd came out and I no longer felt like a stuffed sausage. That was actually a bigger relief to me than the end of my contractions.
Try to keep active and move a lot to keep the baby moving. And if the baby gets into a position that is particularly painful, push it into another one.

Sorry to hi jack this a bit but edgarcat I'm on your trail looking now for things to agree with you on again......

Wdgiesmum.... you can't!! I'm Edgarcats Mumsnet stalker!!!

Ah ha! now you've outed yourself I'm going to stalk you too - ah har har har har har......

Thanks for the info leese and SofiaAmes - and to everyone else. Have just had the first reasonable nights sleep in ages and I think baby has moved into a better position because it doesn't feel as bad.

I went to see the midwife yesterday and she said all was normal so that has put my mind at rest too.

Thanks again.

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