Rib Pain

I'm slowly coming to the understanding that many of the pregnancy symptoms people discuss are often the pleasant side of things. I know that each woman and baby is different, but I find it almost comical that I have to be going through something, waste oodles amount of time Googling it to no avail and thinking I'm crazy before I actually find a smidgen of hope. Well, I'm not crazy, rib pain is a real pregnancy symptom, but it may not be the pain you think I'm referring to.

At the beginning of 28 weeks I noticed a tenderness above my tummy, right underneath my chest. Originally I thought my bra didn't fluctuate well enough, or perhaps the under wire was aggravating a growing belly, so I wore a sports bra for the day. This didn't help whatsoever, and I actually ended up unhooking it at work to keep from crying out of pain (it's like torture). When I got home I demanded that my husband allow me to purchase maternity bras, to which he replied "I thought you bought those sports bras"...

I began to wonder if it was my bras after all. There wasn't any visible redness on the surface of the skin, no bruising, nothing. And worst of all, the pain did not subside when I took off my bra. Frustrated, I took to the internet once more in hopes of finding an answer (my previous query led me to believe the maternity bra theory). However, this time, I actually found some forum entries that really made sense!

I read this one first, expressing concerns of an aching pain under the breasts during her 25th week of pregnancy. I nearly laughed out loud while I thought to myself, it is just due to wearing a regular bra. That is, until I read the second comment "The pain starts off feeling like it might be the under wire of your bra - but persists when you take your bra off. My Dr. said that there isn't any room left in there since the baby is occupying a lot of space. Can you only imagine what has been pushed up around your ribs since your little one has been growing?"

From there I did a little more digging and found a pain above belly post. "I have been having this uncomfortable aching, pain at the top of my belly but under breast. I thought it could be because my bra was getting too tight, but I decided to wear a sports bra today and its still there! The very tip top of my belly is aching too, and feels sore. I went to the doctor last week and they said it was growing pains. Is anyone else experiencing this?"

If you have been experiencing a similar type of pain, it's most likely due to your rib cage expanding and shifting around, causing muscles to be pulled, resulting in the most uncomfortable feeling. It's a strange sensation that isn't made better by wearing a sports bra, or removing the bra completely. Unfortunately, there isn't anything that can be done... other than perhaps massaging it with some lotion. And, most women noted that it lasted until delivery. Hooray! The joys of pregnancy.